The One And Only Ivan

“Anger is precious. A silverback uses anger to maintain order and warn his troop of danger. When my father beat his chest, it was to say, Beware, listen, I am in charge. I am angry to protect you, because that is what I was born to do.

“Here in my domain, there is no one to protect.” 

Applegate emphasizes how by keeping animals like Ivan in cages, separated from others of their own species, humans deny these animals the right to do what they were “born to do.” Animals, like humans, need companionship and have roles to play in their social groups; Ivan, as a mature male gorilla, has the natural role of protector. Through Ivan’s isolation, the author highlights the importance of relationships—something Ivan is deprived of because of human interference in his life.  

“Some animals live privately, unwatched, but that is not my life.

“My life is flashing lights and pointing fingers and uninvited visitors. Inches away, humans flatten their little hands against the wall of glass that separates us.

“The glass that says you are this and we are that and that is how it will always be.”

This quote uses the novel’s symbol of cages and walls to illustrate the theme of human-animal relationships—in this case, the separation between animals and people. Throughout the novel, people observe Ivan and Ivan observes them in return, but the walls between them create a boundary, a definition of difference, that neither side can cross. In addition, this quotation provides an example of how human interference has negatively impacted an animal’s life, as Ivan has no choice but to accept “uninvited visitors,” no right to the privacy he would have experienced in the wild.

“I think I’ve always been an artist.

“Even as a baby, still clinging to my mother, I had an artist’s eye. I saw shapes in the clouds, and sculptures in the tumbled stones at the bottom of a stream. I grabbed at colors—the crimson flower just out of reach, the ebony bird streaking past.” 

This quotation develops the themes of communication and expression as well as of the main character Ivan’s identity, through a description of Ivan’s artistic worldview. Ivan may understand human words, but he’s drawn to a different language—that of visual shapes and colors. Ivan’s “artist’s eye” allows him to survive many years in captivity and isolation, as art helps him to feel “quiet inside” (86) and takes his mind off his loneliness and frustration. Ivan’s art also allows him to see and communicate in a unique way, and in doing so to escape from his solitary, caged life.

“‘There’s a difference,’ Stella says gently, ‘between “can’t remember” and “won’t remember.’”

“‘That’s true,’ I admit. Not remembering can be difficult, but I’ve had a lot of time to work on it.

“‘Memories are precious,’ Stella adds. ‘They help tell us who we are.’” 

When The One and Only Ivan begins, Ivan has blocked out most memories of his African childhood, his family’s death and his capture, as they are simply too painful for him to relive. Ivan’s admission that he’s had to “work on” not remembering indicates that his choice is a conscious one, a reflection of the cruel treatment he’s received from humans. However, Stella, who humans have treated just as callously, insists that without “precious” memories, including painful ones, we lose track of who we truly are. As the book continues, Ivan must relive his past to truly understand and claim his own identity as a powerful gorilla, a protector of those he loves.

“‘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.’” 

This quote uses the symbol of zoos—specifically, “good zoos”—to explore the relationship between animals and people in the novel. The book includes many examples of humans who “hurt” animals by abusing, killing, or caging them in small and isolated spaces; however, the author also emphasizes that there are good people who not only “don’t hurt” animals, but actually try to “make amends” for the harm humans have caused. Even with these good people and “good zoos,” the relationship between humans and animals is not perfect—zoos are still cages, even if they’re “wild” ones—but zoos offer hope for animals like Ivan and Ruby who have suffered so much at the hands of humans.

 “‘Bad humans killed my family, and bad humans sent me here. But that day in the hole, it was humans who saved me.’ Ruby leans her head on Stella’s shoulder. ‘Those humans were good.’

‘It doesn’t make any sense,’ Bob says. ‘I just don’t understand them. I never will.’

“‘You’re not alone,’ I say, and I turn my gaze back to the racing gray clouds.” 

In this excerpt, Ruby has just told the other animals about the humans who saved her from drowning in a hole when she was still living in the wild. Of course, humans also captured Ruby and killed her fellow elephants, so rather than judging people as good or bad, the quote reveals the ever-changing ambiguity of human behavior. Both Bob and Ivan, who’ve had their own negative experiences with humans, conclude that they’ll “never” understand humans, and this complex relationship between humans and animals becomes a major theme in the novel.

“Stella once teased me that elephants are superior because they feel more joy and more grief than apes.

