5 On the Face of It 12
On the Face of It
By Susan Hill
About the author
Susan Hill was an
English author of fiction and non-fiction works. She was born on February 5,
1942 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. She attended Scarborough Convent School,
where she became interested in theatre and literature. Her family left
Scarborough in 1958 and moved to Coventry where her father worked in car and
aircraft factories. Hill states that she attended a girls’ grammar school,
Barr’s Hill. At Barrs Hill, she took A levels in English, French, History, and
Latin, proceeding to an English degree at King’s College London. By this time,
she had already written her first novel, The Enclosure, which was published by
Hutchinson in her first year at the university. The novel was criticized by The
Daily Mail for its sexual content, with the suggestion that writing in this
style was unsuitable for a “schoolgirl”.
In 1975, she married
Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells, and they moved to Stratford upon Avon. Their
first daughter, author Jessica Ruston, was born in 1977, and their second
daughter, Clemency, was born in 1985. A middle daughter, Imogen, was born
prematurely, and died at the age of four weeks. In 2013 it was reported that
she had left her husband and moved in with Barbara Machin, creator of Waking
the Dead, who is adapting Hill’s crime fiction series Serrailler for ITV. Hill
has recently founded her own publishing company, Long Barn Books, which has
published one work of fiction.
Characters
1. Derry: a
boy of 14 with a burnt face, looks ugly, loner, pessimistic, suffered from
severe negative complexes, anger and frustration, withdrawn and introverted,
low confidence, indulged in self-pity, suspicious of the intent of others
2. Mr. Lamb:
an Old man with a tin leg, lonely, craved for company and acceptance, jovial,
optimistic, lover of nature, social, outgoing, tolerant, helpful, sensitive,
independent, didn’t mind children calling him Lamey Lamb or picking the Crab
apples.
3. Derry’s mother
Introduction
The play depicts a
unique bond between a fourteen-year-old boy Derry and an old man Mr. Lamb. Both
of them are physically impaired. Derry’s one side of the face is burnt with
acid whereas Mr. Lamb has got a tin leg because his real leg was blown off in war.
Derry is withdrawn and he does not like being near people. He feels odd when
they stare and when he sees them being afraid of him. Mr. Lamb tells him that
being secluded is not a solution to his problem. Mr. Lamb makes Derry aware of
the reality of life and encourages him in every way how he can cope with his
impairment in the best possible manner. Thus Mr. Lamb strikes up a friendship
with Derry. Derry is keen to help him though his mother persuades him not to go
back to his garden. Derry goes there but finds the old man fallen on the ground
dead.
Title of the story
On the Face of it is
an informal expression used to say that something seems to be good but this
opinion may need to be changed when you know more about it. An individual may
be quite different from what we think of him or what he or she may apparently
appear to be at first glance. There is the imperative need for us to view
others by removing our glasses of prejudice, hatred, hearsay and dislike.
On the face of it, Mr.
Lamb appears to be mysterious, lonely, lame old fellow who lives in a big
garden, but in reality he is very kind, generous, loving and altruistic.
Similarly, although Derry has an ugly looking scary face, he is fine lad of
fourteen with a deep longing for love. There is nothing wrong with Mr. Lamb and
Derek. What is wrong is the way people in their lives and around them view and
treat them.
Theme
People who suffer from
disabilities must always look at the bright side of things and adapt reality of
life bravely. At the same time the actual pain or inconvenience caused by a
physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the
person. The disabled need support and acceptance and not our pity. The title
‘On the Face of it’ is used to mean that something seems to be good and true
but that needs to be changed when you know more about it.
Appearances are
deceptive and most often, we go on dealing with impressions and prejudices
about other without caring to know about them actually. People know Mr. Lamb as
a lonely eccentric lame old man but in reality he is a very kind and generous
man who longs for company and he loves his fellow human beings along with all
the other creations of God. Similarly Derek appears to be an abominable ugly
boy with a huge scar on his face whom no one loves or likes or befriends. He is
the object of other people’s hateful stares ridicules and neglect. Even his
mother does not dare to kiss him on the cheek with the scar. Yet this boy who
is suffering from an acute inferiority complex has a tender and sensitive
heart. He wants to love and be loved. Fortunately he meets Mr. Lamb who
transforms him with his healing touch.
