On the Face of It –

Theme –
 Appearances are often deceptive
 Sense of alienation
 Isolation of physically impaired
 Callousness and insensitivity of people
 Empathy not sympathy
 Pain of actual impairment is less than hurtful comments
 Importance of optimism and its contrast with pessimism
 Role of parents/ society

TITLE –
 Informal expression stating that whatever appears on face or outward
appearance is not similar to any person or object created by nature
 It could be a stark contrast to real self
 Eg of Mr lamb – what called by society as mysterious, lame and old fellow
with no kids and lives alone in a huge garden
 Vs he is kind, generous and loving – eg
 Similarly derry a 14 yr old lad, is longing for love as he lives in morbid
environment
 For object eg of weed
 Both these characters are looked with judgemental views with glasses of
prejudice, hatred, hearsay and dislike by the society
 Play emphasizes the fact that there may be diversity outward but
underneath we are same the fact we are all created by god for some
purpose and need to live in harmony

ROLE OF SOCIETY/ PARENTS

 Get physically disabled into mainstream of ongoing life ie not to isolate
them
  Not sympathy, empathize
 Try to brush of negative sentiments around them
 Be less judgmental
 Help them achieving their potential and build their confidence
 Accept them as they are

WHAT UNITES DERRY AND LAMB?

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS –
 Starts with Derry entering a garden {birdsong and tree leaves rustling}
secretly out of curiosity stealthily by jumping the boundary wall
 Then voice of Mr Lamb startles him asking him to mind the wind fallen
crab apples
 Derry replies saying he thought there was no one there and it was an
empty house and to which lamb replied indeed it is as he is sitting in the
garden
 Derry panicked and said and he had to go to which lamb replied that he
doesn’t mind his company and that the gates are always open
 Derry clarified himself that he didn’t came up here to steal anything and
lamb confirmed to it saying only young lads steal scrump apples
 After revealing the age derry disclosed that he is not afraid rather people
are afraid of him – ‘ it doesn’t matter who they are, what they say – all
pretend and I know and can see’
 He then called himself the ugliest thing , ‘poor boy’, and that he himself is
afraid when he turns to mirror
 Lamb replied ‘ no, not the whole of you’ – optimistic – face burnt not life
 Then changing the topic after pause he said that when it’s a bit cooler he
will get ladder and stick to pull down crab apples to make jelly
{September} {magic fruit} and then asked him for his participation
 Derry questioned on changing topic and said that people always do that
and admitted he doesn’t like being with people
 To which lamb guessed he might have got burnt with fire. Derry revealed it
was acid that ate up his face and which ate him up too and now it will
never change
 Dismissing derry’s claim, he lamb said he is interested in anybody,
anything and that there is nothing that is created by god that disinterests
him
 He then asked him to look far behind the wall
 Derry replied he see rubbish at first and then later weeds. Lamb said that
some call it weeds and then there are fruits, flowers, trees and herbs. He
grows all sorts. He then added saying there is no difference between
them. Both are growing just like ‘you’ and ‘me’
 Derry refused on that fact. Lamb explained by adding the fact inspite of
age difference derry got burnt face and he got tin leg
 Real one got blown off years ago in war. Lamb not bothered by kids calling
him lamey-lamb
 Derry says that still he can put on trouser and nobody would notice or
stare to which he replied some do, some don’t and there are plenty of
other things to stare at like crab apples, weeds, spider climbing up the
silken ladder, or tall sun flowers
 Then lamb quotes the eg of beauty and beast implying beauty is relative to
which derry replied that unlike prince he wont change and that no one
would kiss him. His mother kisses him because she has to and that too on
other side of the face
 He said he will have the same half burnt face when he will be as old as
him. To which lamb replied saying yes he would, but the world won’t,
world’s got the whole face and worlds there to be looked at. Exists
anywhere we go
 Tin hurts? – now and then in wet weather which doesn’t signify
 People say to derry,’ look at all those people who are in pain and brave
and never cry and never complain and don’t feel sorry for themselves’ +
And think of all those people worse off than you. Think you might have
been blinded, or born deaf or have to live in a wheelchair, or be daft in
your head and dribble
 He continued – it wont make my face change. One day a woman went by
street beside me at bus stop and she said to another woman looking at me
saying, ‘look at that, that’s a terrible thing. That’s a face only mother could
love’ {cruel}
