Here is a comprehensive guide to Chapter 6, “On the Face of It,” from the VISTAS textbook, created to help you prepare thoroughly for your upcoming AHSEC Class 12 exams. This guide includes a summary, complete textual answers, previous years’ AHSEC questions, and other important questions.
On the Face of It
Summary Note
“On the Face of It” by Susan Hill is a play about the unlikely friendship between a lonely old man, Mr. Lamb, and a withdrawn, bitter young boy named Derry. Derry, a fourteen-year-old boy, has a face that is half-burnt by acid, which has made him reclusive and filled with negativity. He believes everyone hates and fears him because of his appearance. Seeking solitude, he climbs over the wall into what he thinks is an empty garden, but he is startled to find Mr. Lamb there.
Mr. Lamb is an old man with a tin leg, having lost his real one in a war. Unlike Derry, Mr. Lamb is full of life, optimism, and acceptance. He welcomes Derry into his garden and his life, engaging him in a conversation that slowly begins to break down Derry’s walls of bitterness. Mr. Lamb doesn’t show any pity or fear towards Derry’s face. Instead, he talks about the beauty in everything, even “weeds,” and shares his philosophy that all life is valuable and interesting. He tells Derry that he keeps his gate open for everyone and has many “friends,” though people rarely visit.
Through his gentle wisdom and positive outlook, Mr. Lamb encourages Derry to stop focusing on his burnt face and to embrace the world. He tells Derry that he has two arms, two legs, eyes, and a brain, and he can choose to live a full life. Inspired by Mr. Lamb’s words, Derry feels a sense of hope for the first time. He decides to go home to tell his mother about Mr. Lamb and promises to come back.
Despite his mother’s warnings not to return, Derry is determined to go back to the old man who has shown him kindness and acceptance. He runs back to the garden, shouting that he has returned. Tragically, as he enters, he finds that Mr. Lamb has fallen from a ladder while picking crab apples and is dead. The play ends with Derry weeping over the body of the only person who had managed to break through his isolation and offer him true friendship.
Complete Textual Question and Answer
- What is it that draws Derry towards Mr. Lamb in spite of himself?
Answer: Derry is drawn towards Mr. Lamb because, for the first time, he meets someone who is not repulsed by his face and who treats him with genuine kindness and understanding. Mr. Lamb does not offer pity or act afraid. Instead, he speaks to Derry with gentle wisdom, talks about interesting things like bees singing and weeds, and shares a positive philosophy on life. Mr. Lamb’s acceptance, his own physical disability (a tin leg), and his ability to see beyond Derry’s scarred face make Derry feel comfortable and valued, drawing him out of his shell of bitterness and isolation. - 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?
Answer: Mr. Lamb displays signs of loneliness and disappointment in Scene One, after Derry has left, promising to return. Mr. Lamb says to himself, “They never do, though. Not them. Never do come back.” This reveals his disappointment that despite his open gate and welcoming nature, people rarely form a lasting connection with him. He tries to overcome these feelings by keeping himself busy with activities like listening to his bees, making toffee and jelly, reading books, and observing the world around him. His positive philosophy and his openness to life are his primary ways of combating his underlying loneliness. - 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?
Answer: The play shows that the sense of alienation is far more painful than the physical impairment itself. Derry’s bitterness comes not from the pain of his burn, but from the cruel and pitying reactions of others. A person with a disability, like Derry, expects to be treated like a normal human being. They do not want pity, fear, or revulsion. They want genuine acceptance and to be seen for who they are as a person, not just for their disability. Derry finds this acceptance with Mr. Lamb, who talks to him as an equal and is interested in his thoughts and feelings, not just his face. - 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?
Answer: It is likely that Mr. Lamb’s brief association will have a lasting positive effect on Derry’s life, and he will not return to his old seclusion. Although Mr. Lamb dies, he has already planted a seed of hope, self-worth, and courage in Derry. Derry’s determination to return to the garden, even against his mother’s wishes, shows a significant change in his character. He shouts, “I’m going back there… I want the world…. I want it…. I want it.” This newfound determination suggests that he has embraced Mr. Lamb’s philosophy and will now face the world with courage instead of retreating from it.
Previous Year AHSEC Question Answers (2015-2025)
Short Answer Questions (2 Marks)
1. Who is Mr. Lamb? How does Derry get into his garden? (AHSEC 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022)
Answer: Mr. Lamb is a lonely old man with a tin leg who lives by himself in a large house with a garden. Derry gets into his garden by climbing over the garden wall, thinking that the place was empty.