Summary
This play deals with
the problem of the disabled people and depicts that merely the encouraging
words may change our tensed feelings. It is for us to see and understand life
in every organism. It does not matter what we look like but it matters how we
can uplift a disabled man. It is not the actual pain or inconvenience caused by
a physical impairment that troubles a disabled man but the behaviour of the
people around him. People discard him as a useless limb and refuse to accept
him in the mainstream of life. So he feels alienated from the society and wants
to live in seclusion. In a way Derry suffers from inferiority complex. Mr. Lamb
motivates him to think positively about life, people and things.
It is a fine day and
Mr. Lamb is in his garden. He is an old man with a tin leg. He leads a lonely
life and is always ready to accept any visitor who comes in his garden. One day
Derry, a young boy of fourteen sneaks into Mr. Lamb’s garden. He has a burnt
face with acid so he looks very ugly. He has become defiant and withdrawn due
to his disfigured face. He does not want to face the world with his ugly and
disfigured face. Derry climbs over the wall and cautiously walks through the
long grass. He is quite close to Lamb. He is sacred when Lamb speaks to
him. Lamb asks him to tread carefully because the long grass is littered with
wild apples dropped by wind. Derry is utterly confused as he has come there
considering the place empty. Having been detected by Lamb, Derry panicks and
wants to go. Lamb asks him not to leave as he does not mind anybody’s coming
into his garden. He keeps the gate always open. He advises to enter through the
gate rather than by climbing over the garden wall. Lamb tells that all who come
to his garden, are welcome. But Derry says that he has not come to steal but he
wants only to come into garden. He rather tells Derry not to afraid of anything
but Derry points out that the people are afraid of him because of his ugly and
disfigured face. Derry adds that he is afraid of himself when he sees his face
in the mirror.
Lamb tries to console
him. He asks him to face the harsh realities of life bravely. He tries to
divert the views of Derry from his burnt face to the fruits in the garden, but
Derry keeps on talking about his ugly face. Lamb tries to make him understand
that it is the inner beauty of a person that matters, not his outer beauty.
Derry does not agree with it. He tells lamb that it is important to be handsome
from outside also. He says that even his mot
her kisses him on the other side of his face. He says that he has to spend
whole of his life with his half face. Mr. Lamb points out that there is no
difference between a flower plant and a weed since both are living and growing
plants. Derry remarks that Mr. Lamb can put on trousers and cover up his
tin-leg. Then Mr. Lamb reminds Derry of a fairy tale of Beauty and The Beast in
which the princess kisses the Beast who in turn changes into a handsome prince.
This makes Derry understand that ugliness is only skin deep. A man is not what
he looks like but what he really is. Handsome is that handsome does. This story
is to inspire Derry and he should not care for his burnt face. But Derry tells
that people stare at his face and they are afraid of him.
Derry tells Lamb that
women talk of his ugly face. They say that none will kiss except his mother.
Mr. Lamb tells him that he must have heard so many other things also. The best
thing is to keep his ears shut and need not pay attention to such talks. Mr. Lamb
talks about the bees in his garden. Some people like their buzzing while others
hate. But Lamb calls it a sweet music. It is only the difference of attitude.
Derry tells that
people stare at his face so he avoids them. But Mr. Lamb tells that keeping alone
is not a fine thing. He tells a story about a man who was always afraid of
being run over or getting infected or meeting with some accident. So he locked
himself in a room. There a picture fell on his head and killed him.
