The Magician's Elephant

Vilna Lutz lives with Peter in the small attic room in the Apartments Polonaise. He is solitary and friendless except for Peter. Vilna Lutz has a sharply pointed beard and a penchant for everything military. Although Peter’s guardian is subject to frequent fevers that leave him less than lucid, the one-footed old soldier is still determined to make Peter “a soldier brave and true” (5). A friend of Peter’s father, Vilna Lutz fought alongside him in the battle that took his life and brought the fatal news to Peter’s mother. Vilna Lutz took Peter into his dubious care but did not take Peter’s infant sister, Adele.

The old man perpetuates the lie that informs Peter’s life arguably to protect Peter from needless pain, but also to protect himself from the guilt he feels for letting Adele go to an orphanage. The exposure of Vilna Lutz’s lie catalyzes Peter to find Adele and begin to make more adult decisions. Vilna Lutz’s character does not grow over the course of the novel; instead, he remains solitary, regretful, and mad with fever, repeating his refrain to shut the window because it is cold. For Vilna Lutz, it is perpetually winter. Fortunately for him, and also ironically, Adele kindly looks after his needs at the novel’s end. 

The “small policeman with the very large mustache” also has a very large heart and a very large predilection for pondering the universe’s unanswerable questions (30). Leo Matienne and his wife Gloria live in the apartment below Vilna Lutz. Leo believes in the importance of challenging ideas and situations that seem fixed and stagnant. Leo’s mantra is “What if?” and he thinks that if one does not ask this question, nothing will ever change for the better. Leo is optimistic and hopeful—traits that he shares with Peter, who Leo sees also wants to change the truth of the world. Leo’s hopes and faith in possibility are rewarded with the family he and Gloria always wanted: Peter and Adele.

Gloria’s attitude toward life is a foil to that of Leo Matienne. Although they love each other deeply—Gloria fondly puts up with Leo’s terribly smelly feet—early in the novel Gloria believes that life does not change. Things like their lack of children are fixed and must be accepted as such. Gloria grows in understanding and comes to see that Peter and Leo can change the world. Gloria’s unconditional acceptance and love for Peter and Adele reveal her own large heart.

When she was taken to the orphanage as an infant, Adele smiled at Sister Marie and lit up the nun’s world. Now six years old—almost seven—Adele’s smile also brings joy and light to Peter because she represents the fulfillment of his promise to his mother, as well as the reunification of their family. They “belong” together. Adele is gentle and empathetic, like Peter: She cries upon seeing how hungry Thomas and Iddo are. Adele’s belief in her dream elephant reveals her hope and faith: She never gives up thinking that the elephant will take her home. Her faith is rewarded, and her dream comes true. Adele’s character illuminates the novel’s themes of the power of hope, love and connection, and the importance of finding where you belong.

The Sister of the Door sits in her chair by the orphanage door, “just as always, just as forever” (87), admitting anyone who knocks and asks for entry, though she often sleeps at her lonely post. Sister Marie is kindly and loving, and readers can infer that she helped raise Adele, who arrived at the orphanage just a few hours old. Sister Marie is open to wonder and possibility. She believes in the importance of dreams and expresses her Christian faith when she advises that for elephant dreams or anything else, one must “wait and hope” (88). She has faith, trust, and patience. Sister Marie’s beautiful dream confirms her faith in the spiritual connection of all living things. She helps illustrate the novel’s theme of love and connection. 

The magical arrival of the elephant does not emotionally inspire the wealthy, entitled countess Quintet—it irritates her. Used to being the star of the elite social season, the countess Quintet is jealous of the attention the elephant steals from her. She shuts down any talk of the elephant’s extraordinary nature and closes herself off to wonder and magic. She selfishly uses her influence to possess the elephant and gain attention that way. The elephant is simply property, an accessory that makes her look good.

The countess Quintet, like Vilna Lutz, does not change during the novel, and her character in fact fades out of the story. She is important as an obstacle that Peter must overcome. The countess acts as the novel’s “evil” antagonist by confining the elephant in her ballroom and largely blocking access to her. Her character also differs from that of Peter, Leo Matienne, and other “good” characters who are open to change and possibility and who give help and include others. In contrast, the countess Quintet models separation and emotional disconnection.

Of “advanced years and failing reputation” (13), the magician conjures the elephant because he feels he “had wasted his life” and, for once, wanted to do something extraordinary (25). He achieves true magic and is extremely proud of his amazing feat: The living, breathing elephant is a testament to his skill. The magician knows that magic is completely impossible, yet possible, and “that is why it is magic” (154). As time passes, he is still proud, but he is also horribly lonely. In prison, his beard grows “long and wild,” and his eyes are “desperate and pleading and angry all at once” (148). Like Madam LaVaughn, the magician must discover what matters more to him more—being stuck in a loop of meaningless platitudes and self-justification or speaking from the heart, being vulnerable, and truly connecting with others. The magician learns that giving love and being loved is the essence of belonging. Both the magician and Madam LaVaughn highlight the novel’s themes of belonging and Believing in and Achieving the Impossible.

Instead of receiving a bouquet of lilies at the magic show, the unfortunate noblewoman Madam LaVaughn has an elephant fall into her lap, injuring her legs and leaving her in a wheelchair. Madam LaVaughn has the magician sent to prison for his act, but she cannot let her grievance go; she becomes emotionally stuck, like the magician. Madam LaVaughn speaks and thinks of nothing else, so much so that the experience comes to define her. She describes over and over how she was “crippled by an elephant that came through the roof” and cannot grow past it. Like the magician, however, Madam LaVaughn is open to wonder and possibility. She agrees to help the group repatriate the elephant. This new experience allows her to authentically connect with others and break out of her emotional isolation. In forgiving the magician, Madam LaVaughn finds happiness and emotional release.

Madam LaVaughn’s manservant, Hans Ickman, has been with her since she was a little child; so long that he has mostly forgotten his own childhood and family. The magical appearance of the elephant causes him to remember his small white dog and her extraordinary ability to jump a river. Hans Ickman realizes that life is brief and precious. As such, he cannot abide the empty talk of Madam LaVaughn and the magician, which is a waste of valuable time. Seeing Peter makes Hans Ickman remember his little dog’s name and convinces him that the impossible is about to happen again. Hans Ickman reconnects with his own belief in miracles and possibility and helps the magician and Madam LaVaughn finally “speak from [their] hearts” (186). 

The tiny former stone carver used to sculpt terrifying gargoyles on the largest cathedral in Baltese, but a nearly fatal fall injured both his spine and his attitude toward life. His crooked back makes it hard to lift his head. Consequently, Bartok Whynn literally looks at things sideways—and finds everything funny, no matter how grim. His constant laughter lost him his stone carving job, so now he works for the countess Quintet, cleaning up behind the elephant. Bartok Whynn, like many of the characters, is isolated from others. His dream of carving Peter, the elephant, and the others comes true, and Bartok Whynn again finds the place he belongs.