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Characters · 10
Bob
Bob is a small, scrappy stray dog in Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan, who has made the Big Top Mall his unofficial home.
character
George
George is Julia's father and a janitor at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, where he works long, unglamorous shifts cleaning the shopping center that houses the animal performers.
character
Henrietta
Henrietta is a hen who resides at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, sharing her space with Ivan, Stella, Bob, and the other animals in Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan.
character
Ivan
Ivan is the narrator and main character of The One and Only Ivan, a silverback gorilla who has spent nearly twenty years in a glass-fronted enclosure at Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade.
character
Julia
Julia is the young daughter of George, who works as the janitor at Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade.
character
Mack
Mack is the human owner and operator of the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade in Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan.
character
Murphy
Murphy is a minor yet emotionally impactful character in Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan.
character
Ruby
Ruby is a young baby elephant who shows up at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade late in the novel, acting as a catalyst for Ivan's transformation and embodying Stella's dying wish.
character
Snickers
Snickers is a small, aging dog residing at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall with Ivan, Stella, Bob, and the other animals.
character
Stella
Stella is an aging African elephant and the emotional heart of Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan.
character
Key quotes · 10
“Gorillas are not meant to be alone. We are meant to be with our own kind.”
This line is spoken by Ivan, the silverback gorilla who narrates and stars in Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan.
Ivan
“Stella made me promise. And I keep my promises.”
This line is spoken by Ivan, the silverback gorilla who acts as the narrator and main character in Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan.
Ivan
“I am not a pet. I am not a painting. I am Ivan, a gorilla.”
This declaration is made by Ivan, the silverback gorilla who narrates Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan (2012) from a first-person perspective.
Ivan (the gorilla, narrator)
“I have learned that the world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”
This reflective quote is shared by Ivan, the silverback gorilla and narrator of Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan (2012).
Ivan (the gorilla narrator)
“Humans waste words. They toss them like banana peels and leave them to rot.”
This line is spoken by Ivan, the silverback gorilla narrator in Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan (2012), a novel narrated entirely from his perspective.
Ivan (the gorilla narrator)
“Sometimes you have to be brave enough to imagine a better life.”
This line comes from Ivan, the silverback gorilla who narrates Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan (2012), a novel written in verse-like prose from his viewpoint.
Ivan · indeterminate (latter half of the novel)
“A picture is worth a thousand words, but a promise is worth even more.”
This quote comes from Ivan, the silverback gorilla narrator in Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan (2012), a novel told entirely through Ivan's eyes.
Ivan
“I am Ivan. I am a gorilla. It is not as easy as it looks.”
These are the opening lines of Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan (2012), spoken by Ivan, a silverback gorilla who lives in a shopping mall.
Ivan · Ivan
“A good zoo is a place where humans can learn to love animals. A bad zoo is a place where animals learn to fear humans.”
This reflective quote is spoken by Ivan, the silverback gorilla who narrates the story in Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan (2012).
Ivan (the gorilla, narrator)
“I used to think art was just something to pass the time. Now I know it can change everything.”
This quote is delivered by Ivan, the silverback gorilla narrator of Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan (2012).
Ivan
Symbols · 5
Ivan's Paintings
In The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, Ivan's paintings reflect his true self, identity, and yearning for freedom.
Ruby the Baby Elephant
In The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, Ruby the baby elephant represents innocence, hope, and the moral awakening that pushes Ivan to take action.
The Billboard
In The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, the billboard outside the Exit 8 Big Top Mall represents freedom, identity, and the divide between illusion and reality.
The Domain (Ivan's Enclosure)
In The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, Ivan refers to his enclosure at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall as "the domain."
The Zoo
In The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade zoo illustrates themes of captivity, broken promises, and lost identity.
Literary devices · 9
Foreshadowing
In The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, foreshadowing unfolds through Ivan's narration, which comes across as casually reflective yet subtly prophetic.
Motif
In Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan, the motif of drawing and art runs throughout the novel, gaining deeper significance each time it appears.
Metaphor
In Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan, metaphor serves as Ivan's main tool for understanding his captivity, which he struggles to express in simple terms.
Imagery
In Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan, imagery acts as the novel's emotional core, enhanced by the perspective of a gorilla narrator who experiences the world through color, texture, and shape instead of human concepts.
