The Elephant Man (Chapter Summaries, Setting & Characters)
- THE ELEPHANT MAN CHAPTER SUMMARIES, SETTING & CHARACTERS
- The Elephant Man is based on a true story. It is the story of the life of a man named Joseph Merrick, who lived in England in the 19th ...
- He leads a happy and contented life for three and a half years. ...
- CHAPTER 1 THE CREATURE IN THE SHOP
Was there a real Elephant Man?
The sad story of Joseph Merrick – the real “Elephant Man” In 1980, talented director David Lynch filmed the story of Joseph Merrick, a heavily disfigured man who suffered years of mistreatment and abuse in a society that viewed him as a freak. In the film, Merrick is rescued by Dr. Click to see full answer.
What is Elephant Man real name?
Oneal Bryan, better known by his stage name Elephant Man is a Jamaican dancehall musician and singer. He started out his musical career in 1995 as a member of the Scare Dem Crew, later continuing as a solo artist.
Did the Elephant Man really exist?
The true name of The Elephant Man was not "John Merrick" as most believe, but Joseph Carey Merrick. Merrick was born in Leicester, England on 5 August 1862, and died in the Royal London Hospital on 11 April 1890, at the age of 27. When Dr. Treves wrote his memoir, he referred to him as John.
Why is the Elephant Man Called the Elephant Man?
Why Was John Merrick Called The Elephant Man? From a young age, Merrick had developed scoliosis, skull bone outgrowth, with skin protruding from his face and an overgrown right arm. He came to be known as the Elephant Man due to the skin on his face. His facial deformities led people to see Merrick as a “monster” and a threat to society.
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What happened to Joseph Merrick?
Although the official cause of his death was asphyxia, Treves, who performed the postmortem, said Merrick had died of a dislocated neck. The exact cause of Merrick's deformities is unclear. In 1986, it was conjectured that he had Proteus syndrome....Joseph MerrickDied11 April 1890 (aged 27) Whitechapel, London, England8 more rows
Why did they call him the Elephant Man?
From a young age, Merrick had developed scoliosis, skull bone outgrowth, with skin protruding from his face and an overgrown right arm. He came to be known as the Elephant Man due to the skin on his face.
What did the real Elephant Man look like?
But at 21 months, he began developing swelling of his lips, followed by a bony lump on his forehead, which later grew to roughly resemble an elephant's trunk and loosing of his skin. In later years, his left and right arms began to grow significant differences and both feet were enlarged.
Was the Elephant Man Jack the Ripper?
Joseph Merrick (1862-1890) – better known as The Elephant Man – is, along with Jack The Ripper, one of the men most closely associated with Whitechapel.
Did the Elephant Man have elephantiasis?
But what most people don't know is that it took 100 years for doctors to correctly identify his medical condition. At the time Joseph Carey Merrick lived (1862-1890), leading authorities stated he suffered from elephantiasis.
Is the Elephant Man still alive?
April 11, 1890Joseph Merrick / Date of death
Where are the remains of the Elephant Man?
the Royal London HospitalMerrick had a skeletal and soft tissue deformity which saw him as a freak show attraction, then a medical curiosity. His skeleton has been preserved at the Royal London Hospital since his death.
Who has the Elephant Man's remains?
Merrick died on April 11, 1890, at age 27. His skeleton is kept at Queen Mary University of London, where students and medical faculty members can request to view it, but the burial location of his soft tissue remains were a mystery — until now.
Where was the Elephant Man buried?
The Royal London Hospital, London, United KingdomJoseph Merrick / Place of burialThe Royal London Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is part of Barts Health NHS Trust. Wikipedia
Why did Michael Jackson want the Elephant Man's bones?
The singer said he related to a quote from a film made about Merrick's life where he shouts, 'I am not an animal, I am an animal. Michael Jackson said he never asked for the elephant man bones. He only loved the story and he could relate to it.
What was John Merricks disease?
For some time, doctors thought he had neurofibromatosis, a disease that causes fibrous growths all over the body. In 1986, however, researchers determined that he most likely had Proteus syndrome. Merrick died in 1890.
What was the Elephant Man's real name?
Joseph Carey MerrickJoseph Merrick / Full nameJoseph Merrick, in full Joseph Carey Merrick, also called the Elephant Man, (born August 5, 1862, Leicester, Leicestershire, England—died April 11, 1890, London), disfigured man who, after a brief career as a professional “freak,” became a patient of London Hospital from 1886 until his death.
What's the name of the disease that the Elephant Man had?
At last, in 1986, Canadian geneticists Tibbles and Cohen demonstrated that Merrick was actually afflicted with Proteus syndrome [7]. A man who suffered from Proteus syndrome (Joseph Merrick, the “elephant man”).
Where did the elephant fling the man?
Where did the elephant fling the man? Answer: It flung the man out in the rain.
Who is the main character in the Elephant Man?
John MerrickJohn HurtFrederick TrevesAnthony HopkinsMrs. KendalAnne BancroftMrs. TrevesHannah GordonCarr GommJohn GielgudMerrick's MotherPhoebe Nicholls, Lydia LisleThe Elephant Man/CharactersThe Elephant Man is a 1980 biographical drama film about Joseph Merrick (named in the film as John Merrick), a severely deformed man in late 19th-century London.
What is the theme of Elephant Man?
'The Elephant Man' explores themes of deformity, humanity.
Who was the actor who played the elephant man?
