The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man
Please consider the David Lynch film, The Elephant Man, to answer the following questions.

1. (A) Is John Merrick a Monster? In your answer, consider how you could use the following Areas of Knowledge to justify your claims.

John Merrick is not a monster.In relation to history, he does not behave like the monsters in our fairy tales. In the movie, he can speak, he can create, in general he can contribute to society unlike the monsters of fairy tales, who are generally the antagonists of those stories, and do not seem to contribute to the fairy tale kingdoms. In The Elephant Man, John Merrick is the protagonist of the story.

In relation to the natural science, John Merrick is not a monster. He has a disease, and having a disease does not make you a monster, much in the same way that having cancer does not make you a monster. Also, not every part of John Merick was deformed. As Dr. Treves pointed out when Merrick first came to the hospital, Merrick's genitals are completely normal for a human, further evidence that although he is deformed, he is not a monster. According to social science, John Merrick is not a monster. He behaves like a gentleman, is intelligent and refined. When given nice clothes to wear, and a dressing case, he uses them, just as any other gentleman would. Merrick proves himself not to be dangerous, nor a criminal, and so social science shows us that he is not a monster.

Finally, in relation to the arts, John Merrick proved himself not to be a monster. Not only can he appreciate the arts, such as the theatre, which he visited, and wished to go again, as expressed in the movie, but Merrick was also able to create art, something no monster should be able. In visiting the theatre, and creating a beautiful paper catherdral, John Merrick has proved himself not to be a monster, through the Arts.

1. (B) What is the counter-claim for each Area of Knowledge?

The counterclaim for each Area of Knowledge, can be shown through the actions of Mr. Bytes, John Merrick's former "owner" in the circus.

In relation to History, Mr. Bites would claim that he knows the story of why John Merrick looks as he does, that his father is an elephant, that the African story Mr. Bytes was told is true, to look at the elephant man and hear the story, one would know it was true.

Mr. Bytes would also say that, according to the natural sciences, John Merrick is clearly a monster. He would say again that simply looking at the elephant man would show you that he is a monster. He would say that obviously no human could look like that, and that no animal could look like that either, so a cross between a human and an animal would be a monster.

Mr. Bytes also believes that John Merrick is a monster according to the social sciences. It seems that Merrick won't speak in front of Mr. Bytes, so it appears that all Merrick can do is grunt and spit. Merrick does not act like a man in front or Mr. Bytes, so Mr. Bytes would claim that he is a monster, and not a man because he does not act like a man.

Finally, in relation to the arts, Mr. Bytes would claim that Merrick is a monster because Merrick cannot create, nor appreciate any art, and that monster can neither create or appreciate art. it is evident through the film that Merrick is too frightened of Mr. Bytes to really do anything in his presence, so it appears to Mr. Bytes that Merrick cannot create or appreciate, or indeed contribute to society, so Mr. Bytes sees him as a monster, and treats him as such.

2. John Merrick claimed, "I am not an animal, I am a human being!" What does he mean? How does he know?

He means that he is not wild, a monster, someone who would hurt others. He is trying to explain that he is not dangerous to the crowd that is converging on him, simply because he looks different, scary and dangerous. He wants them to know that he will not hurt them, or anyone, because he fears that they will hurt him.

He knows he is human through knowledge by authority. Dr. Treves has told him that he is not a monster, that he is human, and Dr. Treves is a physician, so he has authority. Dr. Treves even explains to his colleagues how, although Merrick is deformed, he is a human, and even in spite of his deformities, some parts of him remain unaltered. Merrick also knows that he is human, through knowledge by introspection. He knows how to read, and knows the Bible, front to back, he can appreciate beauty, and art, and he can even create beautiful things. He knows that he is a thinking being as, believes himself to be a human because of theses things.

