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Mack
Julia is George’s 10-year-old daughter. She accompanies him to the mall every night and either does homework or draws while he cleans. Her mother, Sara, is chronically ill. Julia has long dark hair and a big smile—and though Ivan isn’t the biggest fan of human children, he and Julia have a special bond because they’re both artists. Julia, in fact, was the one who got Ivan started with drawing by passing him a crayon one day. She always compliments his drawings and tries to figure out what he’s drawn—and she’s usually able to identify what it is that he’s depicted. Ivan also admires Julia’s artwork, since Julia draws and paints fantastical things out of her imagination, things that Ivan doesn’t believe he’s capable of drawing. A caring and kind person, Julia takes issue with Mack’s occasional cruelty and neglect of his animals. Julia, for instance, begs George to ask Mack about calling a vet out to see Stella about her infected foot, and she’s extremely disturbed when she witnesses Mack threaten Ruby with the claw-stick. Because of Julia’s compassion and the fact that she’s an artist, Ivan knows that Julia is the only person with even a chance of understanding the mural he paints to try to free Ruby. And indeed, Julia recognizes what Ivan has depicted—Ruby at the zoo and the word “home”—and realizes that Ivan wants his painting to go on the billboard. She’s then able to convince George to help her put it up on the billboard. For the most part, Julia is happy with the media attention that Ivan’s billboard receives. She believes that Ivan and Ruby will be happier and safer in a zoo, even if it means having to give up her close relationship with some of her best friends. However, at the very end of the novel, Julia and George visit the zoo—with Bob in tow—and reveal that George is going to start work at the zoo and that Bob now lives with Julia’s family.
Julia Quotes in The One and Only Ivan
The The One and Only Ivan quotes below are all either spoken by Julia or refer to Julia. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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change—worry Quotes
“Bad humans killed my family, and bad humans sent me here. But that day in the hole, it was humans who saved me.” Ruby leans her head on Stella’s shoulder. “Those humans were good.”
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Bob says. “I just don’t understand them. I never will.”
“You’re not alone,” I say, and I turn my gaze back to the racing gray clouds.
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Ruby has just told a story about a time when she fell in a hole—and “good humans” saved Ruby from that hole. Bob and Ivan are having a hard time understanding that humans can be both good and bad. Bob, especially, has had such negative experiences with people (humans abandoned him and his siblings along a freeway when he was a puppy) that he doesn’t believe humans could also be compassionate. Ruby, however, realizes that some humans are good and others are bad, despite the fact that she’s relatively young and immature. Not every human will be one thing or Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui
“Mack says the vet’s coming in the morning if Stella’s not any better,” [George] tells Julia. “He says he’s not going to let her die on him, not after all the money he’s put into her.”
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Stella is unwell, so Julia begged George to call Mack and ask to have Stella seen by a vet. Mack is unwilling to call the vet until morning, a decision that ultimately results in Stella’s death. Mack’s message to George shows how little he thinks of his animals. Stella is, to him, a way to make money—he’s put money into her by feeding her, housing her, and getting her veterinary care in the past, and so he feels that Stella has no choice but to stay alive and continue to allow him to make money by performing in his shows. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti
days—finally Quotes
It’s different now, when I paint.
I’m not painting what I see in front of me. A banana. An apple. I’m painting what I see in my head. Things that don’t exist.
At least, not yet.
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After Ivan sees a commercial for the local zoo, he learns the imagery he needs to convey that Ruby belongs at the zoo and not at the mall. So, the picture he’s painting is imaginary—but he hopes it will come true someday soon. Prior to his choice to create this painting for Ruby, Ivan described his paintings and drawings as “pale” and “timid” next to Julia’s imaginary ones. This is because Ivan stuck to drawing the objects he could see in his “domain” (cage), which only conveyed how bored Ivan was in his unstimulating domain. His drawings, in other word, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate
I’m ready to show Julia what I’ve made.
It has to be Julia. She’s an artist. Surely she’ll look, truly look, at my painting. She won’t notice the smudges and tears. She won’t care if the pieces don’t quite fit together. She’ll see past all of that.
Surely Julia will see what I’ve imagined.
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After working on his painting for weeks, Ivan is at the point where he’s ready to share it with Julia. He believes that since they’re both artists, Julia is the only person with a chance of being able to understand what Ivan is trying to convey. In this passage, Ivan makes the case that art allows people (and animals) to connect with one another in ways that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to. Julia and Ivan can’t speak or write to each other—Ivan can understand what Julia says to him, but he can’t read and doesn’t speak English. So, most Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae c
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I bounce off the walls. I screech and bellow. I beat and beat and beat my chest.
