CBSE Class 12 English On the Face of It Notes Set B

About The Author

Susan Hill was born on February 5, 1942 in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England. She is a writer and a producer, known for ‘The Woman in Black’, ‘The Woman in Black 2 : Angel of Death’. She is a novelist, playwright and a publisher. She wrote her first novel, ‘The Enclosure’ at the age of 15. She won the Somerset Maughan Award and the Whitbread Award for her novels.

Summary

Derry was a pessimist teenager, who was withdrawn from the mainstream society. He developed this attitude after one side of his face was disfigured by acid. He avoided company of others and remained lonely so that he is not noticed by other people. He believed that no one loved him. His mother, he thought, loved him out of compulsion. His ugliness invites the curiosity of some, the pity of others and disgust of many. He is often subjected to stares of people who are either scared of his ugly face or disgusted by it. His family too, during discussions expressed their concern for his future. This made him withdraw and he is locked in his own world. He developed bitterness and self-pity. He also heard rude remarks from insensitive people who went to the extent of saying that he should have been put in a hospital where he would have met people of the same kind. His self confidence was shattered. He used to stay away from the people. One day in order to find some solace he walks in slowly and cautiously to Mr. Lamb’s garden. Mr. Lamb’s voice offering him apples startled him. Mr. Lamb tried to reassure him and also cautioned him to save himself from the fallen apples otherwise it may cause him to trip. Derry gets scared and told him that he was not expecting anyone to be there. Mr. Lamb reassured him and welcomed him to the garden. He said that he saw Derry had climbed the wall even though the gates were open. Derry got angry and said he did not come to steal anything. Mr. Lamb reassured him that young boys steal the apples and Derry was not so young. He should not be scared. Derry said people are scared of him because of his ugly face.

Mr. Lamb said that he would get the ladder, pluck apples and make some jelly. This makes Derry think that even Mr. Lamb is trying to avoid the conversation like others. He asked Mr. Lamb if he was not interested in knowing about what happened to his face. To this Mr. Lamb replied that he was interested in everything God has made and outer beauty or physical appearance is inconsequential. He respected each creation’s individuality. Just as Mr. Lamb was old and Derry was young, Derry burned his face and Mr. Lamb had a tin leg. Derry asked him about his leg and he told it was blown off years back. Children used to call him ‘Lamey- Lamb’. But soon everybody got tired of teasing him. He asks Derry to adopt the same attitude. Derry is however filled with bitterness against the world even his mother. He said his mother kisses him on the other side of his face not the burnt side. Mr. Lamb advises him to look at the bright side of the life and the beautiful things of the world. Derry then discusses that he heard two women talking and they were discussing about his face. Mr. Lamb explains to him that he should not listen to everything said by others and concentrate on good things in life. He must think about people who are worse off than him.

Mr. Lamb is reminded of his hive of bees that he has to tend to. Some people feel that bees buzz, but he feels bees sing. It is an individual’s perception and the way we look at things. So it is the attitude that shapes the man. During their conversation Derry said that he does not like coming near people as he feels they are scared of him. Mr. Lamb then narrated a story to Derry. There was a man who was very timid. He locked himself in a room as he thought that if he moves out he may meet a fatal accident. But one day a picture that was put on the wall of the room fell on his head and he died. Mr. Lamb tried to explain Derry through this story that everyone is destined for certain things or events. Derry laughs at his story and this becomes the beginning of change.

Mr. Lamb tells Derry that he does not like curtains as that closes the things and the light entering. Even Derry says he likes the sound of the rain. Derry demonstrates his sensitive side which his bitterness curtailed. He did not like the sympathetic attitude of his family towards him. They were way too concerned for him. Mr. Lamb said he can do whatever he aims for. In fact he could do better than others. Mr. Lamb encourages Derry. He said that he considers Derry to be his friend and explains him the significance of people, saying, “people are never just nothing”. He asked Derry to love everyone as hatred can be more humiliating and dangerous than acid.

