Water For Elephants: A Literary Analysis

In the novel, Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen Walter is different than the average sized person because he is a dwarf. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary Walter’s dwarfism is a disability because it is a “condition of being able to do things in a normal way”. Even though Walter did not let size get in the way of letting him live his life, he was still considered to have a disability because his height causes him to perform everyday functions differently. Dwarfism was the cause that Walter was separated from his mother. When Walter was fourteen years old he could not perform farm work as efficiently as the average size person, therefore he was considered a burden. Since Walter’s disability got in the way of performing farm work, his mother then resolved the issue by …show more content…
When I was just nine months old my dad was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, also known as M.S. Multiple sclerosis is a condition where the nerves are damaged, therefore, causes miscommunication between the brain and body. Every day my dad experiences symptoms from damaged nerve endings, including memory loss and fatigue. Even though my dad is able to attend work, my sporting events, and perform every day functions, his disability affects him every second of every day. A task that may be easy for the average person may make him so fatigued that he has to regain his energy before performing another task. Having a family member with a disability is stressful because I always worry about the worst possible outcomes. Multiple sclerosis is a lifelong condition and if my dad experienced an M.S. attack, then he only recovers so much from his attack but never fully regains one hundred percent health. Therefore, over a long time his health slowly declines. Some disabilities are more in depth than others, however, anyone who is affected first hand by a disability knows the best way to handle it is through a strong support