Previous
George
Maya is a woman who works with gorillas at the zoo. Until he learns her name, Ivan calls her “the woman” or “the zoo lady.” She coordinates transferring all the animals at the Big Top Mall to the zoo—including Ivan, Ruby, and Thelma the macaw. She’s a kind woman and uses the clicker training method with animals, which means that both Ivan and Ruby get lots of treats. Maya makes Ivan feel seen and understood when, not long after Ivan has integrated into the gorilla family at the zoo, she shows him video of Ruby playing with other elephants at the zoo—she seems to recognize that this is what Ivan wanted, and that he’d appreciate seeing that his hard work paid off.
Maya/The Woman Quotes in The One and Only Ivan
The The One and Only Ivan quotes below are all either spoken by Maya/The Woman or refer to Maya/The Woman. 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:
).
change—worry Quotes
“A good zoo,” Stella says, “is a large domain. A wild cage. A safe place to be. It has room to roam and humans who don’t hurt.” She pauses, considering her words. “A good zoo is how humans make amends.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
leaving—mighty silverback Quotes
I move toward the young upstart, and he retreats.
Almost as if he believes I’m the silverback I’m pretending to be.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
They stand side by side, just the way Stella and Ruby used to. Their trunks entwine. I see something new in Ruby’s eyes, and I know what it is.
It’s joy.
I watch the whole thing, and then Maya plays it again for me, and again. At last she turns off the TV and carries it out of the cage.
I put my hand to the glass. Maya looks over.
Thank you, I try to say with my eyes. Thank you.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The One and Only Ivan LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Maya/The Woman Character Timeline in The One and Only Ivan
The timeline below shows where the character Maya/The Woman appears in The One and Only Ivan. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
the next morning—photo
...not angry at Ruby. A week later, the man with the clipboard returns with a woman in a white coat. The woman watches Ivan and then Ruby, and then she talks...
(full context)
new box. The woman returns not long after with some other people, who put a big box in the...
(full context)
After a lot of clicks and treats, the woman puts Ruby back in her cage. Ruby asks Ivan why the woman gave her carrots...
(full context)
poking and prodding. The woman returns with an animal doctor. He has a bag that looks dangerous. The doctor spends...
(full context)
...and tells him that Mack fired George. As she cries, she says that the zoo woman told George that they might have an opening at the zoo cleaning cages. Ivan approaches...
(full context)
...All he has to do is walk through the door and into the box. The woman from the zoo—Maya—is here, making the clicking sounds and giving Ivan yogurt raisins, marshmallows, and...
(full context)
leaving—mighty silverback
leaving. The next morning, Maya and a bunch of other humans arrive. All of them seem busy. Ruby is the...
(full context)
good boy. Maya tells Ivan “Good boy” as Ivan gets into the box for marshmallows. Once he’s in...
(full context)
...he’s in a new cage that’s little different from his old one. It’s just cleaner. Maya greets Ivan as Ivan looks around. There are three glass walls in his cage, and...
(full context)
not famous. Here, Ivan doesn’t get any visitors aside from Maya and her human friends. Maybe Ivan isn’t famous anymore.
(full context)
a new tv. One day, Maya brings Ivan a new, bigger TV. She turns it on with a smile. Ivan hopes...
(full context)
excited. This morning, Maya doesn’t turn on Ivan’s TV. Instead, she and her friends say, “Today’s the day” and...
(full context)
ready. The next day, Maya asks Ivan if he wants to try again. Ivan thinks of Ruby and tells himself...
(full context)
...is a test of whether he’s a protective silverback, but he cowers anyway. After this, Maya lets Ivan go back into his cage.
(full context)
more tv. Ivan knows that Maya wants him to go back to his glass cage; she’s left a trail of marshmallows...
(full context)