Bob hides under Not-Tag, his paws over his ears.
I’m angry, at last.
I have someone to protect.
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Ivan has just tried to show Julia his painting depicting Ruby at the zoo, but she and George are in a hurry to get home and don’t understand what Ivan is trying to show them. This brings about a major change in Ivan. Up until this point, he hasn’t felt like a real silverback gorilla. Silverbacks, he explains, are the leaders of their families, and their job is to protect others. They do this by tapping into their anger—but Ivan has previously described anger as being “precious” to a silverback, so getting angry isn’t something they do often. This makes Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molesti
the next morning—photo Quotes
Mack turns on the TV.
We are on The Early News at Five O’Clock.
Bob says don’t let it go to my head.
There we all are. Mack, Ruby, me. George and Julia. The billboard, the mall, the ring.
And the claw-stick.
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The day that reporters come to interview Mack, George, and Julia about Ivan’s billboard painting, the mall ends up on the evening news—and the piece prominently features a shot the claw-stick that Mack uses to hit Ruby when training her to do tricks. At first, both Ivan and Bob seem to believe that ending up on the news is just another aspect of Ivan’s growing fame. Ivan has always been somewhat famous, simply for being a gorilla in captivity but also for being an artist. His fame has only grown since George and Julia put his painting up on the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tene
She starts to leave, then runs back to my cage. “I almost forgot. This is for you, Ivan.”
She slips a piece of paper into my cage. It’s a drawing of Ruby and me.
We’re eating yogurt raisins. Ruby is playing with another baby elephant, and I’m holding hands with a lovely gorilla.
She has red lips and a flower in her hair.
I look, as I always do in Julia’s pictures, like an elegant fellow, but something is different about this drawing.
In this picture, I am smiling.
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When Julia says goodbye to Ivan and Ruby (they’re being moved to the zoo tomorrow), she offers Ivan a drawing as a parting gift. Just like Ivan’s billboard painting, Julia’s drawing comes from her imagination—and it expresses hope for the future. In the world of Julia’s drawing, Ruby is happily playing with other baby elephants like her, and Ivan has found love with a beautiful female gorilla at the zoo. This drawing speaks again to the power of art to show people new versions of the future. While Julia’s drawing doesn’t bring about change as Ivan’s billboard did, it nevertheless Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perfere
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Julia Character Timeline in The One and Only Ivan
The timeline below shows where the character Julia appears in The One and Only Ivan. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
gone—the beetle
...with dirty water, and an old TV. Ivan also has a stuffed toy gorilla, which Julia, the cleaner’s daughter, gave him. The toy gorilla is floppy and looks empty, but Ivan...
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Julia is 10. She has black hair and a big smile, and she and Ivan have...
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Next to Julia’s drawings, Ivan’s are “pale and timid.” Ivan focuses on drawing things in his cage, like...
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imagination. Ivan hopes that someday, he can draw like Julia; that is, he can draw worlds that don’t yet exist. He’s aware that most humans...
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julia. Julia is a child, like the other rude children, but it’s not her fault she’s a...
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Julia sometimes falls asleep or reads, but most of the time, she draws and talks to...
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drawing bob. Ivan adores the pictures that Julia draws of Bob. She draws him in all sorts of poses: running, hiding, or sleeping...
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...that the smell of humans “upsets his digestion.” Occasionally, though, Ivan spots him sitting at Julia’s feet, letting her scratch his ears.
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...what they always do—the game, how business is slow, and the trash. Then, Mack asks Julia what she’s drawing. Julia explains that it’s a flying dog for Sara, since she likes...
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not sleepy. After George and Julia go home, Ivan tells Stella that he can’t sleep. She notes that he’s “the king...
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...eat the beetle, but Ivan declines. As Ivan finishes his last picture, Mack, George, and Julia come over. Mack picks up a drawing and says that Ivan draws pictures of nothing....
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change—worry
old news. When Julia and George arrive that night, Julia settles in to watch Ruby and barely speaks to...
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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...
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worry. Julia arrives after the final show with books and art supplies. She passes Ivan some paper...
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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...
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the promise—a visit
crying. That evening, Julia cries while George cleans. Ivan watches George confront Mack and hears a few words, like...
