The One and Only Ivan: days—finally Summary & Analysis

days. Ivan waits during the day and paints at night. When Mack takes Ruby into the ring, Ivan worries. Though Mack carries the claw-stick, he doesn’t have to use it since Ruby no longer fights back.

nights. At night, Ivan dips his fingers in paint and paints many pieces of paper. They form a giant puzzle. In the morning, Ivan hides the paintings under his pool so that Mack doesn’t sell them in the gift shop. Every painting is for Ruby.

project. One morning, while Ivan is trying to nap, Ruby asks why he’s so sleepy these days. Ivan explains that he’s been working on a painting for Ruby at night, but he can’t show it to her yet. Ruby is pleased, but then she asks if she has to perform in the shows later. Ivan says that she does, but that he’s sorry. Ruby sighs that it’s okay; she already knew she had to.

not right. The next night, Ivan looks at the dozens of pictures he’s made. The colors and shapes are wrong. He’s not successfully portraying what he wants to—but he doesn’t know what, exactly, is wrong. Ivan looks across the parking lot to the billboard again. He knows it uses words to tell people to come see him. Ivan knows this would be much easier if he could only use human words—but he’s stuck with paint and torn pages. With a sigh, he tries another painting.

going nowhere. Ivan watches Ruby circle the ring endlessly. There have been more visitors, but not as many as Mack expected. Mack is planning to cut the animals’ food and turn off the heat at night. Ivan thinks that Ruby looks thinner and more wrinkled, so he asks Bob if Bob thinks that Ruby is getting enough to eat. Bob isn’t sure, but he gripes that Ivan is painting more than enough—it stinks, and he keeps finding paint in his tail. During the nights, Bob sleeps on Not-Tag, the toy gorilla, supposedly because she doesn’t snore or make him seasick since her belly stays still. He asks Ivan what his plan is and offers to help. Ivan says he can’t explain it and the idea is “stupid” anyway. Bob says it’s smelly, but not stupid.

bad guys. Ivan dozes until late afternoon, when Mack approaches and Bob hides under Not-Tag. Mack notices a painting sticking out from under Ivan’s pool. Ivan tries to calmly eat an orange as Mack kicks at the pool and pulls out the painting. He doesn’t notice the others under there. This painting is green stripes that are supposed to be grass. Mack studies it and says that he can sell this picture for more money than Ivan’s other drawings. Then he turns Ivan’s TV on to a Western; Ivan knows that the man on the screen is a sheriff because he has a star on his chest. Mack offers to buy Ivan more paint if the painting sells, and he walks away with it. Ivan imagines how it would feel to be the sheriff.

ad. Bob says this is great news: Ivan will get more paint. Ivan notes that he doesn’t want to paint for Mack, but Bob says that Ivan can paint for Mack and for Ruby. He’s an artist. Ivan wonders if he can stuff his paintings into Not-Tag when they’re dry. The movie he’s watching turns out to be a Western that’s also a romance. When it’s over, an ad comes on. Ivan generally doesn’t understand ads; there are no bad guys or romance. He and Bob watch an ad for deodorant.

The next ad shows children and parents buying tickets and then looking at tigers. There’s a drawing of a red giraffe and then, humans are staring at elephants. Ivan knows what this ad is for: a zoo. He can see the walls of the elephants’ “wild cage.” This place isn’t perfect, but Ivan knows this is what he needs. He looks over at Ruby and tries to remember everything of the cage in the ad. Ivan needs to paint that picture.

imagining. Now, Ivan’s paintings are different. He’s paintings things that he only sees in his head. They’re things that don’t exist yet.

not-tag. Ivan pulls Not-Tag’s stuffing out and then hides his paintings inside of her. Bob complains when he tries to sleep 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 many of his supplies.

one more thing. Ivan’s finger painting sold for $40, so Mack buys Ivan paper and buckets of paints. During the day, Ivan paints for Mack. He paints for Ruby at night and naps when he gets the chance. Despite this, Ivan isn’t pleased with his painting for Ruby. It’s huge, but it’s missing something. Bob accuses Ivan of being “a temperamental artist,” since he has the elephants and the zoo accounted for. But something is missing, and Ivan says that he’ll just have to wait to figure out what it is.

the seven-o’clock show. Ruby is very tired during the last show of the day. She stumbles at one point, and Mack uses the claw-stick. Ivan waits for Ruby to hit him back, but she doesn’t even acknowledge the hit. Instead, she keeps walking and, after a bit, Snickers leaps onto Ruby’s back.

