steppenwolf

1 By Bernard Pomerancedirected by Sean GraneyFOR YOUNG ADULTS steppenwolfSTUDY GUIDEH ello!This guide is for s for you to use before you see the play The Elephant Manat steppenwolf Theatre. It s for you to learnmore about the main character of the play, John Merrick. Rescued from a freak show by a kind doctor,Merrick is cared for and introduced to the voyeuristic circles of polite society. As the doctor strives to helphis patient regain his dignity and to make him feel normal, Merrick s desire to fit in is complicated whenhis abnormalities elevate him to celebrity study guide will examine who John Merrick was as a person: Who was he Historically? Considering all that happened to him during his time in the hospital was he treated in accordance with Medical Ethics? What role did the Relationshipshe formed with influential people of the time and his own status as a celebrity play in the efforts to make him normal? What were his Beliefsand how did they affect his feelings about normality?

2 What was Beautiful to him?The play also provides a context to think about our own lives and our world. This studyguide asks how social issues of Merrick s time relate to ones we encounter today. What has changed? What has stayed the same?WHO WAS JOHN MERRICK? An Introduction to this GuideCONTRIBUTORSL iliana DominguezLibby FordHallie Gordon Elizabeth LevyEDITED BYElizabeth LevyDESIGNED BYLuis A. IbarraSPECIAL THANKS TOLindsey BarlagSean GraneyPaul KoobMartha LaveyMichael RohdMEMBERS OF THE steppenwolf YOUNG ADULT COUNCIL: Majdi BadriRigoberto GomezGaby LabotkaClifton LyonsLaMargaret McMillerRaquel MendozaSTEPPENWOLF FOR YOUNG ADULTSC haracter Breakdown ..Page 4 Section 1:Who was he Historically? ..Page 6 Section 2:Was he treated in accordance with Medical Ethics? ..Page 10IN CONTEXT: MEDICAL ETHICS CASES TODAY ..Page 11 YOU TRY IT!:WHAT IS YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE? ..Page 12 Section 3:What role did his Relationshipsplay in having normal life? ..Page 14IN CONTEXT: FREAK SHOWS AND VOYEURISM.

3 Page 15 YOU TRY IT!: NORMAL AND ABNORMAL ON DISPLAY ..Page 16 Section 4:What were his Beliefs? ..Page 18IN CONTEXT: SCIENCE AND RELIGION DEBATE CONTINUES ..Page 19 YOU TRY IT!: BELIEVE IT OR NOT! ..Page 20 Section 5:What was Beautifulto him? ..Page 22IN CONTEXT: ART THAT EXPLORES THE NATURE OF BEAUTY ..Page 23 HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE JOHN MERRICK? ..Page 24 Sources ..Page 264 INTROJOHN MERRICK- the main character of the play. He suffers from anunknown disease which has deformed his body, isolating him from the rest ofsociety as he earns a living by becoming a side-show attraction. He laterresides at the London TREVES- a highly respected physician at the London Hospital who takesin John Merrick to examine him in the interest of science. He later grows fond of Merrick which makes his job as his physician and protector more GOMM- the administrator of the London Hospital whose interest inMerrick is more than for the scientific discovery. He also hopes for the fundsthe hospital receives as a result of Merrick residing BISHOP - serves as a religious support for Merrick during his stay at thehospital.

4 He also grows fond of Merrick and becomes fascinated by his creativ-ity and KENDAL- a famous actress who pays visits to Merrick while in the hospital. They share a love of the arts and form a Merrick s manager in the side show. He profits from the moneyMerrick earns from his Characters who visit Merrick: Duchess, Countess, Princess Alexandria, Lord John, Miss Sandwich, Porter HISTORICALLYe16 HISTORYE arly biographies of Merrick inaccurately give his first name asJohn; however, Merrick was named after his father, Joseph RockleyMerrick. Joseph Merrick Jr. was born in Leicester, England onAugust 5, 1862 to Mary Jane Potterton. Joseph s mother died frombronchial pneumonia on May 19, 1873 which led to Joseph Sr. toremarry a year later, to Emma Wood. She soon convinced her newhusband to get rid of the deformed was unemployable for the better part of his life until 1884when he took a job as a side show attraction. At one point in hissideshow career, he was exhibited in the back of an empty shopwhere he was seen by Dr.

5 Frederick Treves. Dr. Treves reportedlygave Merrick his calling card in the event that Merrick would bewilling to be medically examined. Two years later, sideshows wereoutlawed in the United Kingdom forcing Merrick to find work inBelgium. With a lot of mistreatment and no success, Merrickmoved back to London. One day he unintentionally became part ofa disturbance at Liverpool Street train station which resulted inMerrick being taken by , Merrick referred to calling card leading to Merrick s permanent residence atthe London Hospital. From then on, Merrick became something ofa celebrity among the London later biographies, Merrick is said to have always wanted to livein a hospital for the blind so that he could find a woman whowould not be frightened by his appearance and love him. He wascared for at the hospital until the age of April 11, 1890 hedied from suffocation while sleeping,unable to sleep horizontallydue to the weight of his Merrick was originally thought to be suffering from ele-phantiasis.

