57 pages • 1 hour read
Katherine ApplegateThe One and Only Family
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Universality in Life Experiences
Applegate’s rendering of animal characters shows how experiences, such as parenthood, are universal regardless of culture or species. Much of the book deals with how Ivan’s understandings of himself and the world change as a result of becoming a father. Prior to learning about the twins, Ivan lives life as he always has, tending to his own desires while carrying the responsibility of being a leader. Upon learning that Kinyani is pregnant, Ivan’s world begins to change, though he is not aware of it at first. The subtle shifts in Ivan’s mindset reveal how little he knows and how ill prepared he is for parenthood, a predicament shared across species. When the twins are born, Ivan is no more prepared for his new job, but his instincts make him realize that his priorities must change. Through conversations with Bob and Ruby, Ivan learns that adaptation is common across species and that the struggles of parenthood are something that all creatures can understand. Ivan’s experiences are universal ones, which may make his journey relatable for readers, even though they are not gorillas.
The One and Only Family also addresses the universal experiences of trauma and memory. Having children of his own reminds Ivan of his childhood in the wild, which triggers memories of what it meant to be a true gorilla before he was taken to live with humans. Like all species, Ivan bases his identity off what he feels he should be, viewing anything that doesn’t fit his desired identity as foreign. He feels like being among humans has made him less of a gorilla somehow; like all species, he fears what the future will hold for his children.
The documentary brings these fears to a head: Ivan is forced to confront his past and the experiences that he feels have diminished his gorilla nature. The humiliation and sorrow that Ivan experiences while watching the documentary coincide with how others feel when their identities are stripped. The documentary also shows what happens when people choose not to relate to others. The humans make the film for other humans, not realizing what it means to Ivan. As a result, Ivan is harmed by well-meant intentions. As Bob says in Chapter 56, “[H]umans don’t understand animals the way animals understand humans” (122).
Ivan’s perspective and experiences offer an animal view that is also applicable to humans. Applegate’s choice to write the book from an animal’s perspective suggests that life experiences are universal. Ivan, though a gorilla, is similar to human protagonists in other stories, as well as to real people. Ivan shows how humans can relate to and learn from those who are of different cultures, backgrounds, and ethnicities. In this way, Applegate aims to teach young readers about tolerance and empathy.
Applegate also addresses shrinking resources, animal cruelty, and human interference in natural processes. These present across the globe and are universal problems in need of solutions. Through the zoo and the lives of Ivan, Ruby, and others, Applegate shows how human behavior affects animals and the planet in a negative way. Though a book about animals, The One and Only Family is also about reaching across divides.
The Unfairness of Power Dynamics
Many of the situations presented in The One and Only Family involve one group or person having power over another. Most often, this comes in the form of humans controlling the animals in the zoo, which both positively and negatively impacts the animals. Though Ivan is sometimes frustrated with how inauthentic life in captivity feels compared to the wild, he recognizes the benefits to such a life, particularly the safety that captivity offers from threats and easy access to necessities like food. However, these perks come with downsides, such as a small, constrained world and being at the mercy of human decisions. For example, the twins are named by a human contest before they are born. This angers Ivan and makes him feel that one of his jobs as a parent has been taken away. As he says, “[I]n the wild, gorillas take some time before we name our infants. We get to know them first” (219). The difference between human and gorilla culture strips Ivan’s freedom. Human control makes him feel powerless.
The humans of the novel exert power over animals as individuals. The documentary offers an example of how humans think of themselves first and think of animals as lesser. Though the humans clearly care about Ivan and the other creatures in the zoo, this doesn’t mean they understand the animals or accept that animals can have human emotions. The documentary is made as an educational film for other humans to show the threats that animals face in the wild, particularly from humans with less noble intentions. While the film serves this purpose for its intended audience, it also causes Ivan strife by disclosing a history that he has not chosen to share. The documentary takes away Ivan’s agency, showing the harm of power dynamics. Ultimately, Ivan confronts his trauma and begins to work through it as a result of the documentary, but this does not change the fact that humans overrode Ivan’s freedom of choice.
