Abusive Relationships In Water For Elephants By Sara Gruen

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In my life I have never encountered someone who has gone through abuse so when I began reading more of Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, I got to get a sense of what an abusive relationship is like. I learned how hard it is to leave the relationship and how it affects the person. In my book one of the main characters, Marlena, married a very controlling and violent man named August. Marlena was naive and married him at the age of 17 and joined the circus just after she met him. Over time she begins to learn what August is really like through the way he treats other people. She sees how he can be “one of the most charming creatures on earth” (270 Gruen), and the next moment he can be a monster. Marlena is too scared to leave and she also hopes that he can change. …show more content…

I found that on average, a woman will leave an abusive relationship seven times before she leaves for good. This was very shocking to me. I also found that two of the top reasons for not leaving, are fear and false hope. What happens is that the abuser will frequently promise that it will never happen again; the victim wants to believe that this is true but, the promise is never kept. This is exactly what happens to Marlena. She is afraid of August and he makes false promises that he will make it better for her. For example, after beating her he comes to her and “accosts her in the midway, drops to his knees, and wraps his arms around her legs...trying to force the ring back on her finger, alternately murmuring entreaties and spitting threats” (280 Gruen). This quote is only one of the many times where August apologizes and tries making her feel better while still being verbally