 To which lamb questioned whether he believed everything he listen and
asked him if he hears too much then he should shut his ears
 Derry commented that he was peculiar and asked questions that he
doesn’t understand
 Mr lamb said that he likes to talk and have company, gates always open,
bees buzz produce sound of humm that’s to sing {hear their singing}
 Lamb gave an example to a man who locked himself in a room cause he
was afraid of everything who was eventually killed by picture falling on
him which made derry laugh a lot
 On being enquired by derry of his routine, Lamb says he sits in the sun and
read books. He doesn’t like curtains because it shuts things out and shuts
things in. he likes light and dark, windows open to hear wind
 Derry revealed he too likes rain sound on the rooftop
 Lamb then says that means he is not lost altogether ? – derry said that his
parents talk about him downstairs of his future
 Lamb then assertively points out that he has two arms, two legs and eyes
and ears, tongue and brain. He can get what all others and if he sets goal
he can do much better
 Derry enquired lamb whether he has friends. To which he replied
hundreds, friends everywhere, people come, everybody knows me, gates
always open, fire in winters, kids come for apples, pears and
toffees{honey}.
 He said names are insignificant and that he doesn’t have to write down all
particulars and file before they are friends. Derry then tells him his name
and says he might never meet him again and that way they couldn’t stay
friends
 To which lamb replied and they aint enemies either and that people are
never nothing. Derry said that there are people he hate
 Lamb replied that hate does more harm bottle of acid, it only burns your
face – it can burn yourself inside
 Once derry met a person who said that he thinks derry would be better off
with people like himself, blind with blind and idiot with idiot
 Lamb said he is not same as people with burnt faces, everythings same but
everythings different
 Lamb experience – watching, listening and thinking
 Open mindedness – whats mine is anybodys
 Leap of faith – risk has to be taken that people would be around derry or
not
  Derry apprehension – of lamb falling off the ladder breaking his neck and
could lie on grass and die
 Lamb – I have learnt plenty of stuff. Years. I take it steady
 Derry says he wants to help and that even if his home is just 3 miles away
his mom worries about him and that she would never let him come back
 Lamb said that he got legs he can go and he himself would never let him
be back to which derry said he doesn’t know what he could do
 Derry unsure about what he wants because all his life he had tend to be
listening to others, he said he wants to live life like him however then
remarks that he is by himself here and nobody would care if he is dead
 On asking of his friends names, lamb replies tom, dick or harry and then he
downs to bees
 Derry then says that he thinks he is daft or crazy and lamb calls him that’s
a good excuse of not coming back
 Derry then bursts saying – not sorry, not frightened and think him as ugly
as devil. He then on getting no reply pauses and thinks no lamb doesn’t
think like that
 He then says that he would come back and that he doesn’t have a tin leg
to which lamb whispered to himself – they all do, they never come back
 On reaching home and telling about lamb to his mother derry gets a
response of not going back as she has heard/ warned of that old man even
though they haven’t been here for 3 months more
 Derry responds he tells him things that matter, things nobody has ever
told him and things he want to think about {you can stay and your thinking
here, best off here}. His mother pities and stops him from going back
 If I don’t go back, ill never go anywhere in the world again
 Back – sound of branch shifting, apples thumping, a creak, a crash. Lamb
with it and branch swishes back, creaks and silence and unconsciousness
 Derry enters – ‘ I came back. Lamey lamb. I did… come back’ and then he
begins to weep

CHARACTER SKETCH
LAMB
Protagonist
  Pivotal role in derry transformation
 Real guide, mentor and inspiring friend
 Thinking optimistic
 Actions daily routines
 Perspective of nature and life
 Great observer believes in sharing his values and beliefs with the world
 Phrases
o Gates open, no curtains – open mindedness and embrace everyone
and everything
o Flowers and weeds appreciation both created by god
o Humming of bees is melody for him
o Beauty is relative
o Friends not names of people – less judgmental
o Unnecessary apprehensions spoil ones future
o Teaches the art of living

DERRY
 Physical handicap his mental handicap
 Negative morbid environment due to
 Woman at bus stand, another person , other pain for self relief, parents
discussion and society sympathizing and staring
 Their fault of making derry defiant and withdrawn personality full of
complexes with detrimental comments

MOTHER