Derry says that his
family often talks about him downstairs when he is not there. They are worried
to think what is going to happen to him when they are gone and how he will get
on in this world. Mr. Lamb does not agree with him. Lamb encourages him that he
has got two arms, legs, eyes, ears, a tongue and a brain. He can achieve
whatever he likes. He can be better than others. He tells Derry that he has got
a full body. He can do anything like other people or may do better than others.
He asks Lamb several
questions to know more about him. Mr. Lamb says that he sits in the sun and
reads the books. He likes the windows open to hear the wind. Lambs tells that
he has a lot of friends everywhere. Everybody who comes in his garden is his
friend. Derry wonders how a person can be his friend about whom he knows
nothing. Derry says that there are some people he hates. But Lamb remarks that
hatred would do him more harm than any bottle of acid. Acid only burns our face
or so but hatred can burn us away inside.
Lamb asks him to be a
friend. Derry asks how they can be friends only in one meeting. But Lamb tells
him that he can come there at any time even if he is out. Derry thinks to help
him. He tells Lamb that with one leg he can fall off a ladder and die. Derry
offers to help him but he wants to inform his mother where he is since she will
be worried. Lamb doubts if he would come back. Derry assures him to return but
Lamb says to himself that people never come back though they say that they will
come back.
Derry goes back to his
house and tells everything to his mother. Derry says that he wants to go there,
sit and listen to things and look. Nobody else has ever said the things the old
man has said. His mother stops him from going to the old man’s house. She tells
that she has heard strange stories about the old man. She urges him not to go
there again. Derry insists that he must go there otherwise he will never go
anywhere in this world. In spite of his mother’s strong resistance, Derry slams
the door and runs away to help Lamb in collecting crab apples.
In the meantime Mr.
Lamb climbs on the ladder for the apples. The ladder falls back and Mr. Lamb is
killed. Derry opens the gate and says excitedly that he has come back. Suddenly
he catches sight of Mr. Lamb. He runs through the long grass and says, “I came
back Lamey-Lamb. I did come back.” But there is no response. Derry kneels by
him and weeps and realizes that he has lost his only friend in this world.
Main Points
1. Derry was a
teenager, highly pessimistic and withdrawn from the mainstream society.
2. He developed this
attitude after one side of his face was disfigured by acid. He avoided company
of others and remained lonely lest he be noticed by other people.
3. He believed that no
one loved him and his mother loved him because she was supposed to.
4. Once he heard two
women commenting about his monstrous appearance. They said only a mother
could love a face like his.
5. On another day
Derry heard his parents conversing that he would not survive after their death
because he was deformed.
6. The shock he
received from these words was big.
7. On another occasion
Derry heard his relatives saying that in their opinion a deformed boy like
Derry could accommodate himself with other deformed boys and girls. Derry had
his ears always open for such comments and used to respond to them in his
silent way.
8. He concluded that
the world altogether didn’t need a boy like him.
9. One day Derry
accidently met a man called Mr. Lamb.
10. Mr. Lamb was an
old man with a lame leg. After he became lame, Mr. Lamb began to develop a
positive attitude with his deformity.
11. He worked hard to
defeat this impairment and learnt to walk and climb ladders. He was happy to be
alive and ignored his lameness.
12. He made everyone
his friend and had a house with no curtains and open doors. He welcomed anyone
who came to him.
13. While Mr. Lamb
took his impairment as a challenge and tried to overcome it, Derry believed
that he was unwanted and lost. His pain was physical and mental. Being a child
he was not as strong as Mr. Lamb about suffering.
14. He couldn’t take
the sneering and sympathizing world as taken by Mr. Lamb. Mr. Lamb was able to
sit smart and unaffected as long as he wore trousers and sat but Derry had no
way to hide his face.
15. After meeting Mr.
Lamb Derry realized how foolish he had been to believe his parents.
16. For him Lamb was a
man who opened the doors of his closed world in an hour’s time the same of
which were shut on him by his parents and therefore believed that his company
with Lamb would make him a perfect person.
17. At the end Derry
goes back to his house where his mother cross questioned him. She had
instructed him not to step out of the house.
