"I Am A Man" Throughout the novel The Elephant Man by Christine Sparks, John Merrick's quest becomes evident. This quest is not only for John to attain the friendship of others, yet furthermore, for him to find a place in society where his horrid appearance will not cause people to gawk at him mercilessly. John wants to be normal and have others perceive him as the man that he is. Behind John's mask of ugliness, there is a virtuous, tender gentleman whom only a few people take the time to discover. John Merrick's quest for love and stability in his life is impeded by the English society's fascination with freaks, John's fear of what is unknown to him and the Victo