On the face of it Introduction to the lesson
The story is about a teenage boy, Derry, who has a burnt face and Mr. Lamb who is a
disabled old man with an artificial leg made of tin. Derry accidently enters his garden so that
he can hide himself from people who hate him because of his ugly face. Mr. Lamb not only
welcomes him in his garden but also encourages him to lead a normal life, leaving behind
his past.
On the face of it Summary
The story begins with a teenage boy entering a garden. His face is burnt on one side due to
an accident when acid fell on half of his face. He has gone there to hide himself as he is
afraid of facing people. He fears being teased by others for having such a face. But when
he enters, he finds someone already present there. He tries to leave the place but he is
stopped by the old man, Mr. Lamb, the owner of the garden. Derry feels guilty for entering
the garden without permission. Mr. Lamb welcomes him and tells him not to leave just
because of his presence. Derry wants to leave as he thinks people don’t like his face and
moreover ,they get afraid of his looks. But Mr. Lamb insists him to stay there. They enter
into a conversation that how Derry is not liked by anyone and how he hates people
behaving like this with him. Mr. Lamb tries to console him. He tells him that he has a tin leg
and kids make fun of him. Still he is not depressed and enjoys his life. They both talk about
various things and this leads to revelation of Derry’s fear, depression and hatred about his
being in such condition. But Mr. Lamb keeps on telling him to think of the positive things.
Soon they become friends and Mr. Lamb asks him to help him in plucking the crab apples of
his garden. Derry tells him that he had come too far from his home and hadn’t told anything
about this to his mother. Mr. Lamb tells him to take permission from his mother. Derry finds
it difficult and this leads to a small quarrel between both of them. At last Derry tells him that
he would come back after taking his mother’s permission. His mother does not want him to
go back but he comes back again to fulfill his promise. Meanwhile Mr. Lamb climbs the
ladder on his own to pluck the crab apples as he was sure that Derry would not return. He
was disabled and it was difficult for him to climb. Mr. Lamb falls from his ladder and dies.
Derry, on the other hand, returns to the garden to help him. When he enters the garden, he
sees Mr. Lamb lying on the ground. Derry tries hard to make him move but did not get any
response from him. Finally he comes to know that he is dead and starts crying.
On the face of it Question and Answer
Q1- What is it that draws Derry towards Mr Lamb inspite of himself?
A1- Both Derry and Mr. Lamb are disabled. Derry has a burnt face and Mr. Lamb has a tin
leg. Derry is depressed because of his ugly face. People don’t like him or are afraid of him.
His parents also think that he will not be able to do anything after their death. Such things
have made him so sad and depressed that he has started to hate people. Mr. Lamb
discovers this about him while talking to him. He encourages him to lead a normal life and
suggests him to watch and listen to everything in order to enjoy life. He gives him his own
example that people tease him for his tin leg but he doesn't care about this. Such positive
things draw Derry towards Mr. Lamb.
Q2- In which section of the play does Mr Lamb display signs of loneliness and
disappointment? What are the ways in which Mr Lamb tries to overcome these feelings?
A3- In the middle part of the first scene, we observe that Mr. Lamb is lonely. He tells Derry
that when it is a bit cooler, he will get the ladder and a stick, and pull down those crab
apples. He makes jelly with them. Derry could help him. He also tells him that he is
interested in anybody or anything that God has created. It may be a person, flower, fruit,
grass, weeds or rubbish. He also tells him that he sits in the sun and reads books and that
he does not use curtains in his house because he wants to enjoy both light and darkness.
These all are the signs of his loneliness and also his ways of overcoming it.
Q3- The actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often much less
than the sense of alienation felt by the person with disabilities. What is the kind of behaviour
that the person expects from others?
A3- The story reveals the bitter truth of a life led by a disabled person. They not only suffer
physical pain but also suffer emotionally due to the absurd behavior of people. They are
teased and disliked by others. Derry has a burnt face and people don’t like him for being
ugly. Some get afraid of him which does not allow him to stay with them. On the other hand,
Mr. Lamb has a tin leg and is teased by kids as ‘Lamey Lamb’. He lives alone in his big
house and has no one in his life. Such instances show that the sense of alienation that
these people feel causes them constant pain. Such persons expect cooperation from
others. They do not want sympathy but just a reasonable behavior just like normal people
get from their counterparts.
Q4- Will Derry get back to his old seclusion or will Mr Lamb’s brief association effect a
change in the kind of life he will lead in the future?
A4- Derry will not get back to his old seclusion because Mr. Lamb had changed his way of
thinking. He told him that hating people and living alone is more harmful then what acid did
to him. He told him to take risk and face people. He also suggested that it’s just his face that
has disfigured. He has legs, arms, heart and brain and he could do whatever he wants to do
in his life. He also says that there are chances that Derry can achieve more than a normal
person can if he makes a firm determination to achieve something. This surely had a great
impact on him and this can be seen that he returned back to the garden though his mother
was not ready to let him go. He decided to face it and live without fear of being disliked by
anyone and therefore runs back to the garden in order to live those moments again which
he liked when he was in the company of Mr. Lamb.
