The Elephant Man (play)

The Elephant Man, a play by Bernard Pomerance which is based on the life of a real man, is a very thoroughly depressing story. John Merrick—also known as The Elephant Man due to his physical deformities—seems to be an individual who suffers from being a delightful book inside a horrid cover.

His personality remains a bit of a mystery throughout the whole play as many of the things the reader learns about him seem to be other people projecting things they themselves are and assuming that is what he is; however, it is acknowledged that he is smart, artistic and kind.

His very existence seems to attract the pity of others and many donate so he is able to stay at the hospital until the end of his life. He whiles away the time by making a model and chatting with his new friends—such as the Bishop and the actress, Ms. Kendal.

Dr. Treves is the one who he has the closest relationship to, perhaps because Treves was the one who brought Merrick to the hospital and the one who allowed him to make his other friends. While their relationship may seem harsh at times, Treves seems to care about Merrick the most he can.

The ending is rather predictable, but any other ending would not really fit with the tone of the play and that would make it far worse than merely predictable.

This play, while disheartening most of the time, is perfectly suitable for a high school library. While certain parts of it may seem risqué, the play itself covers some important themes that people should take to heart, such as the age-old “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Younger age groups may have a difficult time with the language used, but those in high school should at least be able to muddle through it. The concepts covered in the play might also be a little hard for younger age groups to grasp completely, but high school level analysis and above should make them perfectly clear.

All in all, this play—while not to my taste—would be enjoyable to certain audiences

Jane Bandak