Derry somehow gets concerned for Mr. Lamb. He asked if Mr. Lamb would climb the ladder to pick up crab apples, What if he falls down. He may die in that case if nobody is there. Mr. Lamb believed in destiny and he reaffirmed by saying that he could. Derry gets worried of getting late and wishes to go home. Lamb says that people worry. Mr. Lamb now understands how Derry had confined himself. So he challenges Derry. He said that he was sure that Derry would never come back to meet him again. He only wanted Derry to break all barriers, insecurities, complexes that were becoming hindrance to his growth.

This conversation infused the spirit of overcoming the challenges in Derry. He goes back home and tells his mother that he is going back to Mr. Lamb. But this time his will was very strong. In spite of his mother’s objection he goes back to Mr. Lamb only to find him unconscious/dead. Mr. Lamb had fallen from the ladder and did not respond to his voice. Seeing him in this state Derry begins to cry.

The play “On the Face of It” brings out the idea that people who have a handicap/physical impairment of some kind generally suffer from a sense of loneliness and mental pain.
Derry climbs the wall of Lamb’s Garden and enters it. He thinks that the garden is uninhabited. He is surprised to find Lamb there. The behavior of Lamb surprises him because he does not show interest in his half burnt face. He draws Lamb’s attention towards his face. He tells him that his face is ugly and horrible. Nobody likes him. The people show signs of fear when they look at his face and avoid his presence. They call him a poor boy because one side of his face is burnt. Even his mother kisses him on the right side of his face.
Lamb draws Derry’s attention towards his garden. He tells him that he has a tin leg. He lost his leg in the war. The children call him ‘Lamey-Lamb’. He tells him peculiar things. He tells him that he lives in the house alone without curtains. He does not want to shut out the world. The buzzing of bees is singing for him. He loves reading, picking crab apples and making toffees for children.
He tells Derry that the people have other things to do and see rather than looking at him. The bitterness and hatred he has inside him could be more damaging than the acid that burnt his face or the bomb that blew up his leg. He tells him that he should look at all those people who are in pain but never complain or cry. He should think about those who are worse than him.
The positive attitude of lamb, his kindness and his ability to do things himself without any help impresses him. He promises him to come back. Although his mother stops him yet he goes to meet lamb. Lamb falls down from the ladder. Derry finds Lamb lying on the grass. In this way we find that Lamb teaches Derry the art of discovering beauty and leading happy life.

Some important points to remember:
- The play depicts beautifully yet grimly the sad world of the physically impaired.
- It is not the actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment that troubles a disabled man but the attitude of the people around him.
- Two physically impaired people, Mr. Lamb with a tin leg and Derry with a burnt face, strike a bond of friendship.
- Derry is described as a young boy- shy, withdrawn and defiant.
- People tell him inspiring stories to console him; no one will ever kiss him except his mother and that too on the other side of his face.
- Overhears a woman telling another woman that only a mother can love such a face.
- Mr. Lamb revives the almost dead feelings of Derry towards life.
- He motivates him to think positively about life, changes his mind set about people and things.
- Everything appears to be the same but is different‐ eg. of bees and weeds
- The gate of the garden is always open.
- Derry is inspired and promises to come back.

About the Author
Susan Hill (Born: 5 February 1942 ) is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include The Woman in Black, The Mist in the Mirror and I’m the King of the Castle for which she received the Somerset Maugham Award in 1971.
She had to undergo tragedy early in life. In her semiautobiographical novel, ‘In The Springtime of the Year 1974’, she deals with loneliness and isolation as is experienced by Mr Lamb and Derek in the play, ‘On the Face of It’.

Theme
The play deals with the sense of loss, a sense of isolation and how to overcome it. The actual pain caused by a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person. The title ‘On the Face of it’ is used to mean that something seems to be good, true etc. 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 others without bothering to know them. 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.

Justification of the Title
“On the Face of It” is an informal expression used to say that what may seem good but this opinion may change when you know more about it.
This definition of the expression should leave us in no doubt about the appropriateness of the title. Mr Lamb is called Lamely Lamb and mothers were afraid of sending the children because of his tin leg. Derry has a burnt face and everyone pities him. Only a mother could love such a face.

Both Mr Lamb and Derry have been facing hatred and alienation. Mr Lamb takes comments lightly. But Derry does not have the attitude like Mr Lamb. Attitude of the people needs to be changed. On the face of it, both suffer from disability but their attitudes are very different. The title is therefore justified.

