Remembering Ivan The Gorilla Slideshow: Amanda’s trip from Hickory, North Carolina, United States to 3 cities Atlanta, Tacoma and Congo - The Dem. Repub. (near Democratic Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo) was created by TripAdvisor. See another United States slideshow. Create your own stunning free slideshow from your travel photos. |
Ivan is a gorilla living in the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. He has friends who are elephants and dogs and he lives in a domain in the mall. He does shows every day at two, four, and seven. At this point in the book, I didn’t feel like Ivan was getting much attention in the mall which could’ve been hard for him. Ivan has several nicknames made up by the people like The Mighty Silverback, The Freeway Gorilla, or The Ape at Exit 8. Snickers the dog and Stella the elephant are Ivan’s closest friends. In his domain he has a small TV, a baseball bat and some crayons passed through a small hole from Julia (the janitor’s daughter). Ivan likes to do art with dull, half-eaten crayons but wishes he could make pictures creative as if it’s from a dream you dreamed last night like in Julia’s pictures. Usually Ivan’s pictures are dull and boring but Mack the mall worker realized he should sell Ivan’s art for $20.00. Ivan has a different opinion about humans. He thinks their smart but is noisy and impatient. Ivan himself is pretty good at being patient and compares himself to a stone.
Throughout the story we learn more about the detail in Ivan’s life. Ivan has never had another gorilla friend at the Big Top Mall but as he listens to Stella who recites her childhood and watches the Nature Show, he gets a feel of seeing another gorilla and his home in the misty, damp jungle. Ivan has been in his domain at the mall for twenty-seven years. Stella the elephant used to be in a circus with chains around her ankles. One day she fell from a balancing stunt and was taken to the mall. Stella still limps on her leg full of scars but manages not to complain. Ivan and Stella liked to talk to each other and became very good friends. While Ivan was in his domain, sometimes visitors would throw things at Ivan and he would throw things back at them but they would never hit anything because of the glass that was between them. One sweet moment was when a dog friend of Ivan’s, Bob, went into the hole of Ivan’s cage and laid with him one night and Ivan loved it because he wasn’t alone.
Later, a new baby elephant arrived and was named Ruby. Stella seemed to be quite nervous or anxious about the arrival and Ivan reassured her that everything would be okay. Mack said that the new elephant Ruby would bring in money and save their sorry butts. (My students loved that line) When Mack was trying to get Ruby into the cage with Stella, he tried to hit Ruby but Stella stepped in front of her and took the hit and hurt her leg. Ruby and Ivan became good friends and she would ask Ivan questions every morning because Stella wasn’t awake yet. She also asked Ivan if he was an artist and he proudly said, “Yes!” During this part of the story it was pretty sad as we found out Ruby had no parents as they were killed by humans. Ruby didn’t look that healthy, kind of thin and malnourished. Stella had to still do the shows even though her foot was hurt. The first show wasn’t too bad for her at two, but the second show at four she only made it to the door. For the third show she didn’t even make it out of her domain, so Ruby had to go out there in her place. When Ruby came out instead of Stella, Julia became worried about Stella and told her dad to go get a vet. They found out the vet couldn’t come until the next day. As Julia and her dad were talking, Stella asked Ivan to promise something and that something was to make sure Ruby went to a difference place besides the Big Top mall. Once she finished that sentence, she died. This was a changing point in the story, not only for Ivan and Ruby, but for the readers.
Ruby’s questions to Ivan lead him to remember his “home.” Remembering home is something Ivan tried to avoid for a very long time as he prefers not to think of his past either with his family in Africa or as a young gorilla who didn’t have to stay trapped in a mall. He later starts to tell what he does remember about his past to Ruby. Ruby brings a new vision to Ivan’s art. He hides them around his domain, especially after Mack discovered that he can paint. All the little pictures Ivan paints lead toward one goal that Ivan wonders if anyone would ever understand what he is trying to tell through is art. This book was filled with hope and the friendship of others that helped them get through their tough time. My students learned in the end that there is a real Ivan and we read about that story and how animals acclimate to new surroundings after a rescue. We also discussed how it was based on a real story. They were amazed and shocked that something like what happened in the book was real. This story was a true inspiration to me and my students.