The Elephant Man Demands of Society in the play Essay

The Elephant homo Demands of Society in the play - Essay ExampleHowever, the name Elephant Man was mistakenly given as his sobriquet because many thought that he was afflicted with elephantiasis. Born in England in 1862, it became apparent that there was something wrong with him eyepatch he was still a toddler. It was during this early stage in his life that disfiguring tumors began to emerge on his face.It was Merricks belief that his deformity was caused by his mothers having been frightened by an elephant. unconstipated this notion was quite ludicrous for Victorian England, but Merrick stuck to this belief since he was unable to receive ample quality education. His mother died when Merrick was 10 and his stepmother, unable to get away with the childs growing deformity, convinced her husband to throw the boy into the highroads. And so at a young age, Merrick had his first taste of human cruelty and became a street urchin.Merrick was peddling shoe polish by the time he was 12 y ears old. Still living on the streets, he was not only undetermined to the elements but was also subject to regular taunting, bullying and even persecution. He afterwards became a ward of the state and was forced to work in a welfare sweatshop.Merricks face and also his body were covered with lumpy growths and tumors. The tumors were also made up of hard bone. An attempt was made to cut away the waste growths but this ended in failure. Merricks deformity grew through time. People stared and gaped at Merrick wherever he went. Thus, Merrick decided that if they have to look, they might as well behave for it and so he began his career as a sideshow freak (Kayser 1966). Merrick remained in the London Hospital until he died mysteriously of suffocation. In a way, he became a sport of pet monster for the upper-class Victorians. His presence took away their fear of the strange and unusual. The Nature of Joseph MerrickMerrick wrote a short autobiography wherein he stated that his experien ces as a sideshow freak was not pestiferous. He said that he was treated with the greatest kindness. In contrast, he wrote, it was real life that proved to be hurtful (Daily Chronicle 1890). Although brutally exploited as a sideshow freak, Merrick showed his gentleness even among those who persecuted him. He was eventually able to read widely, learned the arts, visited beautiful places and entertained royalty. As Lady Geraldine Somerset described his gentle nature and circumstance, such a gentle, kindly man, poor thing (Howell & Ford, 1980). Although his physical appearance elicited shudders from the public, his genuinely superlative character made him the perfect fairy tale monstrosity. Merrick was a very ill man and his condition worsened through time. The pain became more marked and crippling as the disease advanced. He would spend hours sitting and staring into emptiness, seemingly despondent as he tapped the fingers of his disfigured right hand on the arm of his chair or a p illow. Despite his despondent state, Merrick gave hope to his well-wishers reiterating that the world they live in is a good one. He also evince his gratitude to those who called on himTis true my form is something odd, further blaming me is blaming God Could I create myself anew I would not fail in pleasing you.If I could clutch from pole to pole Or grasp the ocean with a span, I would be measured by the soul The minds the standard of the man.(Howard & Ford, 189)In the first verse, Merrick accepts his oddity. But he also does not cast any blame on