Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The One and Only Ivan, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Animal Abuse and Human Cruelty
Kindness
Art and Self-Expression
Memory and Storytelling
Family, Friendship, and Identity
Summary
Analysis
change. Though Stella notices it first, before long, all the animals know that a new animal will be coming to the Big Top Mall. They know this because they listen, watch, and smell. Humans always smell different—like rotten meat—when things are about to change.
The idea that humans smell like something bad—rotting meat—when things are going to change implies that for the animals, change isn’t good. Indeed, a new animal arriving at the mall will mean that another animal will be subject to Mack’s neglect.
Themes
guessing. Bob is afraid that they’re going to get a huge, dangerous cat, but Stella insists that a baby elephant will arrive in a truck this afternoon. Ivan asks how she knows; all he can smell is caramel corn. Stella explains that she can hear the baby crying for her mother. Ivan can hear lots of things, but not an elephant. He tells Stella that she’s just hoping, but Stella replies that she’s definitely not hoping.
To Ivan, it makes sense that Stella would hope for another elephant, and this will mean that she won’t be alone anymore. But Stella’s dark reply—that she’s not hoping for another elephant—suggests that Stella is more willing to accept the reality of her situation than Ivan is. Having someone to keep her company may be a nice thought, but Stella wouldn’t wish her current lifestyle on another elephant.
Themes
jambo. Since Ivan’s TV is off, he asks Stella to tell a story while they wait for the new arrival. Stella is rubbing her swollen, angry foot against the wall, so Ivan suggests that she take a nap instead. But Stella says she’s fine. Ivan asks her to tell the Jambo story—it’s one of his favorites, but Bob hasn’t heard it. Stella knows lots of stories, and Ivan knows he can’t be picky. Stella begins her story: once, a human boy was at a zoo, visiting a gorilla family. Bob asks what a zoo is; he’s smart, but he hasn’t seen much of the world. Stella says that good zoos mean large domains and “wild cages.” Zoos are safe, and humans aren’t harmful there. She says that with good zoos, humans “make amends.”
Storytelling is a way for Stella, Ivan, and Bob to pass the time when they have little else to do or are dreading someone (in this case, the arrival of the baby elephant). Describing Stella’s foot as swollen and angry makes it clear that she’s not doing well and is probably in pain, another sign of neglect. In contrast to this, though, Stella’s description of zoos as places where humans “make amends” stands out. This suggests that zoos symbolize humans’ willingness to help animals, and that zookeepers try to make up for the abuse or neglect that animals suffer at the hands of other humans.
Themes
Continuing her story, Stella says that the boy fell into the cage. Ivan interrupts to say that if humans knuckle walked, they wouldn’t fall over so much. But Stella goes on with her story. The boy lay in a heap, and the humans were terrified. The silverback, Jambo, checked out the boy and stroked him. He could smell that the boy was in pain, so he sat and watched. When the boy woke up, humans shouted for him to stay still—they believed that Jambo would crush the boy. But instead, Jambo led his troop away and men took the boy out of the domain. The boy was okay in the end. Bob asks if the story is true, and Stella says that she always tells the truth—she just “sometimes confuse[s] the facts.”
Given how Ivan describes himself (and gorillas more generally) as peaceful and protective, Jambo’s behavior around the little boy doesn’t seem surprising. But on the other hand, the humans’ fearful reactions illustrate how humans tend to think of gorillas as dangerous, powerful, and as Ivan noted earlier, a “challenge.” Humans seem to expect something entirely different from gorillas than they should, which reflects how out of touch they are with these animals.
Themes
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lucky. Ivan has heard the Jambo story many times. According to Stella, the humans were surprised that Jambo didn’t kill the boy. Ivan doesn’t understand why. The boy was young and afraid—and besides, the boy was another great ape. Bob asks Ivan why he and Stella aren’t in a zoo. Ivan and Stella look at each other, and then Stella smiles a little. She says that they’re lucky.
Ivan, being a silverback gorilla, knows that Jambo would have no real reason to harm a little boy, which makes it even clearer that he and other gorillas are misunderstood. Meanwhile, Stella previously implied that she and Ivan should be in zoos—she seems to believe they’d be cared for better there. So, saying that she and Ivan are lucky to be at the mall reads as an attempt to shield Bob from the uncomfortable truth that she and Ivan are being neglected.
