Society and Rejection - Assignment Example

Society and Rejection Society creates ideas of what is normal and abnormal and based on this, they pass judgment. The movie “Edward Scissorhands” directed by Tim Burton, the book “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, and the book “The Elephant Man” by Christine Spark, all have protagonists who are abnormal beings. Each character yearns for belonging but without their ability to relate, society refuses to accept them. All three “monsters” try to assimilate into society but are pushed back out to the fringes. They are marginalized and stamped by the society with presumptions and misconceptions which causes them to automatically assume that the creature is something to fear despite the fact that they originally haven’t hurt anything. The creations, or as society has labeled them “monsters”, are actually the characters that have rationale behind their thinking. Society has mislabeled these creatures as dumb, savage, and ugly, and has not justified their actions by anything except appearance. When in reality, they are actually intelligent, humane and kind. Had society given the “monsters” a chance they could’ve learned from such unique and insightful beings rather than make them angry and violent “monsters”? Sometimes it is hard to tell true intelligence due to the way some people are reserved. This makes society label such reserved kids as nerds and despise them. In the long run, instead of such gifted people being a gift to the society, they either do not finally discover their gifts or if they do, they use them to the detriment of the society. They use their gifts to harm the society and they become so successful at this due to their above average level of intelligence. Edward is a unique being that is portrayed in Edward Scissorhands, a film that depicts how society rejects people (Goodlad, Bibby 277). He is created with scissors for hands which society finds weird and casts him away. From his dark mansion which is also gloomy, we learn of the contrast between hi life and the life of town dwellers in colored houses and cars with bright clothes. In the novel Frankleinstein, we see an alienatred Walton writing to Margaret that "But I have one want which I never yet been able to satisfy; and the absence of the object of which I now feel as a most severe evil. I have no friend, Margaret: when I am glowing with enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate my joy; if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavor to sustain me”. We see that in both Walton and Scissorhands, there is a deep desire to belong and be part of something like a community where they can interact with other people. Edward is hiding from Peg while Walton opens up to Margaret that his biggest fear is succeeding in life but having no one to share his successes with. There is a true story written of John Merrick, a kid born with abnormalities with which he lived with all his life since birth from the slums of England. He was the object of violence from people and even his own farther. He had a grotesque appearance and people would scream their lungs out and shut the door on his face whenever they opened their doors and saw him standing there. People even paid money to see him as an animal. In all these, we see societal rejection in all these three characters: John Merrick, Scissorhands and Frankenstein. They had done society no harm but they were being cruelly avoided like a plague (Shelley, 40). Such people as tends society to hate with passion with no apparent reason usually have some in-born intelligence. From only a slab of ice, we see Edward creating a very beautiful sculptor. He also has a unique way of trimming the hedges as well as giving people very unique hair styles. Frankenstein is a marvel on his own. His intelligence brings him to create a replica of the human body and make him play God. This leads him to creating a very gruesome monster. Both these examples show how rejected people really value appreciation and feel very elated once they discover that they have some gift (Shelley, 55). Both Frankenstein and Edwards have awesome intelligence but however both put it into wrong use. They both put their intelligence into payback towards society. However, Edwards at least used his skill to give people unique hairstyles and even trim the hedges. This is not a harmful thing to do to society. In The Elephant Man, Dr Treves discovers the unique intelligence in Merrick and helps Merrick nurture his intelligence (Drimmer, 20). Merrick is similar to our previous characters Frankenstein and Edwards. These three are both gifted with intelligence. But Merrrick uses his intelligence to get him close to important people such as Countesses and Duchesses. He also got a chance to travel around the world and in this he made a new friend, Sir Walter Steel, whom he would discuss poetry with. We see him putting to good use his intelligence skills and we only wish he would be intelligent enough not to try and be like other people. Merrick sadly died while to sleep like a normal person would do and in the process dislocated his neck (Drimmer, 70). We see society’s failed appreciation of several people in history simply because they do not do what normal people do, look like normal people, or act normal. In Edward Scissorhands, we see Edward being shunned by the community due to his being different from the others by having scissor hands. Edward tries his best to fend for himself but gets called a friek by Jim for jus a small mistake (Goodlad, Bibby 277). Jim angrily and ridiculously yells at him that ‘You can’t touch anything without destroying it!’ Frankenstein was hardworking and hoped that people would see his efforts and not judge him but he was wrong. In the cottage, we are told that "Felix darted forward, and with supernatural force tore me from his father, to whose knees I clung: in a transport of fury, he dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick. I could have torn him limb from limb, as the lion rends the antelope. But my heart sunk within me as with bitter sickness, and I refrained. I saw him on the point of repeating his blow, when, overcome by pain and anguish, I quitted the cottage and in the general tumult escaped unperceived to my hovel" (Shelley, 20). It is clear that he was being judged from his facial appearance unfairly. This is jus what happened to Edwards, rejection due to physical appearance. Merrick in The Elephant Man was working in a cigar shop where he got fired after two years. The manager claimed that he was too slow and could not keep up with the pace of business (Drimmer, 70). In all these characters, we should learn how not to judge people by their own appearance. Some have not willed it that they be born disfigured. The outward appearance of someone should not make society look down upon such people. Disadvantaged people may only be physically disabled but somewhere within store great talent such as excellent intellectual strength. These characters are just a representation of what society has been like over several years and its attitude towards disabled people. To those physically impaired, they should learn that it is possible that they have some wonderful talent lying deep down inside them. Loved ones, friends and family should see to it that such people get a chance to express themselves freely and feel part of the society at large. References Bibby, M. Goodlad, L. M. E. Goth: Undead Subculture. Duke University Press: United States, 2007. Print. Shelley, M. W. Frankenstein, Or, The Modern Prometheus. Running Press: United States, 1997. Print. Drimmer, F. The Elephant Man. Garrett County Press: Chicago, 2011. Read More