18. Derry tried to
convince his mother that Mr. Lamb was an extremely good man but she was not
ready to listen.
19. Ignoring his
mother’s thoughtless restrictions, Derry left his home and ran to Mr. Lamb’s
garden.
20. On reaching, Derry
found a motionless Mr. Lamb fallen from the ladder. He had fallen while pulling
the crab apples down from the tree.
Short Answer Type Questions
Q1Who is Mr. Lamb? How does Derry get into his garden?
Ans:
Mr. Lamb is an old man who lives alone
in a big house with a beautiful garden. He has lost one of his legs in a war
and now uses a tin (metal) leg. He is a kind and friendly person who loves
nature and likes to sit in his garden, enjoying the sounds of birds and bees.
Q2. What is the attitude of Mr. Lamb towards the small boy who
comes to his garden?
Ans:
Mr. Lamb is kind, gentle, and friendly
towards Derry, the small boy who enters his garden. He doesn’t get angry or
chase him away. Instead, like a caring elder, he warns Derry about the fallen
apples so he doesn’t trip. He speaks calmly and makes Derry feel safe and
welcome.
Q3. What is it that draws Derry towards Mr. Lamb in spite of
himself?
Ans:Mr. Lamb is wise, kind, and full
of positive thoughts. He doesn’t judge Derry by his burnt face or ask him about
it. Instead, he talks to him like a normal boy, making him feel accepted. Mr.
Lamb listens to him patiently and encourages him to look at life in a new way.
This kind and open attitude draws Derry towards him.
Q4. “I’m not afraid. People are afraid of me,” says Derry. What
do people think on seeing his face? How do they react then?
Ans:When people see Derry’s burnt
face, they feel shocked or scared. They often call him a “poor boy” and say
that his face is horrible or ugly. Some even try to avoid looking at him. These
reactions hurt Derry and make him feel unwanted and lonely.
Q5. How does Mr. Lamb change the subject from Derry’s ugly face
to ripe apples?
Ans: When the conversation becomes a
bit serious, Mr. Lamb gently changes the topic. He starts talking about picking
crab apples from his tree using a ladder and a stick. He says he will make
jelly from them, and he even calls the apples “magic fruit.” This change in
topic helps to lighten the mood and make Derry feel more relaxed.
Q6. What does Mr. Lamb tell about himself?
Ans. Lamb tells that
he is old and has a tin leg. Children tease him calling Lamey-Lamb but still
they come to his garden. They are not afraid of him because he is not afraid of
them. He is never bothered about his old age or tin leg as life has many more
things to offer.
Q7. "It’s all relative, beauty and beast." Justify the
statement.
Ans:
Mr. Lamb says that people see things differently. What one
person finds beautiful, another might find ugly. It depends on how we look at
things. He gives the example of Beauty and the Beast — the princess loved the
Beast not for his looks but for his heart. Mr. Lamb tells Derry not to worry if
people stare — they’ll stop after a while. Beauty lies in the way we see.
Q8. How does Derry’s attitude change?
Ans: At first, Derry is negative, angry, and afraid because of his burnt face. He hides from people. But Mr. Lamb talks to him kindly and teaches him to accept life as it is. He gives Derry confidence and tells him not to care about what others think. This helps Derry to change and become more positive and brave.
Q9. Why do Mr. Lamb’s arguments fail to console Derry at first?
Ans:
Derry says no words can change how his face looks. He remembers
people saying cruel things about him, like “only a mother could love that
face.” These comments hurt him deeply, and that’s why Mr. Lamb’s kind words
don’t comfort him at first.
Q10. What peculiar things does Derry notice about Mr. Lamb?
Ans: Derry finds Mr. Lamb strange. He says unusual things and asks odd questions. His house has no curtains. He likes to hear the wind and doesn’t shut windows. He accepts both light and dark. These things surprise Derry.
Q11. How should people be judged?
Ans:
People should be judged by their actions, not by how they look.
Looks can be misleading. Even people with disabilities can do great things in
life if given support and acceptance.
