I know it was referenced in the movie, however i was unable to link the significance to the film. thanking you
shareIn context it seemed since the Circus did not have any Elephants, no job.
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The book is where it is more truly defined. Water for Elephants references an argument Jacob had with another resident at the rest home. The other resident claimed he had carried water for the elephants at the circus (which is impossible because of the amount water that would be required). It was a lead in to the circus theme and Jacob's memories of his experiences in the story. The whole older Jacob/background is much more significant and poignant in the book.
sharethanks, that response was a bit more helpful. just looking for an allegorical significance to the title. I guess that i expect a title to have some deeper significance and still can't seem to work this out. cheers anyway.
sharemany times the title of the mvoie has no meaning . there are mvboies that ive watched that i was mislead because of the title. i guess they have to call it something and 'vet falls for circus gal' doesnt cut it
The fact that the movie left out this scene and in no way explained the title annoyed me very much. There are just certain choices that are made that just boggles my mind. I think because the retirement home part was actually my favourite parts of the book, I'm somewhat annoyed that most of that was cut from the script. The least they could have done though was explain the title. I guess it didn't matter to them because there's an elephant in the movie and he drank water.
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It is mentioned in the film though when Jacob meets August for the first time. He says "We need someone to carry water for the elephant", as a joke as they had no elephant at the time.
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Yes, lillurr, I thought the film did an apt job in tying in the title with the scene you reference. Jacob says he is happy to take the job of carrying water to the elephants. However, at this point, there are no elephants in the circus, so this position does not exist. This is August's way of telling him he is not needed. Just as Jacob is sent packing, he tells August in a few simple words why August needs him, elephants or not (he knows what's wrong with the horse). Then of course, they get an elephant, and he becomes the only person who is able to A) figure out how to train Rosie and get her to perform and B) treats her after August beats the crap out of her. I think if you try, you can find many ways to relate to the title.
To each their own...opinion
I've watched the film a few times and I don't recall this scene. I 'll break out the Dvd and see if it's there.
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"Water for Elephants" is an illusion. In the book, an old man at the nursing home with Jacob is trying to woo the blue-haired ladies with stories of how he used to "carry water for the elephants" at a circus when he was young. This pissed Jacob off because he knows it is impossible to carry water for elephants as they need too much for a human to carry. As such, the title alludes to illusion - that things are not what they seem or, as August says, "the world is run on tricks - everybody plays". The circus itself is based on illusion, the characters all have secrets they hide, etc. It works in many ways.
shareJudging only from the movie and what we see it's just because of the scene where Jacob gets introduced to August. August then states, that they'll need a waterboy for the elephants, though the circus doesn't have any elephants at all. He mocked him (also seen by the laughter of his entourage) and wanted to throw him out, as Jacob mentioned the injured horse etc.
I think this joke would just be "stuck" in an old man's head, considering the irony, that in the end he really became the "bull man" taking care of Rosie. After all these were some of the very first words August said to him, therefore starting his journey in the circus.
I think the issue isn't that they didn't have any elephants.
When Jacob says he's happy to carry the "water for elephants" he's pointing out that he hasn't a clue about anything about circuses. It's an inside joke for the circus folks.
You can't really carry water for elephants. They drink waaay too much, approximately 40 to 65 gallons a day.
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Sara Gruen, the author of the book, has said that the backbone of her story parallels the biblical story of Jacob in the Book of Genesis.
In the beginning of the novel, Jacob mocks another resident of the nursing home who claims to have worked in the circus and carried water for the elephants. The circus train only had a limited amount of water on board, and elephants can drink 100-300 litres per day (approximately 26-80 gallons).
In a later flashback to Jacob's younger years, Jacob is brought to Uncle Al, the manager of the circus, who taunts him with "You want to carry water for elephants, I suppose?"