Themes
arrival. After the four o’clock show, the baby elephant arrives. Bob runs to tell Ivan and Stella as the truck rumbles through the parking lot. Mack lifts the door near the food court, and a big white truck backs into the opening. Ivan can see the baby elephant’s trunk poking out of the dark truck. Ivan is glad for Stella, but then he notices that Stella doesn’t seem happy. From the truck, Mack shouts for everyone to stand back—this is Ruby, and she’s “six hundred pounds of fun to save our sorry butts.” Mack and two men climb into the truck. Ivan can hear scuffling, and Mack is using angry words. Ruby responds with a little trumpet.
Ivan cares about Stella’s happiness and well-being, so he still sees Ruby’s arrival as something that’s going to improve Stella’s quality of life. But Stella’s agitated, angry reaction to Ruby’s arrival suggests that Ivan’s thinking is misguided. Indeed, the fact that there’s already “scuffling” and “angry words” as Mack tries to get Ruby out of the truck suggests that Mack isn’t going to treat Ruby any differently from his other animals—she, too, is already a victim of his casual cruelty.
Themes
As Mack tells Ruby to move, Stella paces as much as she can in her domain (two steps in either direction). Ivan asks if she heard Ruby, and Stella mutters her own angry words. Ivan tells her that it will be fine and that she should relax, but Stella says it will never be okay. Ivan stops talking.
Noting that Stella can only pace two steps in either direction emphasizes how small the animals’ enclosures actually are—Stella doesn’t even have room to turn around. Stella insisting that it will never be okay shows how painful this situation is for her emotionally—it implies that according to Stella, Ruby shouldn’t have to endure this kind of treatment.
Themes
stella helps. The men continue to yell, at each other and at Ruby. The truck shudders as scrambling and pounding noises come from inside. Bob whispers that he already likes Ruby as Mack says that he’s going to get Stella to coax out “the stupid brat.”
Bob sees Ruby’s willingness to fight back as a good thing—she’s still spirited and opinionated. Referring to Ruby as a “stupid brat” suggests that Mack sees her as a creature to dominate. He doesn’t leave any room to consider that she might be scared; this is all new for her, after all.
Themes
As soon as Mack unties Stella, Stella pushes past him and limps as fast as she can toward the truck. She winces when she catches her foot on the ramp, causing it to bleed. Stella slowly climbs up the ramp in a way that makes Ivan sure that she’s in pain. At the top, she sticks her trunk into the truck, and soon, Ruby’s tiny trunk reaches out to meet it.
Stella seems to realize that the best she can do in this situation is make this experience as painless as possible for Ruby—even if it causes Stella pain. It’s telling, too, that Ivan is seemingly the only one to notice Stella’s bleeding foot or her limp. Mack either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care.
Themes
The elephants rumble at each other and slowly, Stella leads Ruby out of the truck. Ruby is small enough to fit under Stella. Her skin is sagging, and she sways. Mack acknowledges that Ruby isn’t “the greatest specimen,” but she was cheap. The circus only had her for a month before they went bankrupt. But people love babies, no matter what.
Ruby’s sagging skin and the fact that she sways suggests that she’s unwell, something that Mack confirms when he acknowledges that she’s not “the greatest specimen.” But animals in poor condition, he suggests, are cheap—and since people love babies like Ruby, she’ll still be able to draw in visitors, no matter how unwell she is.
Themes
Stella moves Ruby toward her domain, with Mack and the other men behind her. When Ruby hesitates at the door, Stella stops. Mack mutters and shoves Ruby, and then grabs for a broom to hit her. Stella steps between him and Ruby as Mack shouts for them both to get in the cage. Stella stares at Mack for a moment and then gives Ruby a nudge into the domain. Once Stella follows her in, Mack slams the door shut. Ivan can see Stella and Ruby’s trunks intertwined and hear Stella whispering, and Bob welcomes Ruby to the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, Home of the One and Only Ivan.