“‘Your gorilla hearts are made of ice, Ivan,’ she said, her eyes glittering. ‘Ours are made of fire.’

“Right now I would give all the yogurt raisins in all the world for a heart made of ice.” 

This quote addresses the fact that animals are capable of feeling deep love and sadness, even if humans often believe animals don’t have this capacity—and they use this belief as justification to mistreat animals. While Stella jokes that elephants feel “more” happiness and despair than gorillas, the truth is that both species—and other animals in the novel, such as Bob—feel these emotions, and are deeply impacted by human actions that hurt themselves and those they love. In addition, this quote also illustrates the ability of a few well-chosen words to communicate deep emotion—without endless human “chatter” (3), Ivan has succinctly expressed his grief over losing Stella.

“‘I shouldn’t have made that promise, Bob. I just wanted’—I point to Stella’s domain, and for a moment, it seems like I’ve forgotten how to breathe. ‘I wanted to make Stella happy, I guess. But I can’t save Ruby. I can’t even save myself.’” 

Ivan refers to the promise he made to one friend—Stella—to save another—Ruby, illustrating the theme of loyalty as a driving force throughout the novel. While Ivan doubts his abilities because he couldn’t “save [him]self,” the fact that he’s willing to do for a friend what he couldn’t do for his own sake shows his great strength and compassion for others. Through Ivan’s journey to save Ruby, the novel suggests that our love for others can help us achieve goals we never would have imagined possible.

“It didn’t take long for my parents to find my name. All day long, every day, I made pictures. I drew on rocks and bark and my poor mother’s back.

“I used the sap from leaves. I used the juice from fruit. But mostly I used mud.

“And that is what they called me: Mud.

“To a human, Mud might not sound like much. But to me, it was everything.” 

This quotation develops both Ivan’s identity as an artist and the novel’s examination of language. Ivan remembers his drive to create images from a very young age, a trait that will carry him through long years of captivity, give him a greater understanding of the world, and help him save himself and his animal friends. In addition, Ivan again emphasizes that humans overuse words without valuing their true meaning. Ivan’s gorilla family only needs one simple word—Mud, something that wouldn’t “sound like much” to humans—to capture Ivan’s identity.

“We squabbled now and then, as families will. But my father knew how to keep us in line with a simple scowl. And for the most part, we were happy to do what we were meant to do: to feed and forage and nap and play.

“My father was a master at leading us to the ripest fruit for our morning feast and the finest branches for our night nests. He was everything a silverback is meant to be: a guide, a teacher, a protector.

“And nobody could chest beat like my father.” 

Ivan describes the natural flow and purpose of a gorilla’s life—something he was ripped away from by humans who took him captive and killed his family. In this quote, Applegate clearly condemns human behavior: By taking an action they had no right to do, stealing Ivan from his home and raising him without other gorillas, people have barred Ivan from living the role he was meant for. As the novel continues, Ivan will learn that he must become a “guide” and “protector” like his father—and access the angry side of him that can “chest beat”—in order to overcome the harm humans have done to both him and those he cares about.

“Somehow I knew that in order to live, I had to let my old life die. But my sister could not let go of our home. It held her like a vine, stretching across the miles, comforting, strangling.

“We were still in our crate when she looked at me without seeing, and I knew that the vine had finally snapped.” 

This quote describes the moment when Ivan began to suppress his childhood memories, as he saw how his sister’s clinging to her past life led to her death. While Ivan’s choice not to remember was a successful survival mechanism, it also led him to lose touch with his true gorilla identity. After 27 years in captivity, the arrival of the young elephant Ruby, who asks Ivan about his past, spurs him to remember—and he finds he must recall the gorilla life he was meant to lead, so he can again take on that gorilla identity and change both his own and Ruby’s lives.

“But many days I forget what I am supposed to be. Am I a human? Am I a orilla?

“Humans have so many words, more than they truly need.

“Still, they have no name for what I am.” 

This quote again emphasizes the often harmful relationship between humans and animals, as humans have separated Ivan so completely from his natural life that he’s no longer sure of his own identity. In addition, Applegate incorporates the theme of words and language, as human words are inadequate to describe the mess humans have made of the animal lives they’ve interfered in.

“Ruby taps her trunk against the rusty iron bars of her door. ‘Do you think,’ she asks, ‘that I’ll die in this domain someday, like Aunt Stella?’

