ON THE FACE OF IT

INTRODUCTION

On the face of it deals with the theme that appearance is deceptive and most often we go on dealing with
it under impressions and prejudices about others without caring to know them. Mr lamb, for example is a
lonely ,eccentric ,lame old man, but he is a very kind, loving and generous man who longs for company
and loves his fellow human beings and all the other creations of god
Similarly, on the face of its Derry appears to be an abominable and ugly boy with huge and deep scars on
one side of face. Nobody likes him, befriends him. Everyone dreads his ugliness and avoids him,
including his mother who dare not kiss the scarry side of his face. Yet this boy has a very tender and
sensitive heart and has a deep longing to love and be loved.
A sub theme of the play is that the pain of actual physical impairment is often much less than the sense of
alienation felt by the person with disabilities. Thus, Derry suffers more on account of the pain caused by
his own notions of how much others hate and ignore him because of his ugliness than from the pain
caused by the acid and the burns and scars caused by it.
Yet another theme woven dexterously into the play is that scars do not change a person and that
handicapped must be accepted in life and society .Instead of fussing over Derry’s scars or Mr lamb’s
eccentricity and artificial legs , people around them need to realise that two are as much human and that
if they are given time and space they will do well in life .
But it is unfortunate to see that people fail to realise the uniqueness of every human being.

Significance of the Title – On the Face of It

According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. “On the Face of It” is an informal expression
used to say that something seems to be good, true etc, but this opinion may need to be changed when
you know more about it.
An individual may be quite different from what we think of him or what he or she may apparently appear
to be at first glance. There is an imperative need for us to view others by removing our glasses of
prejudice, hatred, hearsay and dislike.
On the face of it, Mr. Lamb appears to be mysterious, lonely, lame old fellow he is very kind, generous,
loving and altruistic. Similarly, although Derek has an ugly looking and scary face, he is a fine lad of
fourteen with a deep longing for love. There is nothing wrong with Mr. Lamb and Derek. What is wrong is
the way people in their lives and around them view and treat them.
On the face of it, there is so much of diversity, so many differences and divides between the peoples and
other species of the world but underneath is a oneness, a sameness – all of them are created by God and
all of them wants to live and grow together with love and mutual acceptance. As the play progresses the
characters’ views about each other and our impression of them changes for the better.
Thus, Susan Hill has quite appropriately entitled her play “On the Face of it”.

CBSE PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS

Q How did Mr lamb try to give courage and confidence to Derry? (2010)
Q The lesson ‘ON THE FACE OF IT’ is an apt depiction of the loneliness and sense of alienation
experienced by people on account of a disability. Explain? (2011)
Q What is the bond that unites the two- the old Mr lamb and Derry the Small boy? How does Mr.Lamb
inspires the small boy? (2013)
Q 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 150 words what would you do to bring about a change in the lives of such people.
(2014)
Q Derry sneaked into Mr lamb’s garden and it became a turning point in his life. comment.
(2016)
Q Both Derry and lamb are victims of physical impairment, but more painful for them is the feeling of
loneliness. Comment? (2016)
Q Compare and contrast the characters of lamb and Derry in the play ON THE FACE OF IT? (2016)
Q Who was Mr lamb? how did he make Derry gain confidence and come out of his shell? (2017)

COMMON ANSWER
Ans: ON THE FACE OF IT deals with the theme that appearance is deceptive and most often we go on
dealing with our impression and prejudices about others without Caring to know them. Mr lamb, For
Example is lonely, eccentric, lame, old man whereas, he is very kind, loving and generous man who
welcomes company and loves all the creations of god.
Similarly, on the face of it Derry appears to be an abominable boy with a deep scar on one side of his
face. He is the object of other people’s curious stare. But this boy has a very tender and sensitive heart.
He has deep longing to love and be loved. That is why he responded positively to the healing touch of Mr
lamb.
The play also deals with the need for acceptance of handicap. The pain of actual physical impairment is
often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person with disabilities. Derry a complex-stricken
lad of fourteen is a victim of inferiority complex which is born out of a misinterpretation of himself and the
world. He suffers from an acute sense of self hatred and rejection due to his burnt face and this led to
total alienation. He became a pessimistic loner as people are scared of him and stayed away from
him .So he was indulged in self-pity and was always suspicious of the intentions of others. His anger and
frustration made him with-drawn.
Mr lamb was also a loner who craved for the company and acceptance , but was full of life .Although he
lived alone and have tin leg ,he always keep himself busy by tending to his garden ,his bees and making
toffees and jelly .He welcomed everybody to his house and garden .He enjoyed sitting in the sun ,
reading books and gardening. Although the kids mocked him by calling him ‘Lamey Lamb’, he did not
bother about it. He was apostle of optimism, enthusiasm and hope.
The bond that unites Mr lamb and Derry is the loneliness and alienation they experience on account of
their physical impairment .Mr lamb inspires Derry by telling him not to focus on the shortcoming of life
and his handicap and instead try to enjoy the blessing of life .Mr lamb’s words of wisdom inspires Derry
and to the end of the story we see him adapting the attitude and path that have been shown by him.
Thus, Mr lamb’s meeting with Derry brings a turning point in the latter’s life.
Thus, we see that a person with any disabilities can live life with respect and honour. If he is not ridiculed
and punished with heartless pity. He expects empathy and not sympathy. He is already in tremendous
mental and emotional pressure. So he expects others to be understanding rather than remind him of his
disabilities.
Hence, Derry’s long conversation with Mr lamb helps him overcome his inferiority complex and low self-
esteem.