Mack’s willingness to hit Ruby with a broom shows how desperate he is, and how willing he is to turn to violence to make his animals obey. Of course, Stella, as an adult elephant, greatly outweighs Mack. Putting herself between him and Ruby and giving him this stare reads as threatening—she knows that like the bull elephant she told Ivan about earlier, she could easily toss Mack aside.
Themes
old news. When Julia and George arrive that night, Julia settles in to watch Ruby and barely speaks to Ivan. Stella is also too busy comforting Ruby to talk to Ivan. Ivan will admit that Ruby is adorable—but he’s “handsome and strong.” Bob snuggles on Ivan’s belly and tells him he’s old news as Julia starts to draw Ruby. Annoyed, Ivan moves to pout in the corner of his domain, disrupting Bob. George reminds Julia to do her homework, and Julia finally seems to notice Ivan. She apologizes for ignoring him and then rolls him a pencil so he can draw Ruby, too. Ivan bites the pencil in half and then eats some paper.
Julia’s reaction to Ruby shows that Mack was right—everyone loves babies. The fact that Ruby is now getting everyone’s attention shows Ivan that while he is “the One and Only Ivan,” he’s no longer the famous attraction that he once was. And even if Ivan isn’t totally happy with his life, it’s still hard for him to cope with how his identity is changing. Eating the pencil and refusing to draw Ruby drives home just how unhappy Ivan is in this moment—he’s even unwilling to step into his identity as an artist.
Themes
tricks. Ivan tries to keep sulking after Julia and George leave, but gorillas aren’t good at pouting. So, he asks Stella if she’s noticed the full moon, which they can see through the food court skylight. Stella whispers that she saw it, and Ivan realizes that Ruby is asleep. He asks if Ruby is okay. Stella laments that Ruby is too thin and that she was born in the wild, just like Stella and Ivan were. When Ivan asks if Ruby will be okay, Stella doesn’t answer. Instead, she says that the circus trainers kept all four of Ruby’s feet chained to the floor for 23 hours per day.
Ivan suggests here that he’s not good at being someone he isn’t—even if he resents Ruby’s popularity on some level, it’s still not in his nature to hold it against her. What Stella says about Ruby’s past indicates that although Ruby is a baby, she’s already been through a lot—she’s presumably been captured from the wild and then suffered at the circus. It’s unclear whether or not Ruby will be okay in the future, but the fact remains that her past hasn’t been happy.
Themes
Ivan likes to give humans the benefit of the doubt, so he wonders privately why this was a good idea and finally asks Stella. Stella explains that it would eventually break Ruby’s spirit. Then, Ruby would’ve learned to balance on a pedestal and let a dog jump on her back. Ivan thinks of all the tricks Stella knows.
Stella doesn’t say so outright, but it’s implied that Stella knows that being chained would break Ruby’s spirit because this is what happened to her. The tricks she describes are the ones that Stella knows how to do. This suggests that there’s a steep emotional and physical cost to training elephants to perform.
Themes
introductions. The next morning, when Ivan wakes up, he sees a tiny trunk poking out of Stella’s domain. The small trunk introduces itself as Ruby, and Ivan introduces himself. Ruby asks if Ivan is a monkey, and Ivan says he isn’t. Bob, asleep on Ivan’s belly, says that Ivan is a gorilla, while he’s a dog. When Ruby asks why Bob is on Ivan’s belly, Bob murmurs that he’s on it because “it was there.” Ruby notes that Stella is still asleep, and she thinks that Stella’s foot is hurting.
Ruby shows how young and innocent she is when she asks if Ivan is a monkey—presumably, she’s only ever seen monkeys and has never encountered a large ape like a gorilla. Like young human children, she wants to know the “why” behind everything. Bob’s answer as to why he sleeps on Ivan’s belly suggests that sometimes, there aren’t satisfying answers to questions like this—things are, sometimes, just the way they are.
Themes
Ruby asks when breakfast is and where the other elephants are. When Ivan tells her that Ruby and Stella are the only elephants, Ivan feels like he’s letting Ruby down. Ruby asks if Ivan has parents, and Ivan says that he used to. Bob chimes in that parents are “unavoidable.” Ruby shares that before she was a part of the circus, she lived with lots of family members. But they’re all dead. Ivan offers his condolences, and Ruby notes that humans killed her family. Bob mutters, “Who else?”
