“The Elephant Man” is a playwright that was written by Bernard Pomerance. This play was written about a true story and a real person, John Merrick. John Merrick is a young man that has a terrible, crippling disease that changed his life from the beginning. In the beginning of this play, John is part of a traveling circus. In this circus, John is advertised as part elephant and part man. He has to expose himself for others to view and gawk at for money. He was able to do this for a place to live and have someone to care for him.
When the circus travels to Belgium, the police say that he is indecent for others to view. When this happens, Ross sends him away. The police that take him find a card that was given to him by Dr. Treves that works at London hospital. Dr. Treves takes John Merrick in and begins to study his anatomy. He hopes to help John be as normal as possible. He tells John that he can live at the hospital and call it “home.” While Merrick stays at the hospital, he is introduced to many of the highest people in the land. As we read the play, we find the Merrick is actually very intelligent and religious. While he is in the hospital, Merrick builds a model of St. Phillips. This helps him pass time while he is alone. He is also visited by an actress named Mrs. Kendal. She actually grows fond of Merrick and visits him often. She understands his want to be normal and to see a beautiful woman naked, so she reveals herself to him. As soon as this happens, Treves walks in and demands her to leave. This I think is the most tragic part of Merrick’s life. Mrs. Kendal saw John as a real person and had intriguing conversations with him. This made the last times of his life more lonely and sad. In the end Treves realizes that he was wrong to make her leave, but he does not have her come back because he claims he doesn’t want her to be there when Merrick dies. Merrick lives out the rest of his life at the hospital until he dies from his head falling backward in his sleep, crushing his air way.
I believe that Merrick was lucky in a way to live safely in the hospital, but I think that Treves begins to act the same way that Ross, the circus director, treated Merrick. He tries to tell him what he can and cannot do. Treves claims that he is protecting him from being seen and humiliated by viewers and gawkers, but he shows his photos to everyone and invites others to come and meet him (see him and the affects of his crippling disease). This playwright was very eye-opening to me. It helped me to see how others with mental and physical disabilities may feel because others stare and gawk at them every day. I think this play was also educational about the beliefs, debates, and life that took place during the time period that Merrick had lived. I think this play touches more people because it relates to the life of a real person. I encourage others to read this playwright and look deeper into what you read. Consider feelings and research the time period to get a better understanding of the play.
6 comments:
I agree that Mrs Kendall being forced to leave is the saddest park of Merrick's extremely sad life. I feel like after she was banished, he had nothing left to live for. I am glad that Treves realizes what he did and that his choices were wrong in the end, but it seems almost like a too little too late situation.
I agree with both of you about the banishment of Ms. Kendall. She did truly become John Merrick's friend and he had very few of those. Even Dr. Treves was not really his friend but really just a kinder exploiter than Ross. I know that this sounds harsh but I really feel like Merrick went from one arena (freak show on the street) to another (freak that needed to be humanized) in the care of the hospital. One might argue that he was treated better or with more respect, and I agree he was, but I still get the sense he was treated as less of a MAN less of a HU-MAN. Even when everyone was identifing with him it still had a bit of a condesending tone, I think. Either way I think we all agree that this is a good read, that everyone should encounter at some point in their life.
I agree with you when you said Treves may treat Merrick as the same way that used person did. because in my view, Treves is nice and helps Joseph a lot, but my point is does he really want to help him or he wants to dint of Merrick to achieve or affect his own social status because after he helped Merrick and he got queen’s and media’s praise.
I'm agree with you. You give to us a good introduction about Merrick. I like that sentences about the most tragic for Merrick: "This I think is the most tragic part of Merrick's life." Also "I think this play touches more people because it relates to the life of a real person."
You did a good job.
John Merrick was better off living in the hospital. You do a good job of saying that he was safe. This is true because he is taken care of well by the people that work there. He is a human being that wants to be treated equally. Noone can look past his deformities, they don't see the human being he really is.
Merrick was definetly better off living at the hostipal even tho he was being used like he was in the cirrcus. He had a better life of being used at the hospital tho with food, bathing, and a roof over his head. I agree with you that he was safe as well. He may have these medical problems, but all he wants is to be just like everyone else.
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