The One and Only Ivan Literary Elements

Children's fiction

The story is set in the early 1990s at the gorilla domain at Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade.

The story is narrated from the first-person point of view of Ivan the gorilla.

The tone is naive and amusing; the mood conveys loneliness and resilience.

Ivan is the protagonist; Mack, the mall owner responsible for Ivan's confinement, is the antagonist.

The novel's major conflict is that Ivan needs to find a way to keep Ruby safe from the same fate that befell Stella, despite his limited capabilities as a gorilla in confinement.

The novel reaches its climax when Ivan successfully communicates his message and increased media attention brings public outcry that results in the animals being sent to a zoo.

There is an instance of foreshadowing at the beginning of the book when Ivan reflects that silverbacks only use anger to protect their troop, or family. Since Ivan lives in total isolation from other gorillas, he believes he has no one to protect. However, at the novel's climax, Ivan uses anger to get Julia's attention in order to protect Ruby.

There is an allusion to the famous artist Pablo Picasso: Ivan receives the nickname "The Primate Picasso" with increased attention from the media.