Ivan knows that elephants, like gorillas, live in family units, so he’s saddened to realize that Ruby isn’t going to live the kind of life that would make her happiest. Ruby’s uncritical and unemotional delivery when she notes that her family is dead suggests that she may be numb to the trauma and abuse she’s suffered. Bob’s insistence that only humans could’ve done such a thing shows that Bob doesn’t think highly of humans. It’s not surprising, in other words, that they’d orphan Ruby without a second thought.
Themes
stella and ruby. Stella spends the morning stroking and patting Ruby. The two lean into each other, rumble happily, and twirl their trunks together. Ivan loves seeing Stella so happy.
Because Ivan loves Stella and cares so much about her, he’s glad that she finally has a baby to love and comfort. This speaks to the importance of family—and perhaps to how alone Stella felt before Ruby’s arrival.
Themes
home of the one and only ivan. Ivan watches George and Mack out by the highway. They’re high up on ladders, adding a number of pieces of paper to the billboard telling cars to visit the One and Only Ivan, Mighty Silverback. When they’re done, Ivan sees that they added a picture to the billboard. It’s supposed to be Ruby, but it doesn’t look like her—it barely even looks like an elephant. Ivan knows he could do better.
Depicting Ruby incorrectly (in Ivan’s opinion) shows how misunderstood Ivan, Ruby, and the other animals at the mall are. Mack wants to make his animals look as interesting and entertaining as possible on the billboard—no matter what they’re actually like on the inside.
Themes
art lesson. Ruby constantly asks questions. When she asks about the jungle on Ivan’s wall, Ivan explains that it’s art—that’s why the flowers don’t smell and why the waterfall doesn’t have real water. Ruby asks if Ivan makes art, and Ivan proudly says he loves drawing—he’s always been an artist. But Ivan has to think for a moment when Ruby asks why he loves drawing. Slowly, he says he feels “quiet inside” when he’s drawing. Ruby isn’t impressed; she insists that being quiet is boring.
That Ivan feels “quiet inside” when he’s drawing implies that when he’s not drawing, his thoughts are racing—perhaps because living in his “domain” is so boring and unfulfilling for him. Ruby, as a baby, doesn’t have these same coping mechanisms.
Themes
Ruby continues to ask questions about what Ivan draws, what a frame is, and what a dollar is. Ivan closes his eyes and says he’s sleepy. He doesn’t answer any more of Ruby’s questions and suddenly recalls his father, sleeping in the sunshine while baby Ivan tried to wake him up. Ivan realizes that his father probably wasn’t actually sleeping soundly.
As Ivan starts to step into a more fatherly role with Ruby, he develops some empathy for his own father. It’s also significant that spending time with Ruby seems to trigger this memory in Ivan, as it suggests Ruby is somehow going to help Ivan reconnect with his past.
Themes
treat. George approaches Stella’s domain and asks how her foot is. Stella puts her trunk out to search George’s pocket for the treat he always brings her. Stella is George’s favorite, but Ivan doesn’t mind—Stella is Ivan’s favorite, too. As Stella finds her carrot, Mack appears and reminds George that there’s a mess in the men’s restroom. George agrees to clean it up and then tells Mack that Stella’s foot is infected again. Mack sighs and says he’ll keep an eye on it, but he can’t afford to have the vet out all the time. George strokes Stella and apologizes to her as Mack disappears.
George demonstrates how caring he is. It’s important to him to keep Stella happy (with her daily treat) and healthy (by suggesting that Mack get a vet to check her foot). But by refusing to call a vet to check Stella’s foot, Mack shows both that he’s struggling financially and that he isn’t willing to do what it takes to ensure Stella’s well-being. Given that Ivan’s seal neighbor died after Mack refused to get her veterinary care, this situation could prove dangerous or even deadly for Stella.
