Story Review of The Elephant Man

Basic Elements

Character: Mr. Merrick, Dr. Treves, Alexandra, Ross

Setting: London Hospital

Plot: Treves meets Mr. Merrick, he was sorry for him, and he wanted to get him to the London hospital.

Perspective: first person point of view

Genre: realistic fiction

The story of The Elephant Man talks about a man named Joseph Merrick, a severely deformed man living in Victorian England. Due to his appearance, he is mistreated and exploited in circus sideshows as a “freak.” Eventually, he is discovered by Dr. Frederick Treves, a kind physician who brings him to the London Hospital. He felt bad for him and got him to the London hospital. Because Merrick looks ugly, he was very embarrassed, he didn't have any friends. Dr. Treves sees the problem, he calls his friends to help Merrick become happy again. But because Merrick wanted to look like a normal person, he slept like us. He died that night.

Human nature was terrible, it was round with ugly humanity, and greediness was possible. We can’t know if any people around us were greedy or not. Greedy is a kind of feeling in our thinking, when we see some things that we don’t have or some place we can’t touch but others can, some of us will feel greedy. Dr. Treves was kind of greedy, in the story Treves becomes Merrick’s protector, but the reason he becomes his protector was because he was curious about his body. Another person is Ross, he treated Merrick very badly, forcing him to endure humiliating public displays in freak shows for profit. Humanity is ugly, we can’t know what others will do to us. In conclusion, greediness was around us, it was very bad.

Humans were baffling. When they hear about something they don’t know, they will feel curious. When they look at them and it is ugly, they will hate them for no reason. Everyone will be curious, and this is the bad part. When they saw something they were curious about that is ugly they would hate them. When Merrick was still being controlled by his first owner Ross, Ross used him to make money, and the people that see the chart cause 2 pence to see Merrick. They see Merrick because they were curious about Merrick, after they see his face, they feel disgust and they will feel hate for Merrick. Humanity is ugly, we can’t know what others will do to us. In conclusion, I really felt bad for Merrick, he was used to making money and he was hated by others.

Merrick embodies kindness, intelligence, and gentleness—qualities that starkly contrast with the cruelty and exploitation he faces from a society obsessed with appearances. Merrick was a really kind person, when others laugh at him or been scared by him, he won’t be mad.The few who treat Merrick with empathy—like Dr. Treves and those who offer him fleeting moments of acceptance—highlight the moral choice at the core of the narrative: to be a “good human” is to recognize and honor the humanity in everyone, especially those the world deems unworthy. Although others treated Merrick badly, he treated others in a really kind way. In conclusion, Merrick’s story forces us to confront our own prejudices and asks whether we, too, can rise above superficial judgments to embrace the goodness in others.

In conclusion, the story The Elephant Man talks about a man named Joseph Merrick, a severely deformed man living in Victorian England. Due to his appearance, he is mistreated and exploited in circus sideshows as a “freak.” Through Merrick’s life, he lived very sadly, he was treated badly when he’s still small, mother left him, and the kids didn't like him. Even Dr. Treves,  his first thought to be his protector was because he looks unlike with others, he was curious with him. How can a human’s life be so bad like him? He has been treated badly by bad humanities, he feels bad but he can do nothing.