“Once again I consider lying, but when I look at Ruby, the half-formed words die in my throat. ‘Not if I can help it,’ I say instead.

“I feel something tighten in my chest, something dark and hot. ‘And it’s not a domain,’ I add.

“I pause, and then I say it. ‘It’s a cage.’” 

This moment in the novel uses the symbolism of cages to mark an important mental shift, as Ivan no longer thinks of his and the other animals’ homes in the mall as “domains,” but rather as “cages.” Because of his love for Ruby, Ivan can no longer block out the harsh truth of what humans have done to him and so many other animals. People have denied Ivan and Ruby their freedom, and finally, Ivan is beginning to get angry, a “dark and hot” feeling building inside of him. As the novel continues, Ivan will use this anger to keep his promise to Stella, save Ruby and fulfill his destiny as a silverback.

“I am, I suppose, a peaceful sort. Mostly I watch the world go by and think about naps and bananas and yogurt raisins.

“But inside me, hidden, is another Ivan.

“He could tear a grown man’s limbs off his body.

“In the flicker of time it takes a snake’s tongue to taste the air, he could taste revenge.

“He is the Ivan on the billboard.” 

This quote uses the symbolism of the “One and Only Ivan”—the angry Ivan on the mall billboard—to illustrate Ivan’s transformation in his quest to save Ruby from a life spent in a cage. At the opening of the novel, Ivan described how his father “use[d] anger” (10) to protect his troop; as Ivan had no one to care for, he had no need to be angry. Now that Ivan must protect Ruby, he has a reason to access the part of him strong and vengeful enough to “tear a grown man’s limbs”—a part of Ivan that has always been “inside” of him, his natural drive to lead and protect. Ivan is finding a stronger identity not outside of, but within himself, reclaiming a part of him humans took just as they took his connection to others of his own kind.

 “If I could use human words to say what I need to say, this would all be so easy.

“Instead, I have my pots of paint and my ragged pages.

“I sigh. My fingertips glow like jungle flowers.

“I try again.” 

The author explores the theme of communication in the novel, as well as Ivan’s identity as an artist. While Ivan can understand human words, he can’t speak them, and he knows it will be challenging to get people’s attention without human language. This barrier in communication symbolizes the greater separation and lack of understanding between humans and animals—a separation Ivan hopes to bridge through art. Ivan, who has always been able to see the world and express himself through images, hopes his “pots of paint” and “pages” will allow him to cross the division between human and animal worlds, and convey his important message.

“It’s a wild cage. A zoo. I see where it begins, and where it ends, the wall that says you are this and we are that and that is how it will always be.

“It’s not a perfect place. Even in just a few fleeting seconds on my TV screen, I can see that. A perfect place would not need walls.

“But it’s the place I need.” 

This quote develops the related symbols of zoos and walls, as Ivan sees an ad for a zoo on his TV and realizes it’s the place he “needs” to send Ruby to, to fulfill his promise to Stella and keep the young elephant safe. The zoo reminds Ivan, and readers, that humans can be good, as in creating safe places where animals can live with some semblance of their “wild” birthright. Yet at the same time, the cage walls of any zoo emphasize the barriers between animal and human, the divide that “will always be.” The relationship between people and animals remains a complex and difficult one, yet through the zoo, Ivan finds the best solution possible to create a happy life for both himself and Ruby.

 “I bounce off the walls. I screech and bellow. I beat and beat and beat my chest.

“Bob hides under Not-Tag, his paws over his ears.

“I’m angry, at last.

“I have someone to protect.” 

The author develops the theme of friendship and loyalty as a means of transformation, as Ivan’s drive to protect Ruby causes him to reclaim the anger he knows a mature gorilla should possess. Throughout the book, Ivan was not able to muster anger for his own unfair situation, but when it comes to protecting a helpless young animal whom he considers family, Ivan finds greater strength and courage within himself. Ivan transforms, and he saves both himself and Ruby as his actions gain the attention of humans who protest the animals’ inhumane treatment.

“‘I don’t want a zoo,’ Ruby says. ‘I want you and Bob and Julia. This is my home.’

“‘No, Ruby,’ I say. ‘This is your prison.’” 

