The Elephant Man Analysis

The Elephant Man Analysis

The Elephant Man can, at times, be a tough play to talk about. The production instills a sort of guilt in the audience, seemingly as though they are the culprits of the Elephant Man's emotional isolation from society. This guilt is very likely due to society's tendency to see the disabilities of the disabled person, as opposed to the person him or herself, as The Elephant Man presents this societal problem, among others, with all of the subtleties befitting a train colliding with a merry–go–round. For example, one scene in which The Elephant Man tackles this subject in such a veritably unsubtle demeanor would be the play's twelfth scene: "Who Does He Remind You Of?" Within the scene, a slew of characters, both major and minor, ostensibly strut out onto the stage and proudly proclaim that Merrick, the titular character, is very much like them. From Mrs. Kendall, to Treves, to the Bishop, each character accordingly lists features that describe them and attributes those features to Merrick. Meanwhile, the Elephant Man lies in the background, a societal mirror that none can gaze upon without witnessing a reflection of their own self. They casually dismiss his existence, relegating him to the position of being seen and not heard as they toot the horns of their own virtues, supposedly shared by their collective pet. However, this dismissive mistreatment of Merrick occasionally descends to a far more crudely callous level. In scene thirteen, titled "Anxieties of the Swamp," Merrick brings up his worries that Treves and Mrs. Kendall might abandon him were they to find themselves in trouble. This point is punctuated and further made clear by the small photograph he picks up, which just so happens to be of his mother, who herself had abandoned him at three years of age. Yet, despite the clear insinuations, this line of questioning goes over Mrs. Kendall's head. Instead, she delightfully informs Merrick that his mother is quite pretty, before descending into confusion at his following questions. Astonishingly, she seems to have distracted herself from the conversation proceeding between her and the Elephant Man, preferring instead to consider the beauty of his mother. Perplexingly, however, in the class discussions,

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