ON THE FACE OF IT ~ SUSAN HILL The play revolves around two characters, Derry, a small boy of fourteen years, and Mr. Lamb, an old man. Derry got his face burnt on one side due to spilling of acid and Mr. Lamb lost his leg in a bomb explosion during the war. Derry is repulsive and has a very negative attitude to life, whereas Mr. Lamb is optimistic. One day Derry strolled inside Mr. Lamb’s garden and found him there. They both started talking. Mr. Lamb tried to comfort Derry and asked him not to fear anything. To this, Derry said that he was not afraid instead people were afraid of him due to his burnt face. They either ignored him or pitied him. They called him ugly and made fun of him. Mr. Lamb consoled Derry by giving his own example. He said children called him ‘Lamey Lamb’ but he didn’t feel bad about it. He asked Derry to face the harsh realities of life bravely. Mr. Lamb tried to convince Derry that it is the inner beauty of a person that matters. But Derry didn’t agree. He said that even his mother kissed him on the other side of the face. He regretted the fact that he would spend all his life with half face. Mr. Lamb told him that his entire body was in perfect working condition. So he should not feel handicapped due to his half burnt face. Mr. Lamb told Derry to look around for the so many interesting things. He gave his own example. In order to remain occupied, he looked at the buzzing bees and flowers in the garden. He listened to the sound of birds and insects and enjoyed sitting in the sun. To this, Derry said that he too wanted to have a big house with a big lawn. Mr. Lamb offered him to stay with him but Derry left as his mother was waiting. Before leaving, Derry promised to come back. Derry went home and told his mother about Mr. Lamb. She warned him not to go to meet him. But Derry was determined to do so. In the meantime, Mr. Lamb climbed up a ladder to pluck crab apples from the tree. He fell down and died. When Derry returned to Mr. Lamb he found him lying dead on the ground. Though Derry lost his only friend, yet he became strong and positive to face the world.

1. Chapter – 6:
On the Face of it
-Susan Hill
Prepared and Presented by: Group – B (Sci.)
Members of group B:
Naisargi Chauhan Hetvi Vasava
Diya Raj Jay Dabhi
Farhat Naaz Jishna Ben
Harlincoln Singh Jiya Gohil

2. About the Author
Author Name Susan Hill
Born 5 February 1942 (age 78 years), Scarborough, United
Kingdom
Education
King’s College London, Barr’s Hill School & Community
College, Scarborough Convent School
Awards
Somerset Maugham Award, Nestle Smarties Book Prize
for 6 to 8 years, John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, Costa Novel
Award
Movies The Woman in Black, The Woman in Black: Angel of
Death, Je Suis le seigneur du chateau

3. Susan Hill 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.
She received the Somerset Maugham Award in 1971 for
her novel I’m the King of the Castle. She was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2012
Birthday Honors for her services to literature. She is known
to explore the inner fears and loneliness. Her works reflect
honest suffering and optimism.

4. Character Sketch
Derry:
Derry, is a fourteen years old boy who is disfigured and ugly because half of his face was burnt due to
spilling of acid. He is conscious of the fact that his ugliness is revolting to others and so everybody wants
to ignore him or pity him. He suffers from inferiority complex. He becomes too arrogant and avoids any
social interaction. He hears people using nasty comments about him and so bears a grudge towards the
society.
Mr. Lamb:
Mr. Lamb is an old man who lives alone in a big house with a big lawn. He is handicapped, having lost his
leg in a bomb explosion during the war. He is very optimistic. His openness is reflected through the open
doors and windows of his house. He makes toffees, jam and jelly to attract people. He grows crab apples.
He is never perturbed at being called ‘Lamey Lamb’.

5. Difficult Word Meanings
Word Meaning
Rustling Sound when tree leaves move
Walk tentatively Walk aimlessly or hesitantly
Screen of bushes Group of bushes, Curtain of bushes
Close at hand Very near
Startled Surprised
Scrump Steal a fruit
Tin leg Artificial leg of metal
Blown off Cut in a bomb blast
Silken ladder Web of a spider

