On The Face Of It By Susan Hill, Summary, Questions & Answers

Chapter :6

On The Face Of It                                                                           Susan Hill

SUMMARY The play features an old man and a small boy meeting in the former’s garden. The old man strikes up a friendship with the boy who is very withdrawn and defiant. The play is divided into three scenes and the first scene is longer than the other two scenes. It begins with Mr. Lamb’s garden. Derry whose real name is Derek, thinking that the garden is empty, enters it and is shocked by the sound of Mr. Lamb who asks him to mind the crab apples which were windfalls. Finding Mr. Lamb in the garden, Derry thinks of going away but Mr. Lamb engages him in a talk. Derry says that people are afraid of him; they think of him as ugly, terrible and poor. Mr. Lamb disagrees and changes the topic. He starts talking about apples that he makes jelly from them. This irritates Derry and he says that like others Mr. Lamb is also afraid of him. At this, Mr.Lamb asks about his face and Derry tells him that it was burnt by acid. Noticing his negative attitude, Mr. Lamb sets him on a different track of personality transformation. He shows Derry his garden and tells him that some call that garden a weed garden whereas there are all flowers, fruits, herbs and weeds in his garden. He tries to explain him the difference of perspective by citing the example of bees. He says,to some the sound of bees seems to be humming whereas to some it is buzzing. Derry tells Mr. Lamb that he has been told all the fairy stories but all that is useless to him as he won’t ever look different. Mr. Lamb tells him that he may not change but the world will change.Derry tells Mr. Lamb how people preach him and how they feel sorry for him. He says that he dislikes being near people. At this Mr. Lamb narrates the story of a man who locked himself up in a room and died, to suggest that avoiding a problem cannot be the solution. Mr. Lamb tells him that he loves things as they are that’s why there are no curtains at the windows. He likes both darkness and light. Derry tells Mr. Lamb that his parents are also concerned about him but Mr. Lamb gives him hope.

He counters Derry’s view that all the people with burned faces are same. He tells Derry that everything’s the same but everything is different. Derry asks Mr. Lamb about his friends and their names. Mr. Lamb tells him that he has a lot of friends but Derry doesn’t believe it and all the same now he likes Mr. Lamb. He runs out saying he’ll be back. In the second scene, he reaches home and tells his mother about Mr. Lamb, his garden, his house and his talks. But his mother doesn’t like the idea. She asks him to stay at home. But he disobeys his mother and runs out to Mr. Lamb’s garden. The third scene begins with Mr. Lamb trying to pick apples. The branches swishes back and forth and the ladder falls. Derry hurries to Mr. Lamb but Mr. Lamb dies.

Theme

The story teaches us that we should not take anything on the face value and should not pay much heed to what the world say, rather we should be optimistic. We should face the problems that come in our way and try to overcome them.

Setting

Most of the action takes place at Mr. Lamb’s garden. The Scene Two takes us to Derry’s house and in the Scene Three, he is back to Mr. Lamb’s garden.

Characters

i)        Mr. Lamb :    He is a lame person who has a big house and a garden. He lives by himself.                                           His leg was blown off in a war so now he has a tin leg. He is quite an                                                     optimistic person.

ii)         Derek  :           He is a boy of fourteen. He doesn’t like to be called Derek instead he likes to                                       Derry. He is quite a pessimistic boy.

iii)        Derek’s Mother :       She doesn’t want him to go back to Mr. Lamb’s house.

Main Points               

1)         One day, by chance, Derry enters Mr. Lamb’s garden, thinking that to be empty.

2.         Suddenly he hears Mr. Lamb’s  voice and is alarmed.

3.         He wants to go back but Mr. Lamb talks to him and makes him comfortable.

4.         Derry says that people are afraid of him and they think of him as poor.

5.         Mr. Lamb changes the topic and starts talking about apples which annoys Derry.

6.         Mr. Lamb asks Derry about his face and he tells him that it was burnt because of   acid.

7.         Mr. Lamb shows Derry his garden. He tells him that on one side there are weeds but on the                  other side there are flowers, fruits and herbs. But to him, it is all life, growing, the same thing.

