John Merrick is the Elephant Man. He is kept away from society because of his many disabilities. From the outside he is viewed as a pariah. Yet, if an individual were to look deep within John Merrick his compassionate heart would be seen. In The Elephant Man John Merrick proclaims, "I am not an animal. I am a human being." With the help of Dr. Treves, Merrick attempts to become normal and live his life after spending years as a side-show freak.

Merrick, a man with a terrible physical appearance who experienced a tremendous amount of suffering in his life, strives for normalcy. Dr. Treves tries to prove to others that Merrick is indeed human despite all his problems. In a scene with Treves and Merrick, Treves attempts to teach Merrick how to come off as an intelligent man. Treves begins with speech. As Merrick accomplishes speech through...