6.

On the Face of It
By Susan Hill
Introduction to the Chapter
The play is about the friendship between an old man and a young boy who is withdrawn and defiant. Both of
them had some physical impairment, but the outlook of each of them towards life in general and people in
particular was very different. The old man had a positive outlook towards life, whereas the young boy with
the scarred face had become withdrawn and pessimistic.
On The Face of It Theme
The play, “On the Face of It” brings out the idea that the people who have any handicap/physical
impairment of some kind, generally suffer from a sense of loneliness and mental pain. It also talks about
how appearances are deceptive and most often, we go on dealing with impressions and prejudices about
others without caring to know about them actually.
Main Characters in the Chapter
Derry
Withdrawn and defiant; bitter towards the world; lonely and pessimistic; cares too much about his disability
and hates it when people stare or pity him.
Mr Lamb
Optimistic; lonely but happy; does not care too much about his disability and has learnt to accept it.
Summary
The play is about the friendship between an old man, Mr Lamb, and a young boy, Derry, who is withdrawn
and defiant. The child is very disturbed because of his scarred face and feels that people do not want to
associate with him. He drifts into Mr Lamb’s garden which looks very inviting but Derry panics when he
meets the old man. The latter tries to make him feel at ease and advises him to accept life as it comes. Mr
Lamb’s philosophy is to celebrate life in all its forms. To him, the difference is a part of life — a flower and
a weed are the same, both signs of life, of growth. Having an artificial or a ‘tin leg’, he has had to cope with
the cruelty of others but has taken it in his stride. He has a positive and optimistic attitude to life. He tells
Derry to live life to the full and to avoid bitterness which can be more destructive than the acid that
destroyed his face. He advises Derry to accept life without any pre-conceived notions. The power of
choosing what one wants lies in one’s hands. Derry is extremely sensitive about his scarred face and has a
fixed opinion that he is repulsive and ugly. He locks himself in a world of his own and avoids contact with
others. But inspite of his attitude, he is moved by the old man’s spirit. This is evident from the fact that he
defies his mother and returns to the garden, though sadly a little too late. Derry’s face is scarred while Mr
Lamb’s leg is an artificial one, a tin leg’ as he calls it. Both have to cope with the cruelty of others. While
Derry withdraws into his shell, Mr Lamb takes it into his stride. One gets glimpses of the loneliness the old
man faces in spite of his outward bravado in the scene when he talks to the bees. From Derry’s point of view
also it is sad that when he finally makes an effort to come out of his shell, he is confronted by the loss of the
only person who had befriended him.
Short Answer Type Questions
Q1. Who is Mr. Lamb? How does Derry get into his garden?
Ans. Mr. Lamb is an old man who has lost his leg in the war. He lives by himself in a big house, tending to
his apples and enjoying his garden. Derry does not know that the gate of the house is wide open, and climbs
over the wall into Mr. Lamb’s garden hoping for some solitude.
Q2. What is the attitude of Mr. Lamb to the small boy who comes to his garden?
Ans. Mr. Lamb’s attitude to the small boy is quite gentle, protective and accommodating. Like an elder in
the family, Mr. Lamb advises the young boy to mind the apples lest he should trip and not to feel afraid.
Q3. What is it that draws Derry towards Mr. Lamb in spite of himself?