6. The play revolves around two characters, Derry, a small boy of fourteen years, and Mr.
Lamb, an old man. Derry got his face burnt on one side due to spilling of acid and Mr. Lamb
lost his leg in a bomb explosion during the war. Derry is repulsive and has a very negative
attitude to life, whereas Mr. Lamb is optimistic.
One day Derry strolled inside Mr. Lamb’s garden and found him there. They both started
talking. Mr. Lamb tried to comfort Derry and asked him not to fear anything. To this, Derry
said that he was not afraid instead people were afraid of him due to his burnt face. They
either ignored him or pitied him. They called him ugly and made fun of him. Mr. Lamb
consoled Derry by giving his own example. He said children called him ‘Lamey Lamb’ but he
didn’t feel bad about it. He asked Derry to face the harsh realities of life bravely.
Mr. Lamb tried to convince Derry that it is the inner beauty of a person that matters. But
Derry didn’t agree. He said that even his mother kissed him on the other side of the face.
He regretted the fact that he would spend all his life with half face. Mr. Lamb told him that
his entire body was in perfect working condition. So he should not feel handicapped due to
his half burnt face.
Summary

7. Mr. Lamb told Derry to look around for the so many interesting things. He
gave his own example. In order to remain occupied, he looked at the
buzzing bees and flowers in the garden. He listened to the sound of birds
and insects and enjoyed sitting in the sun. To this, Derry said that he too
wanted to have a big house with a big lawn. Mr. Lamb offered him to stay
with him but Derry left as his mother was waiting. Before leaving, Derry
promised to come back.
Derry went home and told his mother about Mr. Lamb. She warned him not
to go to meet him. But Derry was determined to do so. In the meantime,
Mr. Lamb climbed up a ladder to pluck crab apples from the tree. He fell
down and died. When Derry returned to Mr. Lamb he found him lying dead
on the ground. Though Derry lost his only friend, yet he became strong and
positive to face the world.

9. Q1.
Who has written On The Face Of It?
Susan Hill William Sydney Porter
Salman Rushdie Chetan Bhagat

10. Q2.
How did Mr. Lamb pick apples?
Bending down with the help of his servant
with the help of children using a ladder and a stick

11. Q3.
Who is Derry?
Derek- a boy of 14 and
has acid burnt on his face A small boy
A boy A young boy

12. Q4.
Why did Derry go to Mr. Lamb’s garden?
to steal apples to speak to Mr. Lamb
to help the old man to feel that place

13. Q5.
What complex does Derry suffer from?
Superiority Oedipus
inferiority All of the given options

14. Q6.
Why did Derry develop an inferiority complex?
he didn’t have a big house he didn’t have much money
because of his burnt face None

15. Q7.
Which story did Mr. Lamb narrate to Derry?
Cinderella The snowman
The Dwarf man The beauty of the beast

16. Q8.
How did Mr. Lamb help Derry?
By giving him apples By talking to him
By helping his mother
By giving him a positive
outlook towards life

17. Q9.
What specific things about Mr. Lamb does Derry
notice?
A man of firm resolution
always remains happy
inspite of his deformity
had a positive outlook All of the given options

18. Q10.
Why did children call Mr. Lamb Lamey Lamb?
because he stopped them
from taking apples he spoke rudely
they didn’t like him
because of his broken leg
in a bomb explosion

19. Q11.
What kind of a garden did Mr. Lamb have ?
Cherry Plum
Peach Apple garden

20. Q12.
Mr. Lamb says, it’s all ____, Beauty and the Beast.
Relative Unimportant
God’s grace Destiny

21. Q13.
The gate to Mr. Lamb’s house is
always shut heavily guarded
barricaded always open

22. Q14.
How far is Derry’s house from Mr. Lamb’s?
A mile 2 miles
3 miles 4 miles

23. Q15.
One side of Derry’s face was ____
marred by scars had spots
was darker burnt by acid

24. Answers to Multiple Choice Questions:
1. (a) Susan Hill
2. (d) using a ladder and a stick
3. (a) Derek- a boy of 14 and has acid burnt on his face
4. (d) to feel that place
5. (c) Inferiority
6. (c) because of his burnt face
7. (d) The beauty of the beast
8. (d) By giving him a positive outlook towards life
9. (d) All of the given options
10.(d) because of his broken leg in a bomb explosion
11.(d) Apple garden
12.(a) Relative
13.(d) always open
14.(c) 3 miles
15.(b) had spots

26. Question 1.
How does Mr. Lamb keep himself busy when it is a bit cool?
Answer:
Mr. Lamb collects crab apples and makes jelly out of them, when it is cooler. He leaves his
gates open to welcome whoever wishes to come into the garden.
Question 2.
Why does Derry tell Mr. Lamb that he is afraid of seeing himself in the mirror in the story, ‘On the Face of It’?
Answer:
Derry’s face had become scarred due to acid burns. This terrified him and brought in bad memories of the incident. In order to
avoid them, he avoided seeing himself in the mirror.

