![]() ![]() ![]() A silverback’s job is to be a teacher and a protector of his family, helping to raise any babies and defending his family members from any threats. Silverbacks, Ivan explains, are the mature male gorillas within wild gorilla families, identifiable by the silver patch of fur over their backs. Throughout the novel, Ivan explains that he’s supposed to be a silverback gorilla-but living in captivity has made him unable to embody silverback traits. Through Ivan’s chosen family of various animals and humans at the mall, and later, as he integrates into a gorilla family at the zoo, the novel positions family as something that shows people (and animals) who and what they are. ![]() However, Ivan finds a purpose and begins to feel more like a gorilla when the baby elephant Ruby arrives, and Ivan throws himself into getting her transferred to a zoo. Having spent so many years living with humans and other animals rather than gorillas, and being billed as a frightening roadside attraction for tourists, Ivan isn’t sure of who or what he is-it’s not always entirely clear to him whether he’s supposed to be a person or a gorilla, or whether he’s supposed to be peaceful or frightening. Ivan has lived his life alone in a shopping mall, and he hasn’t seen another gorilla in the 27 years since he arrived there. ![]()
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