The Elephant Man play by Bernard Pomerance is examined with the social interaction of John Merrick being the primary focus in 5 pages. Three sources are cited in the bibliography.
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distorted and corrupt. Bibliography lists 3 sources. JLelephantman.wps "The Elephant Man" By , United Kingdom, For - January, 2013 For More Information On
How To Use This Report Correctly, Please Bernard
Pomerances The Elephant Man is not only a dramatised account of the life of John (Joseph) Merrick, it is also a perceptive and insightful analysis of the way in which
society reacts to and deals with that which is alien or hidden from the public gaze and sensibilities. Merrick himself, of course, personifies the contrast between external appearance and inner
integrity; when he says Sometimes I think my head is so big because it is full of dreams (Pomerance, 32) he is not only rationalising that for which there is
no rational explanation, namely, why his spirit is housed in such a twisted and misshapen frame, but also demonstrating the difference between what is outwardly perceived in society and what
may lie beneath the surface. It is interesting that the stage version of the story, unlike the film, is played
without prosthetic make-up and therefore the degree of deformity which Merrick exhibits is solely dependant on the skill of the actor playing the role. The extent to which the audience
both sees the external deformity and transcends it in order to access the wisdom and intelligence within is also, therefore, dependant on the actors ability to simultaneously convey the misshapen
exterior and the interior spirit of the character. The character of John represents, in itself, the contrast between outward squalor and