3. Dr. Treves asks, "Am I a good man, or am I a bad man?" What does he mean? How does he know?

He wants to know if he is a good man for taking care of John Merrick, for giving him a place to stay, for examining him, and for introducing him into English society, and giving him friends like the actress, Ms. Kendal. However, he wonders if, by introducing Merrick into English society, he has behaved like Mr. Bytes, showing Merick off to the world to see, just as Mr. Bytes did, presenting Merrick as a freak. He knows he is a good in two ways, Knowledge by Authority and Knowledge by Introspection, just as John Merrick knows he is human, not animal. The Knowledge by Authority comes from his wife, and from John Merrick. When he poses his question to his wife, she reassures him that he is good because of all he has done for Mr. Merrick. This inspires his knowledge by Introspection, where he examines what he has done for Merrick, such as rescuing him from Bytes, giving him a place to stay, food, and companionship. His knowledge by Introspection is confirmed by John Merrick when, upon his return to the hospital after being kidnapped by Mr. Bytes, Merrick tells Dr. Treves, that if it were not for him, Merrick would not be happy, because he would not know that each moment of each day, he was loved, and calls Dr. Treves, "my friend."

4. What role does the herd mentality play in the film? Please be specific in your answers.
The role of herd mentality plays both negative and positive roles in the film. Some of the negative roles are:

-The proclamation of Merrick as a freak in the circus.

-The excitement in the bar, as the night watchman, eggs on the drunks to come and see the elephant man.

- The reaction of the drunken crowds when the night watchman brings them to Merrick's room.

-The gathering hoard chasing Merrick in the train station after the little boy steals Merrick's protective cap/sack.

The positive roles of the herd mentality in the film are:

-The clapping of the audience after Ms. Kendal when she dedicates the performance to Merrick.

-The standing ovation that follows Merrick when he stands at the performance.

-The visitors to Merrick after Ms. Kendal, who comes of her own accord.

-The treatment of Merrick as an intelligent human being by the nurses and other hospital staff, after Dr. Treves presents and explains him as such, instead of an idiot.

5. How did the community react to the different Monsters in the film? Please explain your answer.

If you believe that John Merrick was a monster, then the community reacted two different ways to the three monsters in the movie.

The first reaction to a monster that they had, if you believe John Merrick to be a monster, was in horror and fear, at the beginning. Before Dr. Treves showed English society that Merrick was not a monster, almost anyone who looked at him, saw only his disfigurement. Women screamed in terror, men jeered and laughed, or just looked in disgust. It wasn't until Dr. Treves showed Merrick kindness and discovered his intelligence and gentleness, that he could be accepted by others as a man, and not a monster.

The second reaction the community had to the monsters in the film, is a much scarier reaction than horror at a monster. Their reaction to the two men, I perceived to be monsters, was that of acceptance. I perceived them to be monsters because they were exploiting John Merrick, using his misfortune of disease, for their own personal gain. Mr. Bytes beat Merrick simply because he was deformed and Mr. Bytes believed himself to be the owner of Merrick. He did not seek to have Merrick examined, and did not wish for him to live and be cared for in the London hospital, because it was a loss of income for him. The community accpeted Mr. Bytes by going to the circus, and paying him to see the "freak," the elephant man.

The night watchman was the other man I perceived to be a monster, and the community readily accepted him too, with people from the bar, paying him to go and see and jeer at Merrick in the hospital. It seemed as if they believed that what the watchman was doing was okay; those who went to Merrick's room, actively participated in terrorizing Merrick.

6. John Merrick claims, "We are afraid of what we don't understand." Do you agree? Does this statement apply to the modern world or have we learned to treat perceived Monsters with dignity? Please be specific in your answer.

I do agree with Merrick. In the movie, it is evident that almost everyone who first sees Merrick is frightened of him They do not know that he is a normal man with a disease which has deformed him, that he is intelligent and kind. Once they understand this, like Ms. Kendal, they seem to like him, and do not, for the most part, appear frightened of him, because they understand that he is a normal man on the inside.

I believe that for the most part. this statement still applies to the modern world. human beings are still afraid of what they don't understand. The Bosnian War is proof of that. Serbian Christians fear the Muslims in that part of the world, partly because they don't understand them, they don't understand their culture or their traditions. This statement still applies to the US, but less so. In the US, citizens are more accepting of differences and other cultures. However, Americans are often still afraid of what they don't understand. For example, after September 11, 2009, many white Americans were afraid of Muslim-Americans, especially those who wore traditional garb. This fear was irrational because the Muslim religion, Islam, literally translates to "peace." Those Americans did not realize that not everyone who is Muslim is a terrorist. In general, though, Merrick's statement is generally true throughout the world, present somewhere in each culture.