As some people are going to read the above mentioned book, (stage one -OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY) I would like to summarize it briefly.
The main character is called „The Elefant Man“ because he is so deformed and very different from normal people, or very elefantlike. He is ownded and abused for freakshows by a man who makes money by showing him to visitors. One day Dr Treves, who works at the nearby hospital, sees his picture displayed in a window. At first he is interested in him and would also like to take advantage of the handicapped, but then he feels disgusted and wants to see him. The dirty man in the shop, of course, wants some money before he lets Dr Treves see the creature behind the cloth. The doctor decides to help him and succeeds in taking the creature or Mr. Merrick to the hospital. There he is looked after, fed well and can read and write. He even entertains well-to-dos of society. Here is the trailer of the film by David Lynch.
It is a beautiful plot, even though it is sentimental, but how could the audience possibly not feel sorry for a man with such deformities.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS IN ENGLISH AND ITALIAN TO DOWNLOAD:the-elephant-man