“The Elephant Man” What is the true “humanity” that the elephant man in the show house seeks?

What is true happiness sought in the midst of superficial charity?

The elephant man's next home was an isolation room in the attic of the hospital. Dr. Treeves tries to communicate with Joseph in his attic hospital room, where no one can see him. Joseph's upper lip was abnormally deformed, making it difficult for him to speak clearly. However, it is. He was a naive young man who displayed a wealth of intelligence, such as memorizing the 23rd Psalm of the Bible, but was also kind and gentle.

Psalm 23, which he recited in this scene, is loved by many believers. It is one of the most important and most familiar words among the Old Testament psalms. When I face hardship in life, or am pushed into the depths of despair, the words of this chapter: Even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. It is said that if you chant ``Because you are with me'', peace and healing will come. Joseph probably found salvation in his harsh life by reciting this psalm.

"The Elephant Man" (c)Photofest / Getty Images

In the movie, the focus is not only on the elephant man, but also on the people surrounding him. Among them, what is the difference between the kind Dr. Treeves and the showman Bites? At first, Dr. Treeves presented Joseph's rare and strange disease at an academic conference, and was simply motivated by academic curiosity. After seeing the newspaper article, some visitors from the upper class appeared who wanted to meet Joseph. Joseph remained essentially a "freak", merely changing the location from a sideshow to a hospital. I even think that Dr. Treeves and the showman Beitz are no different in terms of exposing Joseph to curiosity.

Even Madge Kendall (Anne Bancroft), a famous actress in the theater world, appears to be drowning in superficial charity. Jim (Michael Elphick), a night watchman at the hospital, invades Joseph's hospital room every night and enjoys making fun of him. Still, Joseph's mind and body felt more fulfilled than at the showhouse. At Mrs. Kendall's clever arrangement, we even watched a play from the box office. He became the object of the benevolence of the nobility and royalty, and was granted many special occasions. However, for him, happiness in the true sense must have been a very ordinary, mundane life. That was the "humanity" he wanted.

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Movie “The Elephant Man” theatrical program

Text: Hayato Otsuki

Born in May 1993 in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Writer, editor. He started his writing career in 2016 and currently contributes columns, movie reviews, etc. to various media. By reading the creator's Arrival from a bird's-eye view, we incisively analyze and explain the original intention of the work. His writing publications include "THE RIVER", "IGN Japan", and "Real Sound Movie Club". My specialty is action and fantasy.

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