This are some slides of the power point my group and I had to create for project text. The main idea was to point out the main points, passages, and themes of the novel. This was done for each chapter given to my group.
Past
to Present to Past
It
seems as if the circus would be one place where hierarchy does not exist, yet
at times the circus seems to have the worst. In the novel Water for Elephants the author Sara Gruen highlights how even
though to a regular person the circus seems like a wonderful place, it actually
has a lot of problems with hierarchy; like regular society itself. The novel presents various situations of how
the simple status of a person affects their life style and treatment within the
circus community. People are always
placed one above the other, due to money, education, ethnicity, job titles, and
much more. Although it is not always
fair for employees to be treated with these types of politics, because at times
those that are put beneath the wealthy or more “valuable” are the ones who
truly deserve the most money or at least the equality given to those in a
higher position as them. Times have
changed, including the manner hierarchy and politics are imposed on people, yet
some of the old politics continue on with the people. No matter how people start to evolve or move, there
will always be the politics of hierarchy, placement of people, or their social
status in the new way it is portrayed with the similarities of the old way.
People are labeled in statuses such as the working class,
middle class, etc. and the ones who are labeled inferior to others are usually
the ones who do the most labor. Unfortunately
lower class people are also treated in a completely different manner to those
in a higher type of class; they are at times abused, taken advantage of, given
little attention, and not the proper working and living environment because
they are not as important or wealthy. An
example of this is in Gruens’ novel, when the main character, Jacob Jankowski,
is a “working man” separated from performers and bosses, given little or no
money to a great amount of work. Soon
after, he becomes the shows vet, which presents him with better care, money,
treatment, and living situation. “We can hardly expect our vet to live like a
working man, can we? I’ll tell you what, Jacob.
It’s a little late now, but when we get to Joliet I’ll arrange for you
to start getting your own water, Performers and bosses get two buckets
apiece”(Gruen 80). Just in a matter of
seconds due to a simple title or “promotion” Jacob is now running with the big
boys and being better taken care compared to before when he was considered
unimportant. Their form of “politics”
between the employees had gone to the point where workers were not allowed to
even speak or sit near performers; it would be like a janitor not being able to
speak to a teacher.
Not
only was there a separation between the different statues upon the employees,
there was belittlement as well. Those in
a lower position to others were looked down upon and treat as little in the
community. The worst part was if one of
the lower class employees tried to rise in the line of work they were put down
not only by the higher class but by their own social class too. As mentioned in the novel, “I get a few odd
looks when I emerge from car 48 dressed in a tuxedo…at this end of the train,
where most of the onlookers are performers, I am regarded with frosty
amusement. As I pass the working men’s sleepers, the glances become harder,
more suspicious” (Gruen97). It seems as
if the working men thought it was possibly suspicious of them and for some of
the performers it was a laughing matter, while for others it was bothersome. For instance, when Jacob started to climb up
the stairs of “success” within the community it seemed as he started to make
enemies, “You wasted no time ingratiating yourself, did you?”(Gruen89). One of
the Performers was really bothered with the notion of a worker not only going
up in the ranks but also at the quickness it occurred in.
It
could be said that due to the time phrase, the 1930’s, the type of treatment
could have been acceptable and excused due to the depression occurring at the
moment. As explained in the article,
“Prejudice-Explaining Prejudice” by Net Industries there was a theory developed
called the Psychoanalytically Derived Frustration Displacement Theory that
tries to justify the actions of the people who dealt with their problems by
accusing or mistreating others of a lower statutes situation. It was mentioned in the article that “They saw
prejudice as an unconscious defense through which social stress and
frustrations were displaced through the blaming of out-groups and minorities.” Practically commenting how without knowledge
it was self-defense to misplace anger on others of lower status like the
workers in the novel compared to the performers. Since it is only a theory there is no true reason
for such type of hierarchy and exploitation of others.
Thus leading to the present the treatment of others in
lower classes within the society has indeed changed, even in the circus
community yet there are certain traits of this old ways that continue on with
us. Workers of different pays, titles,
and life styles actually communicate and are given “equal” treatment at work
but there still continues that aurora of hierarchy and separation between the
groups. It shows that the differences in
the levels still expect that silent and implied “respect” showing that they are
still of a higher statues. For example
in the show/documentary, Circus, about the Big Apple Circus shows the life and
comments of actual performers, bosses and workers in the circus community. It shows much distinction of the past circuses
and the ones today in how the social statues within the community but how they
still have that lingering sense of the past. The circus community has changed quite a bit
in the matter of performers and workers actually enter living with each other,
all employees of the circus actually getting the living circumstances, and even
families being raised within their own small community.
Even though these types of changes have occurred the
performers still received better housing and seem to demand a bit more respect
from the workers. As one of the workers
on the show, Tyra, comments “Mid Night Clowns is the best, it’s where you can
pick an act from the show and acted in front of the performers in a funny
manner before we hit the road. Although
some are afraid to do what they actually wanted to do because of all the
politics we can’t be offending anybody so we can’t have as much fun as we would
want!” Tyra refers to how they can be
the same but there should be no disrespect given to the performers by employees
due to the hierarchy within the community. Demonstrating how the politics and the
treatment that comes with it has changed but certain things about it continue
to be the same as always; which should be different because they all have a big
part in the show or corporation or any other type of work place, you can’t do
one without the other.
The
politics of social statues exist within all communities whether it was in the
1930’s or the 21st century, which at times causes many unjust
actions. It seems that people are the
ones who impose hierarchy on themselves and label which group are higher than
others, then slowly demanding that implied “respect” and “distinction”. Yet, in the end they all need each other to
put on this great big show in life which makes them all important, so they
should all be give each other the same type of respect, treatment, and statues
within the community workforce and so on.
Works
Cited Page
Gruen, Sara. Water for Elephants. North Carolina.
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2006. Print.
Science jrank. Net
Industries. Web. Tues. 6 Mar. 2012. http://science.jrank.org/pages/10840/Prejudice-Explaining-Prejudice.html
Circus. Pbs. Web. Mon.
19 Mar. 2012. http://www.pbs.org/opb/circus/
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