6 However, in July 2003, doctors discovered andannounced that Merrick actually suffered from Proteus after the Greek god who could change his shape, Proteussyndrome is a rare disorder of the lymphatic system which causesovergrowth of one side of the body,an abnormally large head, anddarkened spots or moles on the skin. DNA tests of samples ofMerrick s hair and bones determined that Merrick suffered froman extremely severe case of Proteus syndrome. Merrick s head wasso large his hat measured three feet in ssMMeeddiiccaall CCoonnddiittiioonnWWhhoo wwaass JJoohhnn MMeerrrriicckk??Industrial Revolution:THE WORKHOUSES cientific Revolution:DR. TREVES FOUNDATION OF THOUGHHISTORY7 During the late 18th century, England experienced anincreased pressure to produce enough food and goods to sufficiently feed its increasing population. To make the most efficient use of land, the three-field system and farminghand-tools which had dominated English and European agri-culture for centuries was replaced with steam or electricitydriven machines.

7 The invention of new machinery led toEngland s rapid change from an agricultural-based country to amanufacturing-based country. England became the spotlight ofthis economic transformation as the number of wage laborersincreased. The Industrial Revolution brought about a socialtransformation as well. Manufacturing brought hundreds ofthousands of workers into the cities because industrial workerswere better paid than those in agriculture. However, factoryworkers, including women and children, worked for very longhours for little pay and under very harsh conditions. TheIndustrial Revolution gave rise to thinking of the human bodyas a machine,and viewing human beings for their , factory workers joined in an effort to create vast politicalchange and become a social force of their from the year 1600,there were dramatic and historical-ly rapid changes in the ways in which scholars thought aboutthe physical world and studied it. There was a development ofscientific ideas mostly in the areas of physics, astronomy and biology.

8 Other scientists also discovered the vital functionsof different organs of the human evidence of scientific theories came about through observation and experi-mentation to desert assumption and to attempt to simplyobserve with an open mind was in strict contrast with theearlier approach of deduction, by which analysis of known factsproduced further understanding. Many scientists (and philoso-phers) believed that science required both the willingness to question assumptions, and also to interpret became a powerful form of finding answers to scientific inquiries and ethicse2 WWhhaatt aarree MMeeddiiccaall EEtthhiiccss?? Medical ethics is the study ofmoral values as they apply many cases,moralvalues can be in conflict, and ethical crises in how best to treata patient can MEDICAL ETHICSLove s got nothing to do with surgery Dr. TrevesWhat role do medical ethicsplay in Treves relationshipwith Merrick?When Merrick arrives at the London Hospital, there is noknown cure or diagnosis for his condition.

9 Dr. Treves primaryconcern is to learn more about Merrick s condition in the hopeof treating him and making his life better and safer. The hospi-tal also receives funding as a result of Merrick living at the hospital and becoming a national was provided a safe haven from the life he lived in the freak Treves feels responsible to navigate Merrick s social,intellectual and spiritual life in spite of the fact that he is at aloss for how to treat him medically. As the play goes on, Trevesbegins to question the ethical implications of the role he playsin Merrick s life and whether it compromises his role as a doctor. Why does Treves feel responsible for Merrick?Dr. Frederick Treves, a young and accomplished doctor on the brink of great success, discovers John Merrick at a freak show in London. Both confounded by Merrick s physical condition as a medical phenomenon and horrified at the inhumane way Merrick wastreated by his manager Ross, Dr. Treves arranges for Merrick to be taken to the LondonHospital to be examined and housed.

10 His mission is to allow Merrick to have as normal a lifeas ETHICS<11 Terry SchiavoTerry Schiavo was a 41-year old woman who suffered from severebrain damage. Schiavo was unable to feed herself, speak or eventhink. While she never put into writing whether or not she would wantto be kept alive artificially, her parents fought to keep her alive whileher husband believed her feeding tube should be removed so that herbody would eventually ImplantsA cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that pro-vides a sense of sound to a person who is deaf or severely hard ofhearing, thereby allowing him/her to hear and understand implant surgeries are usually recommended for deaf childrenwhen they are very young. One of the controversies surroundingcochlear implants is that members of the deaf community who are pre-lingually deaf (meaning sign language is their first language) are opposed to a procedure that cures a person who is deaf of having to use sign language, a language with a cultural history all itsown.