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English: Class 12 (Book 3) — Chapter 5: On The Face Of It

Dramatis Personae & Character Profiles

The play features a poignant encounter between two individuals who, despite their vast age difference, share a common bond of physical impairment and subsequent social alienation. Through their dialogue, the play explores the psychological impact of physical disability and the transformative power of positive perspective.

Literary Profile: Derry (Derek)

  • Traits & Temperament: Highly withdrawn, defiant, bitter, and deeply insecure. He suffers from an acute self-pity complex and extreme social anxiety due to his burned face. He is hyper-sensitive to people's stares, whispers, and pity, which makes him hostile and suspicious of others' intentions.
  • Socio-Economic & Contextual Background: A fourteen-year-old boy living in a protective, over-anxious household. His mother's fussing and the patronizing attitude of society reinforce his isolation, making him feel like an outcast who is 'better off with others like himself'.
  • Thematic & Symbolic Motifs: Represents the psychological trauma of physical deformity. His burned face, caused by acid, symbolizes the corrosive nature of social rejection and internalized bitterness that 'eats him up' from the inside.

Literary Profile: Mr. Lamb

  • Traits & Temperament: Optimistic, resilient, warm, and philosophical. Despite his physical disability and loneliness, he harbors no bitterness. He is open-minded, loves nature, enjoys talking to people, and possesses a unique, non-judgmental perspective on life.
  • Socio-Economic & Contextual Background: An elderly retired man living alone in a large house with a sprawling garden. He lost his leg in the war and wears a tin leg. He is mockingly called 'Lamey-Lamb' by local children, yet he welcomes them into his garden without resentment.
  • Thematic & Symbolic Motifs: Represents hope, acceptance, and the healing power of human connection. His open garden gate, lack of window curtains, and love for 'weeds' symbolize his rejection of artificial boundaries and his embrace of life in its entirety.
Scene-by-Scene Narrative Analysis
Scene One: The Garden Encounter

The play opens in Mr. Lamb's garden , a place filled with the natural sounds of birdsong and rustling leaves. Derry sneaks in by climbing over the garden wall, mistakenly believing the place to be empty.

  • The Initial Confrontation: Mr. Lamb startles Derry by warning him to 'mind the apples' (crab apples/windfalls). Derry reacts with panic, defensiveness, and anger, assuming he is being watched or accused of stealing.
  • Deconstructing the Fear: Mr. Lamb reassures Derry that the gate is always open and everyone is welcome. Derry reveals his deep-seated bitterness, explaining that people are afraid of his face, which was burned by acid. He believes himself to be 'the ugliest thing' and assumes Mr. Lamb is merely pretending not to be afraid.
  • The Philosophy of Weeds: Mr. Lamb points to a patch of weeds and questions why one plant is called a weed while another is called a flower. He asserts, 'It's all life... growing. Same as you and me.' This introduces Derry to a non-judgmental way of looking at existence.
  • The Tin Leg and 'Lamey-Lamb': Mr. Lamb shares that he has a tin leg, having lost his real one in the war. He laughs off the children's nickname 'Lamey-Lamb', showing Derry that physical differences do not have to define one's self-worth.
  • The Story of the Locked-Up Man: To challenge Derry's desire for total isolation, Mr. Lamb tells a story of a man who locked himself in his room out of fear of everything in the world, only to be killed by a picture falling off his wall. This dark, humorous anecdote makes Derry laugh and highlights the futility of running away from life.
Scene Two: The Domestic Confrontation

The scene shifts to Derry's house , where Derry is arguing with his mother. This scene highlights the contrast between Mr. Lamb's liberating influence and the suffocating, prejudiced environment of Derry's home.

  • Maternal Prejudice: Derry's mother forbids him from returning to Mr. Lamb's garden, citing warnings and rumors she has heard. Her attitude represents the typical societal prejudice and fear of the unconventional.
  • Derry's Rebellion: For the first time, Derry actively rebels against his mother's overprotective attitude. He declares that he does not care about his face or what he looks like, but instead cares about what he thinks, feels, sees, and hears. He insists on returning to help Mr. Lamb with the crab apples.
Scene Three: The Tragic Resolution

Derry runs back to Mr. Lamb's garden , panting and eager to prove that he has kept his promise to return.

