Essay Questions

How does the narrator use a figure of speech to express the sterility of a baby living in an orphanage?

Adele and her brother Peter are orphans and were separated long ago when they were babies. Peter was adopted by a family that cared for him, but Adele remained in the orphanage for most of her life. Adele is used to orphanage life, but she still has many unanswered questions about her family, if it ever existed. Sister Marie is a vital figure in the orphanage, and Adele keenly listens to whatever she says. The author writes, "Sister Marie’s words settled down over Adele like a warm and familiar blanket, and she closed her eyes." The narrator uses this figure of speech to show how children at the orphanage are forced to adapt to their current circumstances and assume that they are at a normal home with all necessities they may require. Since most of these orphaned children do not have families and homes, Sister Marie reminds them of the significance of feeling at home despite the circumstances they find themselves in and hope for a better future.

What is the primary theme in The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo?

Faith is the main theme in the entire novel. Peter is optimistic that one day he will reunite with his sister, Adele, despite the impossibilities ahead of him. Peter was separated from his sister when he was a young child, but he has clear memories of her and hopes to reunite with her one day. When Peter gets an opportunity, he visits a fortune teller to seek help on how he can reunite with his sister. The only way Peter can locate his sister is to follow an elephant. Peter finds it illogical, and an uphill task because finding an elephant in itself is the most difficult thing to do, but he hopes to go through these difficult times. At last, the Magician helps Peter to find the Elephant, and he manages to locate the orphanage where he reunites with his sister, Adele.

What is the symbolic purpose of the Elephant?

The author figuratively uses the Elephant to present the possibilities when hope is kept alive. When the fortuneteller asks Peter to follow an elephant if he wants to find his sister, the advice sounds weird, but he keeps the hope alive and the soldiers on. The following day, Peter returns to the market and finds a magician performing, and he makes the Elephant appear. The appearance of this Elephant gives Peter a magic vision that leads him to the orphanage, where he reunites with his sister, Adele.