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Ans. Mr. Lamb is a good inspirer, a motivator and a patient listener. He holds a positive attitude to life. On
seeing Derry he neither asks anything about his face nor does he look disgusted rather he makes Derry feel
comfortable with his burnt face. He instills confidence in Derry. He wants him to understand the world and
see the difference by watching and listening. Due to these qualities, Derry is drawn towards Lamb.
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. People think that it is the ugliest thing they have ever seen. They call him a poor boy as one side of his
face has been burnt by acid. Some of them are afraid of his ugly and horrible face.
Q5. How does Mr. Lamb change the subject from ugly face to ripe apples?
Ans. There is a momentary pause in the conversation. Then Mr. Lamb changes the subject. He says that
when it is a bit cooler, he will get the ladder and a stick. Then he will pull down those ripe crab apples. He
makes jelly. He calls these orange coloured and golden apples magic fruit. September is a good time to make
jelly. He tells the boy that he could help him.
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 means to say that different people have different view points to look at the same thing. Some
find one thing beautiful, others find it ugly. It all depends on outlook and attitude. It is, therefore, important
to adopt a positive attitude towards everything just like the Princess Beauty who loved the monstrous Beast
in the fairy tale. Mr. Lamb tells Derry there are plenty of things to stare at and if people look at their
handicap they should not mind, as they will be tired of soon. Beauty or ugly depends upon individual’s
perceptions.
Q8. How does Derry’s attitude change?
Ans. Due to his burnt face Derry had withdrawing attitude. He curses his handicap and is afraid of people’s
stare at him. But Lamb changed his attitude. Lamb instilled courage in him to live life as it is. He cited his
own example. Children call him Lamey Lamb but he does not mind. He has a tin leg but that does not stop
him from making friends.
Q9. Why do these arguments fail to console Derry?
Ans. Derry says all these consolations will not make his face change. He feels more hurt and pained by the
comments of persons or what he overhears. Once he heard a woman in the street whispering to another,
“Look at that, that’s a terrible things. That’s a face only a mother could love.” Derry calls it cruel of them.
Q10. What peculiar things does Derry notice about the old man?
Ans. Derry thinks that the old man is peculiar. He says peculiar things. He asks questions which Derry does
not understand. There are no curtains at the windows in his house. He likes the light and darkness and hears
the wind with the windows open.
Q11. How should people be judged?
Ans. People should not be judged by what they look like. They must be judged by their actions.
Appearances may be deceptive. On the other hand, people with physical impairments overcome their
disabilities and perform wonderful feats in different spheres.
Q12. “There’s plenty of other things to stare at.” Which ‘things’ are worth staring at and why?
Ans. According to the old man there are plenty of things to stare at. These include crab apples or the weeds
or a spider climbing up a silken ladder, or his tall sun-flowers. All of them are beautiful and growing. Derry
is surprised at the mention of ‘things’. Mr. Lamb tries to convince him that it is all relative. Then he
mentions ‘Beauty and the Beast’.
Q13. How does Derry convince his mother for going to the old man’s garden?

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Ans. Derry says that the old man has a tin leg. He lives in a huge house without curtains. He has a garden.
Derry wants to be there and listen to things that matter. Things nobody else has ever said. Things he wants to
think about. They are not about his face and how he looks.
Q14. What makes Derry resolve to go to the old man?
Ans. He no longer cares about his face and looks. He is more concerned with what he thinks and feels, what
he wants to see and find out and hear. He knows that if he does not go back there, he will never go anywhere
in that world again.
Q15. Comment on the moral value of the play.
Ans. The moral of the play is very loud and clear. The physically disabled should focus on the brighter side
of life and not to brood over the shortcomings. The society should accept them as they are and expand their
social interactions. In this way they can fight out the loneliness, depression and disappointment.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q1. What is the bond that unites the two—Mr. Lamb and Derry? How does the old man inspire the
small boy?
Ans. It is the bond of physical impairment that unites old Mr. Lamb and the small boy, Derry. He got his leg
blown off during the war and since then he has a tin leg. Derry got one side of his face burnt by acid. Their
respective disabilities have not only caused pain and suffering to the body but to their mind and soul as well.
They have to live with their physical impairment. Mr. Lamb has adjusted himself to the ways of the world
and stopped bothering about what people call him. He keeps himself busy in meaningful activities like
picking apples, making jelly, bee-keeping and preparing toffee from honey. He loves reading books, hearing
music, observing beautiful things and thinking about them. He inspires the small boy by saying that he has
all the God-given organs intact. He has to decide what to do. He must work for it and then he can outshine
even the others. Derry admits that ‘Handsome is he as handsome does.’ For him his face or how he looks
does not matter now.
Q2. Compare and contrast the characters of Mr. Lamb and Derry.
Ans. Both Mr. Lamb and the young boy Derry have one thing in common—their physical impairment. Both
are victims of these disabilities after birth. The leg of Mr. Lamb was blown off during the war. Derry’s face
was burnt by acid. One side of his face looked very ugly and frightful.
Apart from this, they have nothing in common. Mr. Lamb is old; Derry is a young boy of fourteen. Mr.
Lamb enjoys company and wants to talk. Derry is very withdrawn and defiant. He does not want to come in
contact with people.
Mr. Lamb does not bother about his lameness. He has developed love for reading books, hearing music,
seeing beautiful things and thinking about them. He is calm and patient. He asks peculiar questions. He
forces Derry to see that actions are more important than mere looks. In spite of his lameness he picks apples,
makes jelly, maintains a beehive and makes toffees from honey. The gate of his garden is always open.
Derry develops a new vision of life under his guidance.
Q3. What impression do you form of Derry?
Ans. Derry is a fourteen year old boy who is very withdrawn and defiant. One side of his face has been
burnt by acid and it looks very ugly and frightful. This incident has made him a victim of inferiority
complex. He is highly sensitive to what others say about him. Their anxiety, concern, fear and revulsion
pains him most.
Derry is quite intelligent. When Mr. Lamb mentions the story ‘Beauty and the Beast’, Derry at once comes
out with its moral: ‘Handsome is as handsome does.’ He, however, evokes self-pity by saying, “I won’t
change... and no one’ll kiss me ever.”
Derry is sensitive to the sufferings of others. He arouses sympathy for himself by making enquiries about the
old man’s leg, pain and how he passes his life alone. Derry has the capacity to learn. He is impressed by the
old man’s way of life in spite of physical handicap. In the end, he does not bother about his face or looks and
wants to see, hear, learn and think and do what no one else has done.
Q4. What impression do you form about Mr. Lamb?