27. Question 3.
Mr. Lamb’s advice to Derry was the product of his goodness of heart or to befriend him to overcome his loneliness. Give reason.
Answer:
Mr. Lamb genuinely liked Derry and wanted him to overcome his inhibitions towards life. He did not want the boy to suffer and have a poor
self-esteem because he had a burnt face. He gave his example only for him to understand what can be done to overcome loneliness and to
make him understand that a disability should not stop one from enjoying life.
Question 4.
How does Mr. Lamb try to remove the baseless fears of Derry?
Answer:
Mr. Lamb gave confidence and courage to Derry. He suggested that Derry should get over his physical impairment instead of
brooding over his burnt face. He told Derry that he still has two hands, legs, eyes, a tongue and a brain, and if he puts them to
right use by setting his mind to it, he can get on better than all the rest

28. Question 5.
What did Derry’s mother think of Mr. Lamb?
Answer:
Derry’s mother did not have a good impression of Mr. Lamb. She thought he was not a good man. She did not want Derry to associate with
him in any way.
Question 6.
What peculiar things does Derry notice about the old man, Lamb?
Answer:
Unlike the other people, who were horrified on looking at Derry, Mr. Lamb did not show any dislike or horror at the way Derry looked. This
surprised him. He also found it strange that even though the man himself was handicapped, he lived happily. He had a zest for life and
encouraged him in ways no one had. He made him aware of his strengths and the importance of not pitying oneself.

30. Question:
Derry said, “It (acid) ate me up.” How did this fact affect his attitude towards
life?
Answer:
Derry’s attitude towards life becomes totally bitter after the acid bums one
side of his face. He suffers from a sense of alienation, low self-esteem and
self rejection. Derry’s suffering is further aggravated by the feeling that he
is unwanted and no one loves him. His behavior also results from people’s
indifference, lack of concern and compassion for physically impaired
people. He feels their words of sympathy lack genuineness and so he feels
very hurt when they unwittingly remind him of his impairment. Derry
always remains very conscious of his handicap. He says that no one will
ever love him because he will continue to look ugly. He does not like Mr.
Lamb’s sermonizing as he feels that it or anything else cannot change the
ugliness of his face. Thus Derry feels a terrible sense of frustration and
loneliness due to his severely burnt face.

31. Question:
What benefits did Derry reap from his association with Mr. Lamb?
Answer:
Derry reaped many benefits from his association with Mr. Lamb. He
was able to get rid of the habit of self-pity. He started understanding
others’ perspective and admired Mr. Lamb’s views of life and his
outlook on life. Derry understood that his physical handicap, his acid-
burnt face was not the only important thing, there were other
important things in life. Derry became more confident of himself. He
learnt to appreciate nature and his
surroundings and to think objectively. He stopped paying attention to
what people thought of him. Mr. Lamb advised Derry to wait, watch
and listen and to try to know himself. All this helped Derry to
overcome his complex and face the world confidently.

32. Question:
Who was Mr. Lamb? How did he make Derry gain confidence and come out of his shell?
Answer:
Mr. Lamb is an elderly gentleman who suffers from a physical handicap. He has
a tin leg because his leg had been blown off in the war. The children tease him
by calling him “Lamey Lamb” but he does not mind it.
Derry suffers from an acute sense of self-hatred and rejection because of his
burnt face. He feels he is very ugly and so no one will love him. Mr. Lamb too
has heard Derry only complain and bemoan about himself. He feels very sad to
see a fourteen year old boy giving up on life just because of his physical
disability. Mr. Lamb at first startles Derry with his strange talk. He tells Derry
he is interested in everything created by God. His encouraging words have a
magical effect on Derry. Mr. Lamb’s conversation that everyone and everything
is essentially the same, the notion of beauty is relative and his concept of the
world and friendship baffle but appeal to Derry and he is fascinated by the old
man. Mr. Lamb inspires Derry by telling him not to focus on the shortcomings
of life and his handicap and instead he should try to enjoy the blessings of life.
He tells him to be thankful to God for two arms, two legs, two eyes and ears, a
tongue and a brain and advises him to be friendly with everyone around him.
Derry’s long conversation with Mr. Lamb helps him overcome his inferiority