Another Main Character

A second main character in Water for Elephants is August, the “equestrian director and superintendent of animals” (Gruen 126) for the Benzini Bros. Most Spectacular Show on Earth. August is Jacob’s boss. Jacob is not particularly fond of August, due to his erratic personality. For instance, August and his wife, Marlena, have a fancy dinner with Jacob. The entire evening, August conducts himself as a gentleman, treating everyone with hospitality. At the end of the night, August’s second personality reveals itself. Out of nowhere, “he stares at Marlena with such intensity he looks like a different man” (Gruen 94). August briefly becomes a terror. August’s malicious nature is revealed again when he shows Jacob how to feed the cats. He lets Jacob into Rex’s cage, a lion, with a bucket of meat. Rex is an angry creature and bites down hard on Jacob’s arm (85). Fortunately, Rex has no teeth; unfortunately, Jacob was unaware of this from the start. Even though Rex is toothless, “he’s 400 pounds and has claws” (Gruen 95), Marlena points out.
August does not appear to have any sort of conscious motivation. “He… has his moments” (Gruen 95) Marlena says. It seems that August has some typeof mental illness, most likely schizophrenia. He has no control of this vicious side of him, and this side only emerges sporadically. Perhaps something earlier on in August’s life made him the way he is, but so far in the story, this has not been revealed.