Elephant Man Joseph Merrick, Popularly

¶ … Elephant Man Joseph Merrick, popularly known as The Elephant Man, was a young man who suffered from a bone disease known as neurofibromatosis Type 1. This disease caused his bones to grow abnormally and resulted in extreme deformities in Merrick's body. The events of his life have been popularized most notably by a play and a film. For the purpose of this literary analysis, the play will be considered from three viewpoints: hip hop, religious leadership, and gender.

Viewpoint 1: Hip Hop From a cultural viewpoint, Merrick's journey throughout the play can be viewed as parallel to that of the hip hop artist. The play begins with Merrick being an outcast from society because o the way he looks. He is the source of horror, used by exploiters such as Ross for financial gain. So extreme is the horror that society experiences at his looks, that people are willing to pay for the thrill of it. Dr. Treves rescues Merrick from Ross, and the Elephant Man's situation changes dramatically.

He becomes popular: the darling of royalty, leaders, and general high society. This can be compared to the hip hop artist initially being seen as social outcast. This is the result rather of social class than of physical appearance on its own, although racism and social expectation might play a significant role as well. Because of his or her social origins, the hip hop artist is generally expected to commit crime or at the very least to be from the lower classes of society.

Like the Elephant Man's appearance, the artist's saving grace is focused on an inner talent and an ability to provide society with a mirror of itself. Treves in the play can then be compared to an agent that provides the artist with the opportunity to become rich and famous through his or her talent. Merrick's talent is his grotesque appearance. From his lowly beginnings as Ross's showpiece, he rises to become a more sophisticated version of the freak show under Treves's hand.

Treves gives public lectures in which he Merrick is then displayed as an example of the disease under discussion. As such, the Elephant Man then becomes a horror show for the rich and famous. Throughout the play, however, he never ceases to be a mirror of society, demonstrating to people both the best and the worst in themselves. It is the mission of the hip hop artist to do the same - by listening to the music, the audience is to understand both the best and the worst in itself.

Viewpoint 2: Religious Leader The development of religious themes in "The Elephant Man" is interesting in several respects. The issue of faith in the play manifests itself in two respects: internally, Merrick experiences a religious evolution under the tutelage of Bishop How; externally, Merrick could be viewed as a Christ figure in the play. In the first respect, Bishop How sees in Merrick the roots of Christianity and is moved to take him under his wing.

Like all true religious figures, Merrick is faced with both internal and external conflict in his religious education. He for example faces the hostility of Gomm when the latter debates the merits of science vs. religion with Bishop How. Merrick is also faced with fundamental religious negativity by his mentor, Treves. Treves for example relates to Merrick a story regarding the afterlife: a patient who died and was subsequently revived told Treves that the afterlife was not spectacular at all, but rather the contrary.

Internally, Merrick shows the fundamental traits of a suffering religious figure. Throughout the play, he never protests anything that happens to him, or his suffering. He accepts it as best he can and is often both despised and adored by society as a whole. The recurring phrase, "it is done" is also indicative of Merrick in his religious capacity. Either because or regardless of his suffering, Merrick also shows a charitable nature that is reminiscent of Christ.

When an employee is fired because he stares at Merrick, the latter worries about the man's future livelihood and the well-being of his family, despite his rude behavior towards Merrick. In this way, Merrick's internal soul shines through and beyond his grotesque physique. It is also significant that Merrick in the play is portrayed by a normal-looking, even handsome man. This is meant to display the Elephant Man's interior beauty.

In this capacity also, Merrick can be compared to Christ, for whom the inner spiritual nature carried more weight than a physical display of wealth or beauty. Gender Relations In "The Elephant Man," Merrick experiences a terrible dichotomy in terms of gender relations. His body is grotesquely.