Message
The message woven into the plot of the play is that scars do not change a person and handicaps must be accepted by individuals and society with a burned face, Derry had to face discrimination, because of which he had turned pessimistic. He had started hating being around people and had concluded that everyone hated him too because of his face. Then Derry meets Mr Lamb, a person who looks at things with a “half full” perspective. He points out that how one green plant is considered desirable and how the other (weed) is undesirable and how the sound made by the bees may be noise to some and music to others.
He teaches Derry not to look at his burned face as a disability and try to overcome it just as Mr Lamb had dealt with his tin leg. The moral is very loud and clear that people who are physically disabled should not be isolated, we should help them expand their social interactions and help them fight loneliness, depression and disappointment. Mr Lamb tells Derry that it all depends upon people’s individual perceptions. A thing is a beauty for one while that beauty may be a beast for others.

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, 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 in spite 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.

Reasons for Mr Lamb’s positive influence on Derry
1. Mr Lamb himself was physically handicapped and had also been laughed at and rejected. It was easier for Derry to accept what he said.
2. His Attitude:
(i) Mr Lamb is not scared or repulsed by him.
He accepts him and treats him like a normal person.
(ii) He seems to understand Derry and his anguish and doesn’t pity him.
(iii) He does not lecture or moralise.
(iv) He has positive attitude towards everything. Even feeling that bees sing and do not buzz.
(v) The fact that he doesn’t get angry or put off by Derry’s rudeness and doesn’t force him to stay or listen to him.
3. His views, which are so different from those held by others:
(i) He lets him see he can lead a normal life, unlike Derry’s overprotective parents and others who have isolated him with their negative comments about his appearance.
(ii) He tells Derry he can have the world; that it is in his hands.
(iii) Makes him realise that handicaps are not an obstacle.
(iv) Tells him that all were similar and that there was no difference between him and others who were not handicapped. That beauty was relative.
(v) He also emphasizes that people cannot be grouped together on the basis of their impairments. Each person is different.
(vi) Lets him see that people are important and that you cannot reject them or be afraid of them for then they will do the same.
(vii) Makes him realize that you cannot just remember the bad things people say. That one should remember the good things.
(viii) Tells him that he feels everyone is a friend till proved otherwise.
(ix) The fact that he opens the world to him by telling him to just wait, watch and listen. He doesn’t expect him to do anything difficult.

Derry
1. Scared of meeting people as he hates seeing their fear of him and facing their rejection.
2. Very sensitive–people’s comments hurt him deeply.
3. Upset with parents’ overprotectiveness and mother’s revulsion with his face.
4. Defiant, rude as he is too scared to talk to people.
5. Negative about everything – sees everything in a bad light.
6. Indulges in self pity over his face.
7. Hates sympathy.
8. Hates the world and keeps away from it.
9. Inner deep desire to be accepted which he hides under an abrasive exterior.
10. Change in the end after listening to Mr Lamb.
Ready to face the world and overcome obstacles to do so. Finds courage and strength to get what he wants.

Mr Lamb
1. Very positive in his outlook. Sees beauty in everything, including weeds.
2. Doesn’t let his being handicap prevent him from living life to the fullest.
3. Very friendly, opened his doors to the world.
4. Sees world is important and that people are important.
5. Strong; doesn’t let people’s negative comments hurt him.
6. Practical; knows one’s life is in one’s own hands.
7. Understanding of Derry’s problems.

Things which hurt Derry
1. His mother kissing him on the good cheek and not the burnt one.
2. Parents talking of what he would do with his face after they died.
3. Parents’ overprotectiveness and making him feel he could not live a normal life.
4. Woman saying only a mother could love him.
5. Person saying he would be better off with people of his own kind.
6. People scared of him.

Meaning of Title
1. On the surface both Mr Lamb and Derry are similar as both are handicapped, but there are differences in their outlook on life.
2. Mr Lamb is positive about everything and remains happy. He likes people and lives a full life and does not think handicaps are obstacles.
3. But Derry is bitter, hurt at people’s comments, hates the world and isolates himself.