The One and Only Ivan is about a gorilla captured and forced into harsh conditions, and his struggle to achieve a better life for him and his friends. Ivan's goal is to get his friend Ruby and the other animals to a better place, after he realized how bad they were being treated when his friend Stella died.
This story implies and focuses on animal cruelty and what some conditions are in some places that animals are held in. This novel is actually told from the point of view of Ivan's (the gorilla), and shows what could possibly be going on in captured animals' heads.
A story like this truly makes you wonder if gorillas understand us humans, and just don't feel the need to be like us or communicate back. Although it is a somewhat absurd thought, we do realize that we don't come close to fully understanding another species's mind. A new feeling of sympathy towards other living, breathing, animals that we take advantage of every day, was invoked in me while reading as well.
An additional action this novel prompted me into attempting, was putting myself in the animals' shoes. Which in fact, is an incredibly hard thing to do in several situations. Seriously though, think about it, imagine yourself being taken by a huge unknown animal, from your family without a goodbye, forced into a dark cold truck, and shipped to a lonely, cramped, uncomfortable cage where you'll live for several years without the right amount of food or care. Now think about the, "happy and protected" animals you see at the zoo for your own entertainment.
In conclusion, I think this book should give each and every reader a new view on animal imprisonment, as it did for me. Maybe now, people will think twice before they visit the zoo. I know there isn't much of a chance that circuses, zoos, or aquariums will be abolished forever, but it's good to develop your own opinion on topics and do what you can to promote your feelings.
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