Q12. “There’s plenty of other things to stare at.” What things
are worth staring at and why?
Ans: Mr. Lamb says people should look at
the beauty around them: crab apples, weeds, spiders climbing webs, sunflowers,
and more. These are beautiful, natural, and full of life. Instead of staring at
someone’s face, we should admire the wonders of the world.
Q13. How does Derry convince his mother to let him go back to
Mr. Lamb’s garden?
Ans: Derry tells his mother that Mr. Lamb
has a tin leg and lives in a big house without curtains. He says Mr. Lamb
speaks in a way that no one else does. He talks about important things — not
about Derry’s face but about life. Derry wants to go back and listen to him.
Q14. What makes Derry resolve to go to Mr. Lamb again?
Ans: Derry realizes that looks don’t
matter. What matters is what he feels, wants, and learns. If he doesn’t go now,
he knows he will never grow. So, he decides to go back and keep his promise to
Mr. Lamb.
Q15. Comment on the moral value of the play.
Ans: The play teaches us to accept people as they are, especially those with disabilities. It shows that everyone deserves love and respect. People should look at the good in others instead of judging by looks. With support and acceptance, the disabled can live with dignity and confidence.
Long Answer Type
Questions
Q1. What is the bond that unites Mr. Lamb and Derry? How does
Mr. Lamb inspire him?
Ans: Both Mr. Lamb and Derry are physically disabled. Mr. Lamb lost a leg in the war, and Derry has a burnt face from an acid accident. They are both judged by their looks, and this has made them feel lonely.
But Mr. Lamb is different — he doesn’t
let his disability control his life. He enjoys reading, gardening, watching
nature, and talking to people. He tells Derry that life is beautiful and full
of meaning if we look at it positively.
Mr. Lamb’s wisdom and kindness inspire
Derry to change his mindset. Derry learns that what he does in life matters more
than how he looks.
Q2. Compare and contrast the characters of Mr. Lamb and Derry.
Ans:
Similarities:
Both are physically disabled.
Both are lonely in some way.
Differences:
Mr. Lamb is old, calm, and positive.
He accepts life and finds joy in small things.
Derry is young, angry, and negative.
He hides from people and hates how they treat him.
Mr. Lamb tries to make friends and
keeps his garden gate open. Derry avoids people.
But after meeting Mr. Lamb, Derry
learns to see life differently. Mr. Lamb helps him break free from fear.
Q3. What impression do you form of Derry?
Ans:
Derry is a 14-year-old boy with a
burnt face. He feels that people hate him because of how he looks. He becomes
shy, angry, and scared. He avoids others and thinks he’ll never be loved.
But he is also thoughtful and
sensitive. He wants to understand the world better. Mr. Lamb helps him realize
that looks don’t matter. By the end, Derry becomes confident, brave, and ready
to live fully.
Q4. What impression do you form of Mr. Lamb?
Ans:
Mr. Lamb is a wise, kind, and cheerful
man. Though he lost a leg in the war, he doesn’t complain. He loves nature,
enjoys reading, and welcomes everyone.
He talks gently to Derry and never
makes him feel bad about his face. Instead, he encourages him to accept life
and move forward.
Even though he lives alone, he says he
has many friends. He is a source of inspiration for Derry and teaches us to
focus on ability, not disability.
Q5. How far do you find the ending of the play meaningful?
Ans:
The ending is both sad and powerful.
Mr. Lamb falls from a ladder while picking apples and may have died. When Derry
returns, he finds him lying still and cries, saying, “I came back.”
This moment shows Derry’s complete
change. He kept his promise and now truly values Mr. Lamb.
Though Mr. Lamb dies, he has passed
his wisdom to Derry, who will now live with courage. The ending gives a strong
message of growth, change, and hope.
Q6. Mr. Lamb displays signs of loneliness. How does he try to
overcome it?
Ans:Mr. Lamb lives alone but keeps himself
busy. He:
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