On the Face of It…..
an analysis
Derry Mr. Lamb
Face disfigured by acid Lost a leg in war
Altered his personality and outlook on life Unique outlook on life
Assumes people are afraid to look at his ugly
face
Leaves his gate always open
(symbolic)
That people avoid him or pretend they haven’t
noticed the disfigurement Everyone is welcome into his home
Has become pessimistic, defiant, passive Considers everyone to be his friend;
aggressive, withdrawn even those he passes by in the street
Feels alienated, avoids interacting with
people, lonely
Optimistic, amiable, accepts life as it
comes
On the Face of It…..an analysis
Derry Mr. Lamb
Hates it when people pity him; believes their Tell Derry not to be obsessed with his face
sympathy is a pretense There is so much beauty in the world to look at and
And their advice is hollow ( an eye-wash) enjoy
Assumes his parents love him only because Tells Derry that hatred will hurt him more than the
acid has
they have to
That he has 2 eyes, 2arms, 2 legs and a brain and if
Believes his parents also feel that he will not he puts his mind to it he can do better than others
be able to succeed in life given his
disfigurement asks him to snap out of his self pity
That whatever has to happen in life will happen and
Considers the story “ Beauty and the Beast’ to
Derry shouldn’t be unduly afraid of the unknown
be baloney since no girl in her senses is going
to love him If blind people were to be only with other blind
people, the deaf with other deaf people and so on it
would be a horrible world
Mr. Lamb’s unique perspective on life…
Interested in everyone and everything
There’s is nothing that God made that doesn’t interest him
Grows a weed garden; there is no difference between a flowering plant and a weed since both embody
life
Buzzing of bees is music to his ears and calls it ‘ humming’
Ignores his tin leg, doesn’t obsess over his disability; doesn’t mind when kids call him “Lamey-
Lamb”
In spite of his disability he has taught himself to climb a ladder and pluck crab apples ( self- sufficient,
doesn’t depend on others)
According to him people may look similar but each person is different, unique
He is not fond of curtains- they shut things out; shut things in
Tells Derry not to believe everything he hears
Tells Derry to listen, to watch, to observe and to think things for himself
Tells Derry he is always welcome since what is his (Mr. Lamb’s) is everybody’s
Analysis of the title of the play
The phrase “ On the Face of It” means what something seems to be or appears to be
Synonyms for the phrase include: apparently, seemingly, outwardly
The playwright wants to convey that people can be quite different from what we
think of them or what they appear to be
Never judge a book by its cover
For eg: On the face of it, Mr. Lamb appears to be an eccentric, lame fellow who lives
by himself in a big house and who is avoided by others.
In reality, he is a kind, friendly, generous, observant man who has a positive ,
optimistic outlook on life
Similarly Derry comes across as pessimistic, defiant, withdrawn and angry but he is
like any other normal teenager who longs for love and acceptance
Analysis of the title contd……
There is nothing wrong with either Derry or Lamb
What is wrong is the way people look at them
Moral: we need to view others removing our glasses of prejudice, hatred, dislike and
hearsay.
We need to stop being critical and judgmental of others and accept people for who they are
It’s the inner beauty / goodness of a person that matters … not how she or he looks
On the face of it differently abled people may look different but they are just like any of us
and need our empathy and understanding
The title is also apt since one of the main characters in the play is a 14 year old boy whose
face has been disfigured by acid and whose emotional and psychological problems stem
from this tragedy