Daniel Day-Lewis enacted a similarly dramatic change when he starred in “My Left Foot,” playing a writer afflicted with severe cerebral palsy; it won him the first of his three (and counting) Academy Awards. Philip Anglim, who starred in the original Broadway cast of “The Elephant Man,” received a nomination for Best Actor at 1979’s Tony Awards, an accomplishment Cooper would doubtless be glad to duplicate (hopefully going home with the trophy this time around).
What was the circumference of the elephant man?
Measured by doctors at the time as having a circumference of 36 inches, Merrick’s malformed head was one of many deformities that people came to gape at as he toured England as a human oddity. Billed at the time as “ Half-a-Man and Half-an-Elephant ,” Merrick’s life entered the American popular consciousness when “The Elephant Man” debuted on ...
Why did Merrick die in The Elephant Man?
The exact circumstances of his death are not clear. He slept in an upright position in a custom armchair, so the reasons for his lying down to sleep are open to speculation. At the end of “The Elephant Man,” it is presented as a conscious, life-ending decision, but as Merrick was alone when it happened that is more poetic license than verifiable fact. What is known is that his disease continued to progress over time, requiring more and more care from nurses under the guidance of Dr. Treves at the Royal London Hospital.
Who wrote the book The Elephant Man?
The True History of the Elephant Man is a biography of Joseph Merrick written by Michael Howell and Peter Ford. It was published in 1980 in London, by Allison & Busby. It was distributed in the United States by Schocken Books. A second edition was published in 1983. Following Michael Howell's death in 1986, Peter Ford published a third edition ...
What was the first book Merrick wrote?
The first major work about Merrick's life was The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity by anthropologist Ashley Montagu, published in 1971. Montagu drew heavily on Treves' memoirs, and the "autobiographical" pamphlet that had been written to sell to visitors to Merrick's exhibitions.
Is this the last word of Merrick's story?
Arnold went on to say "This is surely the last word and the true version" of Merrick's story. Writing for The New York Times, Anatole Broyard called the book "absorbing and well-balanced" and noted that it "corrects earlier versions of Merrick's life".
Who played John in The Elephant Man?
Ever since Bernard Pomerance’s 1977 play The Elephant Man became a hit in London and on Broadway, the pitiful image of Joseph Carey Merrick (referred to as John in the play) − a deformed wretch forced to earn a living in a freak show who finds safety thanks to a sympathetic doctor and kindness in the loving embrace of a famous actress − has been seared into the public imagination. The play ran for over 900 performances in New York, an impressive number for a nonmusical. Stars such as Mark Hamill of Star Wars fame, Oscar nominee Bruce Davison and rock icon David Bowie succeeded Tony nominee Philip Anglim who first played the lead role on Broadway and repeated it in an Emmy-winning TV version.
Why did Joseph become lame?
To add to his troubles, during his childhood he fell and suffered an injury to his hip which left him permanently lame. The family is said to have believed young Joseph’s condition was caused by Mary Jane being frightened by an elephant at a fairground during her pregnancy.
Who was Merrick's first female tete a tete?
In Treves’ account, Merrick’s first female tete-a-tete, was a brief interview with a pretty friend of the doctor’s named Mrs. Leila Maturin. As in the play, the Princess of Wales did meet with Merrick and sent him a Christmas card every year. One of his chief hobbies was building models of famous sites.
How old was Merrick when he went to work?
Merrick was 17 when he went into the Leicester workhouse system. Fortunately, Joseph’s uncle Charles Merrick, a barber, took his nephew in, but the deformed young man was still unable to make much of a living peddling gloves.
Overview
Plot
In a book review for Medical History, medical historian Roy Porter called the book "well-researched and level-headed — easily the best offering in this year of the elephant man." and noted the new material on the topic introduced by the authors. Reviewing for Postgraduate Medical Journal, M. J. Arnold praised the book, calling it "a comprehensive account ... of the complex interrelationships between Joseph and Treves, beautifully written..." Arnold went on to say "This is surely the last w…
Cast
Production
Reception
The Elephant Man is a 1980 biographical drama film about Joseph Merrick, here called John Merrick, a severely deformed man in late 19th-century London. The film was directed by David Lynch and stars John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Michael Elphick, Hannah Gordon, and Freddie Jones. It was produced by Mel Brooks (who was uncredited, so audiences wouldn't see his name and expect a comedy) and Jonathan Sanger.
Home media
Frederick Treves, a surgeon at the London Hospital, finds John Merrick in a Victorian freak show in London's East End, where he is kept by Mr. Bytes, a greedy, sadistic, and violent ringmaster. His head is kept hooded, and his "owner", who views him as intellectually disabled, is paid by Treves to bring him to the hospital for examination. Treves presents Merrick to his colleagues and highlights his monstrous skull, which forces him to sleep with his head on his knees, since if he …
Soundtrack
• Anthony Hopkins as Frederick Treves, a doctor who takes John from the freakshow to work in the hospital
• John Hurt as John Merrick, an intelligent, friendly and kind-hearted man who is feared by most people in his society because of his severe deformity. James Hoff plays the character in a cutaway shot, as he is often referred to as the modern-day Elephant Man.
Cultural influence
Jonathan Sanger, the film's producer, optioned the script from the writers Christopher Devore and Eric Bergren after receiving the script from his babysitter. Sanger had been working as Mel Brooks' assistant director on High Anxiety. Sanger showed Brooks the script, whereupon he decided to help finance the film through Brooksfilms, his new company. Brooks' personal assistant, Stuart Cornfeld, suggested David Lynch to Sanger.