What is the crisis, rising action, and falling action in Water for Elephants?I understand the climax, conflicts, and resolution in Water for...

The answer to your question depends on what part of the
story you're asking about. Water for Elephants is a novel, not a short story. It is the
nature of short stories that their action builds to a point that we call a climax.
Everything that happens before the climax is the rising action; that is, all of the
events, everything the characters do, builds up to that fateful, climactic moment.
Everything that takes place after the climax is called the falling action. We've hit
that high point, and now we're coming down from it.

As I
said, it is easier to trace rising action, climax, and falling action in a short story,
but not so easy in a novel. Each chapter might have its own climax. With this novel,
though, you might say that the major moment that might be considered the climax is the
chaotic night when all of the animals escape their cages. That is the turning point
after which every character's life is never the same. Even though the novel begins with
event, the narrator's story has been building up to bring us back to
it.

I'm not sure what you mean by crisis. Is that not the
same as the climax? Click on the link for a helpful article about the elements of
fiction.