  • The Fall: While Derry was away, Mr. Lamb attempted to climb a ladder to harvest the crab apples on his own. The ladder slipped, and Mr. Lamb fell to the ground.
  • The Discovery: Derry finds Mr. Lamb lying motionless on the grass. He kneels beside him, crying out, 'I came back, Lamey-Lamb. I did... come back.' The play ends on a tragic yet deeply moving note as Derry begins to weep, signifying both his grief and his emotional awakening.
Thematic & Symbolic Explorations

Susan Hill uses rich symbolism and thematic contrasts to convey the deeper psychological realities of disability and human connection.

Literary Devices & Dialogue Matrix
Literary Device / Colloquial Phrase Exact Textual Example / Quote Contextual Meaning & Subtext Pedagogical / Stylistic Purpose
Metaphor 'Acid only burns your face... You can burn yourself away inside.' Mr. Lamb compares physical acid damage to the corrosive emotional impact of hatred and bitterness. Highlights the play's central theme: mental attitude is far more destructive than physical impairment.
Symbolism 'I’m not fond of curtains. Shutting things out, shutting things in.' Curtains symbolize emotional barriers, isolation, and the desire to hide from the world. Contrasts Mr. Lamb's open, inclusive philosophy with Derry's initial desire to hide in empty spaces.
Allusion 'Beauty and the beast.' Derry references the classic fairy tale to express his cynicism, arguing that real-world physical deformities do not magically change. Exposes Derry's deep-seated pessimism and his rejection of superficial, patronizing consolations.
Irony 'A picture fell off the wall on to his head and killed him.' The story of the man who locked himself in his room to avoid death, only to be killed by a falling picture. Uses dark humor to demonstrate that isolating oneself out of fear of the world is futile and self-defeating.

'It’s got nothing to do with my face and what I look like. I don’t care about that and it isn’t important. It’s what I think and feel and what I want to see and find out and hear.'

Literary Interpretation & Contextual Significance: This dialogue marks Derry's ultimate transformation and liberation from his self-imposed psychological prison. Under Mr. Lamb's influence, Derry realizes that his physical appearance is secondary to his inner consciousness, thoughts, and sensory experiences. He rejects his mother's protective isolation and chooses to engage actively with the world, demonstrating that the 'burn' inside him has begun to heal.

Reading with Insight: Comprehensive Solutions
  1. What is it that draws Derry towards Mr. Lamb in spite of himself?

    Derry is drawn to Mr. Lamb because, unlike others, Mr. Lamb does not treat him with pity, fear, or disgust. Instead of ignoring Derry's burned face or offering superficial consolations, Mr. Lamb engages him in a direct, unconventional, and stimulating conversation. His positive outlook, his acceptance of his own disability (the tin leg), and his unique philosophies (such as the weed garden and the open gate) challenge Derry's bitter worldview and offer him a sense of belonging and self-worth that he has never experienced before.

  2. 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?

    Mr. Lamb's loneliness is subtly revealed at the end of Scene One, when Derry runs away promising to return. Left alone, Mr. Lamb talks to himself, saying, 'They never do, though. Not them. Never do come back.' This reveals his disappointment and his awareness that despite his open gate, people rarely form lasting connections with him. He tries to overcome his loneliness by keeping himself busy: sitting in the sun, reading books, tending to his bees, making jelly from crab apples, making honey toffee for children, and keeping his gates open to welcome anyone who wanders in.

  3. 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?

    A person with disabilities does not want pity, patronizing sympathy, or constant reminders of their impairment. Such behavior only deepens their sense of alienation and makes them feel like outcasts. Instead, they expect to be treated as normal individuals with dignity, respect, and equality. They desire genuine companionship, open communication, and opportunities to participate in life without being stared at, whispered about, or excluded.

  4. 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?

    Mr. Lamb's brief association has effected a permanent, irreversible change in Derry. Although the play ends with the tragic death of Mr. Lamb, Derry's final actions—defying his mother, running back to the garden, and declaring that his face does not matter compared to what he thinks and feels—prove that he has broken free from his psychological shell. He has learned to look at the world with a positive perspective, and he is unlikely to return to his old life of bitter seclusion.