Old People

I think one of the things I like most about this book is the description of Jacob as an old man. As a society we act very condescendingly towards old men, and I think the fact that we read so much about him when he was young helps us from feeling that way about him. I also think the way he describes the aging process is very interesting. At the beginning of Chapter One, he starts by saying "I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other" (5).  Then he talks about how your view of your age changes throughout your life, until finally it just doesn't really matter anymore. 


When he talks about his meals and about how much he misses eating real food, its almost depressing. He's a ninety-year-old man. He's had a full, long life, and he still have enough energy and teeth to really want a good steak or something. Shouldn't he be able to have that? Really, who are all of these people to tell him what he can or can't eat? I'm kind of disappointed in his children for putting him in this dump. I know they have lives and can't be taking care of their father all of the time, but I wish they could've at least done something about this... maybe put him in a better home? 


That's why I really like Rosemary. On page 105, when Jacob complains about no one ever asking him what he wants, she actually listens to him and asks him simple questions instead of just writing him off as a cranky old man and doing things her way. How do you guys feel? Did these descriptions give you a newfound appreciation for old farts?

The Beating of the Bull

I was horrified by August's brutal treatment of Rosie, but more so by Jacob's failure to prevent his cruelty. When August runs off to smash Rosie with the bull hook, Jacob stares gaping at him. As he later says, "I don't know if the elephant is smart enough to connect me to her punishment and wonder why I didn't do anything ot stop it, but I am and I do" (171). Jacob should be upset with himself. As the show's veterinarian he has to protect the animals and his failure to do so reflects poorly on his character. Do you agree that Jacob's failure to protect the elephant he supposedly "loves" is a failure or was he just not in a position to stop August from acting?
For me, Jacob did redeem himself through his treatment of Camel. Not only did he go to the old man when he was in need, but he went out of his way to help him and his jake leg. He hands over his father's pocket watch to the doctor in order to pay for the examination. This shows how caring a person Jacob is. He sacrifices one of his prized possessions (I'm inferring here, as it's not said but it is his dead father's gift to him) in order to save a man he hardly knows and who he knows has an incurable problem. So what really irked me was the doctor's condescending tone. At one point Jacob notes, "By the time we reach the battered cars of the Flying Squadron, his face is pinched in disgust" (189). Under normal circumstances, the doctor's rudeness would bother me, but because an old man finds out he is temporarily paralyzed and Jacob sacrificed an heirloom for the appointment, his impolite behavior annoys me to the extreme. Do you agree or did you find the doctor's response natural as Camel did bring his paralysis upon himself?