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Ans. Mr. Lamb is the protagonist in the play. He dominates the play from beginning to end. He impresses us
as a sensitive, watchful, kind, considerate and sympathetic person. He is quite gentle, accommodating and
protective. He is more concerned about the boy’s well-being than the apples.
He is a victim of alienation due to his physical impairment. Though he keeps his gates open and says he has
many friends, actually he lives alone and is quite miserable. He loves company and wants to talk. He shares
his thoughts even with the young boy.
Mr. Lamb is like a modern communicator and a psychologist who believes in drawing out the best of an
individual. His tactful handling and peculiar questions make Derry shed some of his firmly fixed notions and
respond to the things of the world around him. Thus he is a source of inspiration to Derry.
Q5. How far do you find the ending of the play quite effective and meaningful?
Ans. The ending is quite dramatic and stage worthy. Mr. Lamb, who has been picking apples, falls down
along with the ladder. As Derry reaches the garden, he finds Mr. Lamb lying on the ground. He kneels by
Lamb and cries that he has come back. He implores the old man to get up and talk. As the old man does not
respond, he begins to weep. Mr. Lamb is dead.
It is a pathetic ending, no doubt, but it does not spread gloom. It is like a soldier making an exit with the
satisfaction of mission accomplished. The old man has handed over his philosophy of life to Derry and
inspired him to find out what he wants to be. Thus, though the old man expires physically, his ideas inspire
Derry to pursue higher goals and achieve them. In this sense, the ending is quite effective and meaningful.
Q6. Mr. Lamb displays signs of loneliness and disappointment. What are the ways in which Mr. Lamb
tries to overcome these feelings?
Ans. Mr. Lamb displays signs of loneliness and disappointment and tries to overcome these feelings by
doing different things. He says that when it is a bit cooler, he will get the ladder and a stick, and pull down
those crab apples. He makes jelly. Derry could help him. Then he says he is interested in anybody or
anything that God made. It may be a person, flower, fruit, grass, weeds or rubbish. There are plenty of things
to look at. Some of them are his crab apples or the weeds or a spider climbing up a silken ladder or his tall
sun-flowers. He also likes to talk and have a company. He has a hive of bees. He hears them singing. He sits
in the sun and reads books. He likes the light and the darkness. He hears the wind coming through open
windows. There aren’t any curtains at the windows as they either shut things out or shut things in.

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