Themes
elephant jokes. Ruby wakes Ivan and Bob up early the next morning. She says she didn’t want to wake Stella up since her foot hurts, but she’s very bored. Bob notes that when he’s bored, he sleeps. Ruby says she’s used to getting up early. At the circus, the elephants would get up for breakfast when it was still dark, then walk in a circle, and then they’d chain Ruby’s feet up, which hurt. After a minute of silence, Ruby asks Ivan to tell her a joke about elephants. With a yawn, Ivan asks how you can tell if an elephant has been in the refrigerator. You can tell, he says, by the footprints in the butter.
Again, Ruby’s tone as she talks about her life at the circus is important. She doesn’t express any emotion or even offer any judgments on what her life was like, aside from the fact that being chained up hurt. With this, she shows that what she experienced there was normal for her. It doesn’t seem to have occurred to her that being constantly chained up was something she could take issue with.
Themes
Ruby is silent for a moment and then asks what a refrigerator is. When Ivan says that it’s a cold box that humans put food in, Ruby continues to ask questions. Ivan sits up, grabs a pencil, and then draws a refrigerator for Ruby. Ruby studies the drawing closely and then asks if this is art. Ivan says it is, and when Ruby asks, he draws a banana for her. Ruby is impressed and laughs. The sound reminds Ivan of a birdsong from long ago, something he’d forgotten about. He likes making Ruby laugh, so he continues to draw small pictures on his paper.
Here, Ivan uses art to communicate with Ruby, earn her trust and admiration, and situate himself as a knowledgeable mentor. In this way, Ivan starts to step into his role as a silverback—he’s teaching Ruby here, even if he doesn’t seem to realize it in the moment. And again, as Ivan remembers the birdsong, it suggests that getting closer to Ruby is helping Ivan connect with his own past, particularly the happier moments.
Themes
Stella finally wakes up and moans as she moves her hurting foot; she insists that she’s just feeling old. Ruby explains that Ivan is drawing pictures and telling jokes. Ruby says she likes Ivan, and Stella says she likes Ivan too. Then, Ruby asks to tell Ivan her favorite joke. She asks what elephants have that nothing else has. Ivan wants to answer “trunks,” but to humor Ruby, he asks for the answer. Ruby says that elephants have baby elephants. Ivan and Stella praise Ruby for the joke.
Stella doesn’t talk openly about her pain most of the time, so her foot could be hurting much more than she’s letting on. But lying about her discomfort is also a way for Stella to protect Ruby and Ivan, by making sure that they don’t worry about her. In the short term, this will keep them happier.
Themes
children. Ivan shares that once, he asked Stella if she’s had babies. She never did, but Ivan told her that she would’ve made a great mother. Stella was pleased, and she shared all the things an elephant mother has to teach her babies. Then, after thinking for a moment, Stella mused that the hardest part of being a parent would be keeping a baby safe. Ivan said that silverbacks also keep babies safe, and he told Stella that she would’ve been a good protector. Gazing at the bars of her domain, Stella said she’s not sure that’s true.
Earlier, Ivan insisted that he’s not a real silverback because he doesn’t have anyone to protect—but here, he’s more than willing to praise Stella’s mothering abilities and her protectiveness. Put simply, Ivan seems willing to give others the benefit of the doubt and see them how they want to be seen—but he’s not willing to extend that kindness to himself.
Themes
the parking lot. As George cleans one of Ivan’s windows, Mack frowns and says that there’s something amiss in the parking lot. George asks what it is with a sigh. Grinning, Mack says that there are cars there—people must want to stop to see Ruby. Ivan knows Mack is right; there have been more visitors since they added Ruby to the sign. He’s been watching people ooh and ahh at Ruby for days now. Gazing at the billboard, Ivan admits that the picture of Ruby is cute. He wonders if Mack could make Ivan’s picture on the sign cuter. Maybe then people would stop at his domain to ooh and ahh at him.
Mack’s instincts prove to be correct here—people are more willing to come to the mall when they see an advertisement for a baby animal. But this also has some sinister connotations: Ruby won’t be a baby forever, so what will happen to her when she grows up? If Ivan’s sadness is any indicator, she will also one day mourn the fact that she’s no longer cute. At this point, her worth—to Mack’s business—is her cuteness, and that won’t last forever.