The One and Only Family also shows how power dynamics play a role among members of a single species. As a silverback gorilla, Ivan is a leader of both of his family and greater gorilla troop. With the humans making so many decisions for the gorillas, Ivan feels like his silverback status is lessened, which prompts him to do as much as he can to lead his troop and be what they expect him to be. This is seen most keenly during the confrontation with the younger male gorilla in Part 3. When the male sees the human child as a threat, several power dynamics emerge. Ivan has power over the other gorilla because he’s the silverback, and the human onlookers have power over the gorillas because they have guns and can shoot if the human child’s life is in danger. Ivan is forced to act quickly but with compassion to assert his dominance over both the other gorilla and the human.
Ivan’s ability to make the younger gorilla back down shows that he is respected by his troop. The shared trauma between Ivan and the other gorilla means that the younger gorilla accepts Ivan as a leader who understands him. While the humans ultimately have the most power in this situation, Ivan uses his strength to resolve the conflict, showing that those with the most power are not necessarily in control.
The Importance of Relationships and Friendship
The One and Only Family explores all types of relationships and how those relationships help the characters grow. Most prominently, the novel focuses on Ivan’s family, depicting his bond with Kinyani and, later, with Raji and Tuma. The family relationship illustrates the power of love and how love can grow when a family gets bigger.
Prior to the birth of the twins, Ivan and Kinyani are an unbreakable team. They have been together for quite a while and understand each other’s pasts, meaning they know when to offer help and when to leave the other alone. They believe that having one another is all they will ever want or need, but this shifts when the twins are born, showing how relationships are not static.
Once they welcome Raji and Tuma into their family, Ivan and Kinyani find their lives are enriched in ways that they never could have known. Their love for their children makes them a stronger team but also brings up arguments, such as how to parent and what the job of being a parent really means. Ivan and Kinyani must navigate these questions and find compromises, which they do because they have a solid foundation in their relationship.
The One and Only Family also shows the importance and variability of friendships. Ivan spends time with Bob and Ruby, friends he has had since long before he met Kinyani. His relationships with Bob and Ruby are different from the one he shares with Kinyani because Ivan’s friends were with him during his troubled past and offer support in a way that only those with shared experience can. As a contemporary of Ivan, Bob became a confidant. The dog was a stray while Ivan was in captivity at the arcade zoo, and the two bonded over feeling like they didn’t belong anywhere and lost everything. Having one another allowed them to move forward, something they couldn’t have done on their own. In contrast, Ruby is much younger than Ivan, making Ivan more of a parental figure. Like Ivan, Ruby was born in the wild and captured by humans, which allowed the two to have a shared understanding of losing themselves to human control. The unique relationships that Ivan has with Bob and Ruby fulfill different needs for each character. They illustrate that friends can be like family and that family doesn’t have to look alike.
The One and Only Family also focuses on the relationship between animals and humans, highlighting both the positive and negative. Maya is one of Ivan’s keepers at the zoo, and Ivan has grown to love her in a way, though in a very different way than he loves Kinyani, Bob, and Ruby. Maya has a level of power over Ivan that he can’t ignore, but he also respects that she doesn’t abuse that power. Maya uses her status to make Ivan’s life as interesting and fun as possible. Though Ivan is frustrated with being in captivity, he also realizes that he is lucky because “sometimes, if you are lucky, a keeper becomes more than just a caretaker. A keeper becomes your friend” (21).
Maya represents how much Ivan’s life has changed, as well as his complicated relationship with humankind. Human poachers destroyed Ivan’s family and led to his capture and many difficult years. However, humans also rescued Ivan from poor living conditions and brought him to the much better life he knows now, even if that life is not back in the wild. Although Maya stands between Ivan and living free, he cannot see her as an enemy; she treats him far better than other humans have treated him and genuinely cares for him. In this way, Applegate illustrates the complex nature of relationships that have asymmetrical power dynamics.
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