8.         Mr. Lamb tells him that the difference of age and difference of appearance doesn’t matter.

9.         Derry asks Mr. Lamb about his tin leg. He feels Mr. Lamb has an advantage because he can                cover up is tin leg with trousers and thus can avoid stare.

10.       Mr. Lamb tells him that there are lots of beautiful things to stare at.

11.       Derry says that he knows all these things as people have told him everything. According to                  him, the beast was changed but he won’t change.

12.       Mr. Lamb tries to make him understand that he may not change but the world will.

13.       Derry tells Mr. Lamb how people tell him different things. People tell him of  those who are                in pain but never cry or complain they also speak of those who are worse off.

15.       Mr. Lamb tries to teach him the importance of perspective by telling him about bees. He says              that to some the sound of bees is buzzing which is irritable but to some it is humming which                is pleasant.

16.       When Derry tells Mr. Lamb that he doesn’t like being near people, Mr. Lamb quotes the story              of a man who was afraid of everything and so locked himself up in a room . But a picture fell              on his head and killed him.

17.       Mr. Lamb suggests that avoiding a problem is not the solution of the problem.

18.       Derry asks Mr. Lamb why he doesn’t have any curtains at the windows.

19.       Mr. Lamb tells him that he doesn’t like shutting things in and shutting things out. He likes the              light and darkness, the windows open and to hear the wind.

20.       Derry tells Mr. Lamb that after he was brought from the hospital, a woman said that he                        would be better off in the hospital with others like himself as there would be nobody to                        stare at.

21.       But Mr. Lamb tells him that similarity in appearance doesn’t mean that they are     same in                  their views and opinions and also outward similarity doesn’t mean that        they should be                  outwardly same as well.

22.       Mr. Lamb’s attitude towards life amazes Derry. He also wishes to have a house     and a                        garden like those of Mr. Lamb.

23.       Finally, he leaves Mr. Lamb’s garden saying that he would come back.

24.       When he reaches home, he tells his mother everything about Mr. Lamb.

25.       His mother scolds him and dissuades him from going to Mr. Lamb’s house.

26.       But, Derry, by now is completely transformed and runs out of his house to Mr. Lamb’s house.

27.       There he finds that Mr. Lamb has fallen from his ladder and is dead.

28.       Though Mr. Lamb is dead yet he changes Derry from a pessimistic boy to an optimistic boy.

GLOSSARY

Tentatively                              -           Provisionally, Temporarily

Scrump                                    -           Steal, Thieve

Monstrous                               -           Grotesque, Devilish

Daft                                         -           Crazy, Foolish

Dribble                                    -           Trickle, Drivel

Peculiar                                   -           Strange, Unusual

Trespassing                              -           Intrusion, Encroaching

Fuss                                         -           Worry, Bother

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1.         What, according to Derry, people thought of him?

Ans:    According to Derry, people thought of him as poor boy having a terrible face; the ugliest thing that they had ever seen.

2.         What does Mr. Lamb do with the apples?

Ans:    Mr. Lamb picks the apples in the month of September when it is bit cooler and when they are ripe. He makes jelly out of them.

3.         Why does Mr. Lamb have no curtains at the windows?

Ans:    Mr. Lamb doesn’t have any curtains at the windows because he doesn’t like shutting things in and shutting things out. He likes the light and darkness; the windows open and to hear the wind.

4.         Why does Mr. Lamb narrate the story of the man who locks himself up in a room?

Ans:   Mr. Lamb wants to show him that avoiding a problem can never be the solution. Avoiding makes one more vulnerable to difficulties. Therefore, instead of avoiding a problem if one faces it with courage and determination, life can be more beautiful. One cannot escape problems. They are a part of life so we must learn how to deal with them.