Ivan fully faces the dismal life he has lived for nearly 30 years, as he will not allow Ruby to live a similar existence. Ivan has already transitioned from calling the mall enclosures domains to admitting they’re cages; now he goes a step further by naming the mall as a “prison,” a place where animals are kept from the freedom to live with others of their own kind, in nature, as they were meant to. Despite this dark view of his experience, this quote is also a positive one, as Ruby acknowledges the powerful bond she’s formed with Ivan, Bob, and Julia, one that makes even a miserable place feel like home. Thanks to these bonds of friendship, which spurred Ivan to take action, all the animals will now leave their “prison” to lead fuller lives.

“Every day, I watch them through my window, the way my visitors used to watch me.

“See how they chase, groom? See how they play, sleep? See how they live?

“They’re graceful the way Stella was, moving just enough, only as much as they need.

“They stare at me, heads tilted, pointing and hooting, and I wonder: Are they as fascinated by me as I am by them?” 

The author adds a new dimension to the symbolism of cages and barriers, while also exposing how far Ivan’s experience has removed him from the natural life of a gorilla. Now a cage at the zoo separates Ivan from the gorilla troop he will eventually become part of, as his keepers are gradually acclimating him to the group. For the first time, Ivan is the observer rather than the observed, and what he sees is the way he should have been living all along—grooming, playing, moving “only as much as” is needed, in tune with his animal instincts. In this case, the barrier of the cage wall is a particularly unnatural one, as Ivan should already know how to interact with these gorillas—but because of the cages humans have confined him in for his entire life, he does not. Ivan now must watch and be watched one last time, in order to become what he is destined to be.

“Sky.

Grass.

Tree.

Ant.

Stick.

Bird.

Dirt.

Cloud.

Wind.

Flower.

Rock.

Rain.

Mine.

Mine.

Mine.” 

Ivan’s reaction to being in a natural environment for the first time since he was taken from his African home nearly 30 years ago shows just how deeply human actions—and human cages—have deprived the gorilla of what he needs. The list of simple elements of nature, things human readers of the book take for granted, create a sense of miraculous freedom for this gorilla who has lived in a small indoor cage for so long. In addition to the theme of human-animal relationships and the symbolism of cages, this quote also adds to the novel’s exploration of words and communication. Ivan does not need many words to describe his experience in nature; where humans would add unnecessary adjectives and descriptions, Ivan conveys a lot with a few carefully chosen nouns.

“I lie awake and try to remember what it was like, being a gorilla. How did we move? How did we touch? How did we know who was boss?

“I try to think past the babies and the motorbikes and the popcorn and the short pants.

“I try to imagine Ivan as he might have been.” 

The author again illustrates the damaging effect human interference has on animals. Before Ivan lived in the mall, he was treated like a human child by Mack and his wife, given a bike and fed popcorn by humans who, in their misguided way, cared for the gorilla. Applegate demonstrates that careless but well-meaning human actions can be just as damaging as intentionally hurtful ones, as Mack and Helen’s behavior kept Ivan from becoming who “he might have been.” In addition, the quotation highlights the importance for animals to be around others of their own kind, as living with others of his species—moving, touching, and interacting—would have taught Ivan how to be a gorilla.

“The wall is endless, clean and white, stretching far down to the habitats beyond my own. It’s high and wide, carefully built to keep us in and others out.

“This is, after all, still a cage.” 

In this quote near the end of the novel, Ivan reminds readers that even a zoo, where animals live in nature with others of their own kind, is still a cage. Although the walls might be subtler or more elegant ones, they’re still there, and they still keep the animals “in”—trapped, in a position of helplessness—and the humans out. As the novel ends, Applegate concludes that the “endless” divide between people and animals cannot be bridged entirely—but that doesn’t mean there’s no hope for better, more compassionate relationships and better lives for animals whose well-being has already been so greatly affected by humans.

“She’s far away, belly deep in tall grass with others by her side.

Ruby.

“‘She’s here, Stella,’ I whisper. ‘Ruby’s safe. Just like I promised.’” 

At the end of the novel, Ivan sees Ruby from his spot in the zoo gorilla enclosure, and he knows that Ruby is “safe” in the company of other elephants. This crucial moment marks the culmination of Ivan’s journey throughout the novel, as he goes from believing he “can’t even save [him]self” (118) to finding the strength to save a younger, helpless friend as well as securing his own freedom. As Ivan’s loyalty and “promise” to one friend, Stella, and his love for another, Ruby, drive him to become the strong protector he’s meant to be, the author illustrates the power of relationships to create change, both in Ivan and Ruby’s outer circumstances and in Ivan’s own identity.