Themes
ruby’s story. After the two o’clock show, Ruby begs for Ivan to tell her another joke or a story. Too impatient to let Ivan think of a story (he’s distracted by the clouds above the skylight), Ruby insists that she’s going to tell the true story of the time she fell into a big hole. Humans dug the hole, she says. At this, Bob perks up—he loves stories about digging. Ruby explains that the hole was full of water and near a village. Her family was looking for food, but she wandered too far away and fell into the hole. She says that she was terrified and certain she was going to die, since the water in the hole came up to her neck.
Ruby’s noting that she fell into a man-made hole at first suggests that this story isn’t going to end well. Aside from George and Julia spending time with and advocating for Ivan and Stella, the novel hasn’t shown humans treating animals well. The simple fact that Ruby falls into a man-made hole and was afraid of dying shows just how fraught the relationship between humans and animals can be: humans often still hurt or frighten their animal counterparts, even by accident.
Themes
Ivan shudders and asks what happened. In a dark tone, Bob says he knows what happened: the heartless humans caught Ruby and shipped her here in a box. Ruby interrupts that Bob is wrong: the villagers helped get her out of the hole and saved her. Bob is shocked. Ruby explains that the children fed her fruit, and then the humans led her back to her family. Ruby insists it’s true, but Bob is skeptical. At this, Stella rouses herself and says that humans can sometimes be surprising. Unconvinced, Bob asks why Ruby is here if humans can be so great. Ruby looks ready to cry as she says that bad humans killed her family and sent her here, but good humans saved her. Bob insists that he’ll never understand humans, and Ivan agrees.
Bob hasn’t had many good experiences with people, so it’s logical that he’d assume the worst of the humans in Ruby’s story. But both Stella and Ruby offer some hope that Bob’s outlook isn’t the only correct one—humans can also be kind and helpful to animals. The problem, this suggests, is that it can be hard for the animals to trust which humans are going to be kind and which ones are going to be cruel or abusive.
Themes
a hit. During the two o’clock show, Stella’s foot hurts too much for difficult tricks, so Mack makes her limp in a circle. Ruby sticks close to Stella and watches, wide-eyed, as Snickers leaps on Stella’s back and head. Stella’s foot hurts too much to enter the ring for the next show, so for the seven o’clock show, Stella stays in her domain. When she sees Mack coming for Ruby, Stella whispers into Ruby’s ear. Ruby allows Mack to lead her to the ring and then blinks in the bright lights. She gives a tiny trumpet as the humans clap and coo. Ivan can tell Ruby is a hit, but he’s not sure whether he should be happy or sad.
Stella’s health seems to be declining quickly—and it’s clear that Mack knows this, as he allows Stella to stay in her domain for the final show. But he still doesn’t do anything about it, a sign of his neglect. For Ivan, it’s awful to see Ruby in the ring by herself. The humans love to look at her, but they don’t seem aware that Ruby is only out there because Stella is too unwell to be in the ring.
Themes
worry. Julia arrives after the final show with books and art supplies. She passes Ivan some paper and two Magic Markers. Ivan likes the red and purple markers, but he’s too worried about Stella to draw. He looks toward her domain, and Julia looks too. Stella is lying in some dirty hay, struggling to breathe. Julia calls for George, who says that Mack must know Stella isn’t well. He notes that vets are expensive, but he agrees to call Mack when Julia begs.
Julia follows Ivan’s gaze when he looks toward Stella, which indicates how well they understand each other. They may have bonded as artists, but this shows that they also connect in other ways. Julia shows that she’s compassionate when she begs George to call Mack and get Stella help—it’s clear to her that Stella is very unwell.
Themes
Ivan watches George’s lips form a line. When George gets off the phone, he tells Julia that the vet will come in the morning if Stella isn’t better—Mack said that he’s not going to let Stella “die on him” after spending so much money on her. George assures Julia that Stella will be okay, but Julia watches Stella closely until she goes home.
George seems to privately agree with Julia that Stella needs medical attention, but he also wants to emotionally protect his daughter. This is why he insists Stella will be fine, even though Stella seems to be in rough shape. Again, Mack only seems to care about his animals insofar as they can make him money.
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