Ashley Montagu tells John Merrick"s unusual story in the book that studies human dignity, The Elephant Man. The Elephant Man, an intriguing book that captures the heart of the spirit, is the story of a simple, yet unfortunate, man. It causes one to think about life"s precious gifts and how often they are taken for granted. As the sad and unique story of John Merrick, "the elephant man," unfolds, all are taught a lesson about strength and courage. .

             When Sir Frederick Treeves first discovered John Merrick in 1884, he could only be described as, "a huddled mass of loneliness"(14). Merrick had a horrible disease called elephantiasis. This extreme misfortune caused Merrick to be lame and his appearance to be that of a monster. With his skull the size of his waist and large quantities of skin growing randomly all over his body, no one wanted to befriend John Merrick. Everywhere he went screams of horror and looks of disgust greeted him. As a young child, his mother passed away leaving him a homeless orphan. So, because of his hideous looks, being displayed as half-man and half-elephant at a freak-show became normal. His life consisted of torment and torture for the next twenty years of his life, until Sir Frederick Treeves asked him to come and be studied at the London hospital. Soon, Treeves arranged with the head of the hospital for Merrick to live in an extra room at the hospital. After twenty years of loneliness and disrespect, John Merrick finally had a place to call home. He began to ignore his monstrous looks and finally allowed himself to act like human with feelings. With the help of his new friend Frederick Treeves, he even attended plays and went for walks. He lived happily at the hospital for almost seven more years where compassionate people frequently visited him. Even people of royalty paid him visits. No matter how ill treated he may have been, no one ever heard John Merrick complain about his hideous looks or his horrible life.