The One and Only Ivan

by

Katherine Applegate

Ivan’s Mother Character Analysis

Ivan remembers his mother as “a patient soul.” She put up with Ivan painting on her back with mud and, as all gorilla mothers do, carried Ivan and his twin Tag everywhere. Poachers murdered her when they captured Ivan and Tag. The poachers chopped off her hands and head after killing her.
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Ivan’s Mother Character Timeline in The One and Only Ivan

The timeline below shows where the character Ivan’s Mother appears in The One and Only Ivan. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
gone—the beetle
Art and Self-Expression Theme Icon
Family, Friendship, and Identity Theme Icon
...he’s always been an artist. When he was a baby and still clung to his mother, he’d notice shapes in the clouds or sculptures in stones. He’d grab for colorful things,... (full context)
Family, Friendship, and Identity Theme Icon
sorry. But Ivan is sorry he called the children “slimy chimps”—his mother would be ashamed. (full context)
the promise—a visit
Animal Abuse and Human Cruelty Theme Icon
Kindness Theme Icon
Art and Self-Expression Theme Icon
...Ivan was afraid that he’d drop the baby, so he held her tightly—but the baby’s mother snatched her back. Now, Ivan wonders if his own mother worried about dropping him and... (full context)
a new beginning—another ivan
Animal Abuse and Human Cruelty Theme Icon
Memory and Storytelling Theme Icon
What they did. Ivan remembers that he and Tag were holding tightly to their mother when humans killed her and their father. The humans chopped off the dead gorillas’ hands,... (full context)