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 a lot. He’s still thinking about his painting as Julia asks George what the difference between “principal” and “principle” is. George explains that a principal is a leader, and a principle is a belief. Julia groans that she doesn’t need to spell if she’s going to be an artist. Ivan feels bad for her; gorillas have no use for spelling. Suddenly, Ivan leaps straight up. He knows exactly what he needs and studies the billboard across the street. He imagines Mack reading it to him: Come to the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, Home of the One and Only Ivan, Mighty Silverback!”

Ivan lays out 16 pieces of paper in a square. Bob, annoyed, is even more upset when Ivan says that this has to do with the billboard. Bob insists that the billboard is “a monstrosity,” since he’s not on it, but Ivan points out that Bob isn’t in the show. Bob notes that he’s homeless by choice as Ivan studies the billboard. Ivan makes several lines on his paper and asks Bob for his opinion. Bob says it looks like a ladder, but Ivan says it's a letter. He needs a few more so he can write the word “Home.” Bob says that home isn’t so important, but he says it quietly.

nervous. Ivan 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 tears and smudges and understand what Ivan is trying to convey. As Ivan watches Ruby perform in the four o’clock show, he wonders what will happen if Julia doesn’t get it. He knows the answer: nothing will happen, and Ruby will be the main attraction of the mall for years to come.

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 glass to get Julia’s attention and holds up a corner piece of his big painting. Julia smiles as Ivan shows her picture after picture. She looks confused for a minute, but then she says, “It doesn’t matter. It’s pretty just as it is.” Ivan is distraught—this does matter.

more paintings. George calls for Julia to hurry up so they can go home. Julia doesn’t understand what Ivan is trying to tell her, so Ivan digs through his paintings and tries to hold a couple up against the glass. Bob drags some paintings over to Ivan, and Ivan then passes them out through the crack in the window.

Julia stacks the paintings neatly and suggests that Mack will want to sell them. Ivan continues to shove more paintings through the crack as George puts on his coat. He notes that the paintings are just blobs and suggests that Julia leave them by the office for Mack. George doesn’t understand why people pay for the finger paintings. Julia gets up and waves goodbye. Ivan looks at Ruby. He knows that she’ll be here forever—and he can’t let that happen.

chest-beating. Visitors often pound their chests when they see Ivan. Their pounding is weak and silent, but when an angry gorilla beats their chest, it’s not a pleasant sound. It can make everyone in the jungle run away in fear.

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 and beating his chest. Bob hides, and Ivan thinks that he’s finally angry. Now, he has someone to protect.

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 can tell he’s still upset. George sighs that he shouldn’t have swept earlier, now that Ivan’s paintings are all over. He suggests that Ivan just threw a tantrum, but he doesn’t blame Ivan after being stuck in the cage for so long. Suddenly, Julia looks down and freezes. She calls George to come look and points out an H and an E. George is tired and says this is crazy, but Julia runs among the pictures and says that Ivan made something really big. She identifies a trunk and an eye and runs to Ivan. She asks what he made. Ivan crosses his arms. Sometimes, humans make chimps look intelligent.

finally. George and Julia take Ivan’s pictures to the ring and spend an hour laying them out. When Ruby wakes up and asks if the picture is of her, Ivan says it is. She’s at the zoo—and she hasn’t met the other elephants in the picture yet. Julia suddenly realizes that Ivan wrote “Home,” and George suggests that it’s a coincidence. There’s a saying about chimps being able to write novels if they have access to a typewriter long enough. Ivan grumbles, and Julia notes that regardless, Ruby is in a zoo. She points out that Ivan even depicted the zoo’s logo.

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 idea that’s “billboard big.” This painting, she says, is intended to be on a billboard; she knows because both she and Ivan are artists. She begs George to help her, but George refuses. Mack will fire him. Julia says that this will be great publicity, but George still refuses. Finally, Julia picks up the claw-stick and hands it to George. She says that Ruby is a baby, and that maybe other people will want to help if they see the billboard. It’s a matter of principle. George isn’t convinced until Julia asks if Ruby will end up like Stella. Then, he goes to get his ladder.