2. What is the bond that unites the two – Mr. Lamb and Derry? (AHSEC 2016, 2018)
Answer: The bond that unites Mr. Lamb and Derry is their shared experience of physical disability and the resulting loneliness and alienation they feel from society. Mr. Lamb has a tin leg, and Derry has a face half-burnt by acid. This shared vulnerability allows them to understand each other on a deeper level and form a unique friendship.
3. Why does Derry’s mother not want him to go back to visit Mr. Lamb? (AHSEC 2020)
Answer: Derry’s mother does not want him to go back because she has heard unspecified “things” about Mr. Lamb and is wary of him. She tells Derry, “You think I don’t know about him, you think, I haven’t heard things?”. She is overprotective of Derry and fears that Mr. Lamb might be a bad influence or that the world is not a safe place for her son.
4. What did Derry’s face look like? What had happened to it? (AHSEC 2023)
Answer: One side of Derry’s face was severely burnt. This had happened because he “got acid all down that side of my face and it burned it all away.” He says the acid “ate my face up.”
Long Answer Questions (5-7 Marks)
1. Compare and contrast the characters of Mr. Lamb and Derry. (AHSEC 2017, 2020)
Answer: Mr. Lamb and Derry are both physically impaired and lonely, but they have completely opposite attitudes towards life. Derry is a young boy with a burnt face who is bitter, withdrawn, and pessimistic. He believes everyone hates him and has a very negative view of the world. He isolates himself out of fear and self-pity.
In contrast, Mr. Lamb is an old man with a tin leg who is optimistic, open, and full of life. Despite his disability and loneliness, he embraces the world with a positive philosophy. He finds interest in everything, from weeds to bees, and keeps his gate open to welcome visitors. While Derry shuts people out, Mr. Lamb tries to connect with them. Mr. Lamb’s wisdom and acceptance ultimately inspire Derry to change his perspective.
2. How did Mr. Lamb try to change Derry’s attitude towards life? (AHSEC 2019, 2023)
Answer: Mr. Lamb tried to change Derry’s attitude by offering him a new perspective on life and disability. He did not pity Derry but treated him as an equal. He shared his own experience with a tin leg and how children called him “Lamey-Lamb,” showing Derry that he was not alone in being judged. He used metaphors, like his garden having both flowers and “weeds,” to teach Derry that everything has its own value. He encouraged Derry to focus on his abilities—his two arms, legs, and brain—rather than his burnt face. Most importantly, he offered Derry unconditional acceptance and friendship, which gave the boy a sense of self-worth and the courage to face the world.
Most Important Question Answers
1. Why did Derry go into Mr. Lamb’s garden? Why was he startled?
Answer: Derry went into Mr. Lamb’s garden because he thought it was an empty place and he wanted to be alone. He was startled when Mr. Lamb spoke to him because he was not expecting anyone to be there. His immediate reaction was one of panic, and he wanted to leave.
2. What is Mr. Lamb’s philosophy of life?
Answer: Mr. Lamb’s philosophy is one of optimism, acceptance, and engagement with the world. He believes that nothing in the world is entirely worthless and that one can find beauty and interest in everything, even “weeds.” He believes in keeping his heart and home open to others (“The gate’s always open”). He chooses to focus on the positive aspects of life and not let his physical disability define him or make him bitter.
3. How does Derry’s attitude change after meeting Mr. Lamb?
Answer: After meeting Mr. Lamb, Derry’s attitude undergoes a dramatic transformation. He moves from being a bitter, pessimistic, and withdrawn boy to someone who is hopeful and courageous. Mr. Lamb’s words make him realize that his face does not have to define his life. He gains a sense of self-worth and decides he wants to engage with the world. This change is evident when he defies his mother and runs back to the garden, shouting, “I want the world…. I want it.”
4. What is the significance of the play’s ending?
Answer: The ending of the play is both tragic and hopeful. The death of Mr. Lamb is tragic because Derry loses the only person who truly understood and accepted him, just as their friendship was beginning. However, the ending is also hopeful because Mr. Lamb has already passed on his life-affirming philosophy to Derry. Derry’s return to the garden, even after Mr. Lamb’s death, symbolizes that he will carry the old man’s lessons with him. He will no longer hide from the world but will face it with the newfound courage that Mr. Lamb gave him.
