Imagine a world where hate and disgust were thrown in the direction of anyone who looked different? This is the world in which Joseph Merrick lived.  Joseph Merrick, widely known as “The Elephant Man,” was infamous for his odd deformities. Born in 1862, he began developing these unnatural deformities that would, unfortunately, hinder his life. His deformity included gray lumpy patches of skin and bony, fleshy tumors. At the mere age of 17,  Joseph Merrick was forced to be a resident of a workhouse which, in this case, according to the Google definition, would be a “poorhouse where able-bodied poor are compelled to labor.” Desperate to escape his current living situation, Merrick fled his way into a human oddities show. This is where he was showcased as the “Elephant Man; Half-Man, Half-Elephant.” Embarrassed and ashamed, Merrick would cover himself with veils in public, but even this could not stop the mobs from harassing him. When the show was in London, Merrick was displayed near a hospital, of which the doctors would come to observe him. 

Eventually, Joseph Merrick agreed to be professionally observed by a man named Fredrick Treves. His observation conducted that Joseph Merrick’s deformities were extreme, with his head measuring 36 inches and his right wrist measuring 12 inches. Merrick also had to walk with a cane because his hips and legs were heavily misshapen. Despite his outward appearance, Merrick was in good health.  He refused any further observations.

In the late 1880’s, England made the show illegal, forcing Joseph Merrick to move to Belgium. Eventually, Merrick found his way back home to London. Here he was emitted to the London Hospital where Treves took him in. Over the past two years, Merrick’s condition had worsened considerably and the hospital refused to take in “incurables.”  This led to Carr Gromm, the chairman, asking the public for donations. Eventually, they raised enough funds to be able to make living quarters for Merrick. This is where he spent the rest of his life until — unfortunately — at the age of 27, he was found dead in his bed.

Joseph Merrick lived a short, unhappy life. This was not due to his deformities, but due to society’s standards that he did not conform to. Hence, it is clear to see that the bigotry thrown his way was a fault of society and not himself.