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...of things, he never forgets how long he’s been in his domain. Grabbing one of Julia’s Magic Markers, Ivan makes an X on his wall for every day he’s spent with...
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a new beginning—another ivan
Julia sits to watch Mack and Ruby when she and George arrive. Bob also keeps a...
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...her. Ivan growls, but Ruby doesn’t move. When Ruby huffs, Mack swings the claw-stick back. Julia screams, but Mack says he’s not going to hurt her. As Bob snarls, Mack brings...
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poor mack. Mack stumbles to his office, and Ruby watches him go. George and Julia comfort Ruby and settle her back in her domain with fresh food and water. Ruby...
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Julia pulls out a metal box and explains to George that she’s going to paint Ruby...
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colors. When Julia opens her metal box, Ivan sees squares of color that almost glow. He watches her...
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Then, Julia runs to her backpack and pulls out three jars, each of them a different color....
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...them. He says that someday, he’ll make a picture of Ruby. Then, he shows her Julia’s painting of Ruby. Ruby wants to know why she only has two feet in the...
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days—finally
...on her, and then he says that he misses sleeping on Ivan’s stomach. Later, when Julia arrives, she tells Ivan that he’s a “serious artist” now that he’s used up so...
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twelve. Bob lies on Ivan’s stomach, and they both watch Julia do homework. Ivan can tell that she doesn’t like her homework, since she is sighing...
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...spends the day knuckle walking in circles. He’s nervous because tonight, he’s going to show Julia his painting. Ivan is certain that since Julia is an artist, she’ll see past the...
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showing julia. Everything is silent in the mall except for Thelma the macaw. As Julia finishes her homework, Ivan pulls his paintings out of Not-Tag. Then, he pounds on the...
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more paintings. George calls for Julia to hurry up so they can go home. Julia doesn’t understand what Ivan is trying...
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Julia stacks the paintings neatly and suggests that Mack will want to sell them. Ivan continues...
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angry. Ivan beats his chest, causing George and Julia to spin around and drop what’s in their hands. Ivan storms around his cage, bellowing...
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puzzle pieces. Ivan grows quiet after a while; he’s out of shape. Julia looks at him with wide eyes and says that something is wrong with Ivan—and she...
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finally. George and Julia take Ivan’s pictures to the ring and spend an hour laying them out. When Ruby...
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George smiles helplessly and says he can’t explain the painting. Julia studies Ivan and then the paintings. Then she smiles. She tells George she has an...
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the next morning—photo
...rings, Mack answers it and glares at Ivan. Mack is perplexed when he learns that Julia contacted whoever is on the line. Mack says that Ivan paints, and then says it...
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interview. One evening, a man and a woman come to interview Mack, Julia, and George. As Mack and the woman talk, the man walks around and films Ivan...
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...TV, the mall is on The Early News at Five O’Clock. Ivan watches himself, Ruby, Julia, and the billboard on the TV. Then he sees the claw-stick on the screen.
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...that the protestors have it wrong and thanks George for nothing. After Mack storms away, Julia tells George that she loved the sign that read “Elephants Are People Too.” George smiles...
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...says that this is her home, and she wants to live with Ivan, Bob, and Julia. But Ivan says that this place is her prison, not her home.
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good-bye. George doesn’t grab his mop when he and Julia arrive that night. Instead, as he gathers his things, Julia runs to Ivan’s cage, puts...
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Then, Julia goes to Ruby’s cage and tells Ruby to have a good life. Ruby reaches out...
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leaving—mighty silverback
...elephant joke about the refrigerator. Ivan suggests that she also tell them about him, Bob, Julia, and Stella. Ruby agrees, and then the humans roll her box out to a truck.
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...his troop about his life. He tells them about his parents, Mack, Ruby, Bob, Stella, Julia, and George. They look away when he’s done, but Kinyani moves closer and lets her...
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...the hill, while Ivan’s wall is full of movement. Ivan thinks it looks like something Julia could’ve painted. From the tree, Ivan can see other animals—including elephants.
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...the den. Then, he sees someone running out of the corner of his eye. It’s Julia, shouting for him. Ivan races for the wall, dances, and hoots as Julia and George...
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Bob explains that George starts his job at the zoo next month. In the meantime, Julia is walking extra dogs to pay for Bob’s food—all of them poodles. Ivan notes that...
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Finally, George tells Julia it’s time to go. Julia smiles at Ivan and tells him to say hi to...
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