Nursing Home-Present Day
The book, Water for Elephants, starts off in the present day, in a nursing home where the main character, Jacob Jankowski, lives. It's from this nursing home that Jacob tells his story, like he is looking back at all the adventures at the circus. The setting of the story changes throughout the book; sometimes it takes place in the nursing home and at other times it's seventy years in the past. Jacob is not a fan of the nursing home. It is too quiet and little for his liking. He is escorted from small room to small room every day and when he goes, when he leaves, and when he eats are all out of his control. One day Jacob decides he is sick of living in the nursing home and sneaks out to a local circus where he finds a job and stays there.
Cornell University-1930's
Cornell University was the setting for the beginning of the book, Water for Elephants. Jacob Jankowski was in his final year at Cornell University studying to become a veterinarian. At Cornell, Jacob met Catherine Hale, a young women who teased and flirted with him. Jacob thought he was in love with her, but realized it wasn't real love when he met Marlena, the star performer of the circus. During Jacob's final exam to become a veterinarian the police barged into the testing room with some very bad news. Jacobs parents had been killed in a car accident. Jacob had to leave immediately to return home. After that day he never returned to Cornell University.
Under the Traveling Big Top-1930's
The circus was the main setting of the book, Water for Elephants. This is where almost all of the action of the story took place. When Jacob Jankowski arrived for the first time at the circus where he worked, he was in awe. The following quote from Jacob, taken from the book, describes, in detail, the marvelous scene.
"I peer inside. The tent is enormous, as tall as the sky and supported by long, straight poles jutting at various angles. The canvas is taut and nearly translucent – sunlight filters through the material and seams, illuminating the largest candy stand of all. It's smack in the center of the menagerie, under rays of glorious light, surrounded by banners advertising sarsaparilla, Cracker Jack, and frozen custard."
The circus is also not permanent. It gets put up in hours, can be taken down the next day, and back on the train to the next destination the same day. None of the circus workers or performers live on the train and don't have permanent homes. The circus tent is also the home of the huge animal riot that killed August.
"I peer inside. The tent is enormous, as tall as the sky and supported by long, straight poles jutting at various angles. The canvas is taut and nearly translucent – sunlight filters through the material and seams, illuminating the largest candy stand of all. It's smack in the center of the menagerie, under rays of glorious light, surrounded by banners advertising sarsaparilla, Cracker Jack, and frozen custard."
The circus is also not permanent. It gets put up in hours, can be taken down the next day, and back on the train to the next destination the same day. None of the circus workers or performers live on the train and don't have permanent homes. The circus tent is also the home of the huge animal riot that killed August.
Jacob Jankowski's Trailer
Jacob Jankowski spent a lot of time in his trailer with his roommates, Walter and Camel, while they were traveling from one destination to the next. Marlena would come into Jacob's trailer and hang out. Through these meetings they got to know each other better. The trailer is where Jacob jumped on the train in New York and where he sleeps. Jacob shares a tent with two other performers and one dog. It sometimes gets tight in the trailer with all those people. Jacob's trailer is also the place where Jankowski produced his plan to go and kill August, Marlena's husband and head animal trainer, but he was too chicken to go through with it.