Personification
In Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan, personification drives the entire structure of the novel: Ivan the gorilla tells his own story, giving him not just a voice but a deeply human inner life.
Free Verse
In The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, the free-verse style is closely tied to Ivan's character.
Unreliable Narrator
In Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan, the gorilla narrator Ivan insists repeatedly that he doesn’t dwell on the past, that he is "not like other gorillas," and that he feels content in his life at the Big Top Mall.
Symbolism
In Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan, symbolism comes alive through Ivan's art.
Tone
In The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, the tone carries much of the emotional weight in the story, skillfully shifting between wry resignation and deep tenderness.
Vocabulary · 25
silverback
An adult male gorilla, named for the patch of silver-gray hair that grows across his back when he reaches maturity. In a gorilla group, the silverback is the dominant leader.
noun · Chapter 1
domain
The territory or space that belongs to someone and that they consider their own. Ivan uses this word for his glass enclosure in the mall.
noun · Chapter 2
enclosure
A fenced or walled-in area where animals are kept, usually in a zoo or similar attraction, so they cannot leave.
noun · Chapter 2
fearsome
Causing great fear or dread; terrifying to look at or think about. Mack uses it to make Ivan sound dangerous and exciting to customers.
adjective · Chapter 5
beast
A wild, dangerous animal, especially one seen as savage or threatening. The word is used here to describe how humans want to see Ivan, not how he sees himself.
noun · Chapter 5
wild
Living freely in nature, without human control or captivity. Ivan contrasts his tame, mall life with the idea of being truly wild.
adjective · Chapter 2
captivity
The state of being kept confined and unable to live freely in the wild. Animals in zoos or malls live in captivity.
noun · Chapter 3
ancient
Extremely old, or seeming to carry the weight of long experience and suffering. Ivan uses it to describe Stella's eyes as holding deep, hard-won wisdom.
adjective · Chapter 8
instinct
A natural, inborn impulse or way of behaving that does not come from thinking or learning. Ivan draws from instinct rather than from a plan.
noun · Chapter 6
novelty
Something new and unusual that attracts attention or amusement, often only briefly. Mack gives Ivan crayons as a novelty to entertain mall visitors.
noun · Chapter 10
calculating
Coldly thinking ahead about how to use a situation for personal gain, without showing genuine feeling or warmth.
adjective · Chapter 11
showman
A person who is skilled at putting on entertaining performances and attracting an audience, often with flair and exaggeration.
noun · Chapter 5
billboard
A very large outdoor sign, usually beside a road, used to advertise something to passing drivers and pedestrians.
noun · Chapter 5
fluorescent
Describing a type of bright, artificial lighting produced by gas-filled tubes, common in large indoor spaces like malls. The light is harsh and very different from natural sunlight.
adjective · Chapter 4
vow
A serious, solemn promise that the speaker feels deeply bound to keep, stronger than an ordinary promise.
noun · Chapter 8
gratitude
A feeling of being thankful toward someone who has done something kind or meaningful for you.
noun · Chapter 10
confinement
The condition of being shut inside a small or restricted space and not allowed to move freely. Ivan and the other animals live in confinement inside the mall.
noun · Chapter 13
outrage
A strong feeling of shock and anger, especially at something felt to be deeply unfair or cruel. The public feels outrage when they learn how the animals are kept.
noun · Chapter 12
deliberate
Done slowly and carefully, with full awareness of each movement, rather than quickly or carelessly.
adjective · Chapter 3
disoriented
Confused about where you are or what is happening around you, especially after being moved to an unfamiliar place.
adjective · Chapter 4
habitat
The natural environment where an animal normally lives and finds everything it needs to survive, such as food, space, and shelter.
noun · Chapter 14
toss
To throw something carelessly or without much thought. Ivan uses it to describe how humans throw words away without caring about their meaning.
verb · Chapter 1
rot
To decay and break down over time, becoming useless or worthless. Ivan uses it to say that wasted words decay like discarded food.
verb · Chapter 1
keeper of promises
Someone who follows through on every commitment they make, no matter how difficult. Ivan uses the phrase to define his own character after making his vow to Ruby.
phrase · Chapter 9
attached
Emotionally close to someone in a way that makes losing them painful. Ivan has learned to hold back this feeling to protect himself from grief.
adjective · Chapter 14