5.         “Everything is the same, everything is different.” Explain.

Ans:    Mr. Lamb here means to say that similarity and dissimilarity is the law of nature. It is bound to be there in this world. There are people who seem to be similar outwardly but inwardly they are totally different. In the same way there are people with similar opinions and likings but they are outwardly different.

6.         What does Mr. Lamb mean by bees buzzing and humming?

Ans:    Mr. Lamb tries to elaborate the difference of perspective through bees. He says that to some the sound of bees appears to be buzzing which is irritable whereas to some it seems to be humming which is pleasant. It depends upon how we perceive a thing.

7.         What is it that draws Derry towards Mr. Lamb in spite of himself?

Ans:    Mr. Lamb is quite an optimist. Though he is a handicap yet he takes life with open arms. He is alone but he has no regrets about it. He knows how to be happy and is brave enough      to face the world. All these qualities of Mr. Lamb draw Derry towards Mr. Lamb.

8.         Will Derry get back to his old seclusion or will Mr. Lamb’s association effect a change in the kind of life he will lead in the future?

Ans:    No, Derry will not go back to his old seclusion. The brief association with Mr. Lamb has transformed him completely. His pessimism has given way to optimism. He is ready to face the world as he leaves his house even after his mother’s opposition.

9.         What made Mr. Lamb feel that Derry was not lost altogether?

Ans:    Though Derry was all complaining about his life and people yet after spending some time with Mr. Lamb, he brought his heart out and said that he liked the spattering of rain onthe roof. This made Mr. Lamb feel that Derry was not lost altogether.

10.       How is hatred more harmful than the bottle of acid?

Ans:    The bottle of acid harms only outwardly. It can distort one’s appearance but not one’s heart whereas hatred makes one prejudiced. People with hatred in their heart cannot be unbiased.

11.       How can the ending of “On The Face Of It” be interpreted?

Ans:    Mr. Lamb dies in the end of the play but before dying he transforms Derry. He makes his life meaningful in that way. There is nothing more important than giving hope and life to somebody and Mr. Lamb does the job successfully. It can also be supposed that Derry        will carry on the legacy received from Mr. Lamb.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTION

1.         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 behavior that the person expects from others?

Ans:    A disability is always painful and causes a lot of inconvenience to the one having it. But with the passage of time one learns to live with that. At times, it may feel very embarrassing but Time teaches the man to accept the fact and adapt himself to the situation. But on the contrary the pain or inconvenience caused by the sense of alienation is unbearable. When people keep them aloof from celebrations and responsibilities, and think of them as unworthy of doing anything, it pains them a lot. The society doesn’t treat such people respectfully. People have a different attitude for them. Either they are ill-treated or given too much sympathy. But they don’t want too much sympathy rather they wish to have love, respectand a human consideration from others.

PREVIOUS YEARS' QUESTIONS

(2018)    Why does Derry’s mother not want him to go back to visit Mr. Lamb?                   [3 Marks]

(2014)    Both Derry and Lamb are physically impaired and lonely. It is the responsibility of society to understand and support people with infirmities so that they do not suffer from a sense of alienation. As a responsible citizen, write in about 100 words what you would do to bring about a change in the lives of such people.                                                                [5 Marks]

(2013)    If you were to give a different ending to the story, On The Face of It' how would you end it?                                                                                                                                [2 Marks]

(2012)    How does Mr. Lamb keep himself busy when it is a bit cool?                                  [2 Marks]

(2011)    Why does Mr. Lamb leave his gate always open?                                                     [2 Marks]

(2010)    How did Mr. Lamb try to give courage and confidence to Derry ?                           [2 Marks]

(2009)    What qualities of Mr. Lamb attracted Derry to him?                                                [2 Marks]

(2008)    How did Mr. Lamb's meeting with Derry become a turning point in Derry's life?

                                                                                                                                                  [7 Marks]