Vistas Chapter 6 On The Face Of It

Mr. Lamb is an old man. He lives in a big house with and has a big garden of his own. His doors are always open and every one is welcomed there. He spends most of his time in reading books or sitting in his garden. While serving in the army his own leg was blown off in a bomb explosion. Now he has a tin leg. Mr. Lamb has reconciled himself with his physical impairment. Children call him ‘Lamey Lamb’ but he is not at all disturbed. His attitude towards life is positive.

Derry is a boy of fourteen year. He has an ugly face and it has been burnt by acid. People hate him. Derry gets into his garden not to steal or pick up apples. He enters in it there because he likes the place and thinks it to be empty. He enters the garden by climbing over the garden wall though the gate is always open. 

Derry has developed a negative attitude towards life. He has got inferiority complex in his mind. He thinks people despise and hate him on account of his ugly face. So he wants seclusion. Even his parents are worried about Derry. He has got dejected and disappointed from life. In the beginning he thinks that Mr. Lamb is like other people of the world. But to his utter perplexion, he finds him a different man on the earth. By coming in contact with Mr. Lamb, there comes a sea-change in the view point of Derry. He infuses in him zeal and the way to understand the world. He helps in creating self-confidence to overcome his physical ugliness. He motivates him to think positively on life, people and things. In the end Derry promises to return though his mother compels him not to go there. Derry is deeply shocked on seeing Mr. Lamb killed. He weeps bitterly and says ‘I have come’. He realises him only friend from the world. Thus, Mr. Lamb removes all his negativity from the mind of Derry.

Derry is a young boy of fourteen who has developed inferiority complex due to his burnt face. So he has withdrawn himself and avoids the company of people. He is unable to save himself from the tantalising remarks of the public. He wants loneliness and seclusion.

Considering the garden to be an empty space, Derry climbs over the wall and enters. Mr. Lamb speaks to him and Derry feels apologetic. Derry assures that he has not come to steal. Lamb asks him to stay. Derry tells that people are afraid of him. Even he is afraid of himself on seeing his face in the mirror. Seeing him troubled, Mr. Lamb tells that inspite of his one tin leg, he is happy. In the streets, kids call him ‘Lamey Lamb’ but he never minds. He enjoys sitting in the sun and reading the books. He is always cheerful and tries to comfort him. All come to his garden for apples and pears. They are not afraid of him. These words create confidence in Derry and he is drawn towards him. Mr. Lamb tells that flowers and weeds are one and the same thing for him. Instead of considering himself impaired he has got two legs, ears, eyes, hands, a brain and a tongue. He can do better than the rest. Mr. Lamb teaches Derry the way to go on with the world. All these facts draw Derry towards Mr. Lamb.

Mr. Lamb is a considerate man who has a positive view towards life, people and things. Inspite of his one leg, we cannot see any sign of seclusion, loneliness, disappointment and dejection in life. Kids call him ‘Lamey-Lamb but he does not mind. According to him world exists every where.

To overcome his loneliness and disappointment, he sits in the sun and reads books. His garden, gate and heart is open for the people. Whosoever comes in, he is always welcome. He has friends everywhere. People and children come to him for apples and pears. Everybody knows him and his gate is always open. They come and sit there. He tells that he prepares toffee with honey for the children. There is nothing that does not interest him. He thinks that life means growing. He enjoys people and the buzzing of the bees in his garden. He rather feels amused at everything. Hence, the signs of loneliness and disappointment are quite untouched from him.

It is an accepted fact that the actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the affected person. We can see so many cases of physical deformities in our day to day life. They are happy in their own way. But when the people react sharply over their impairment, the result is troublesome to bear. Take the case of a blind man when he hears from someone “What a terrible thing on earth” ! Such filthy remarks heart the life of the disabled man. He feels deep at heart and crushes the cruelty of the people over such remarks. He feels himself dejected, disappointed, distorted and alienated from the mainstream of life. He feels lonely withdrawn with a sense of inferiority complex. Negative feelings towards life creep in. He feels that none will love him.

Same is the case with Derry who has developed a sense of alienation due to his ugly face. He needs love, sympathy, politeness, and soothing words from others. A physically impaired man expects only a normal behaviour from others. They need a little encouragement and can show better results than the general human beings. They need an opportunity to explore and prove their potential instead of discarding them as a useless limb. The encouraging and positive words of Mr. Lamb infuse life in Derry. He becomes ready to face the life.

Derry will never get back to his old seclusion because the brief association with Mr. Lamb has left an intelligible imprint on his mind and blood. His ideology about life, people and things have undergone a deep change since Mr. Lamb has developed and inculcated in him the will to live and face the harsh realities of life. He has learnt how to get rid of negative attitudes towards life. He realises that Mr. Lamb is quite friendly with all inspite of one tin leg. He has got friends everywhere though kids call him “Lamey Lamb” . In addition to this, he always keeps the door of his garden open. There comes people and children to chat and take fruits. He sits in the sun and reads the books. He has grown weeds and considers plants and weeds as growing species. He prepares toffee for children. Thus Derry realises positive and productive attitude of Mr. Lamb towards life.

Further Mr. Lamb awares Derry of having every part of the body intact. He can do better than others. Thus Mr. Lamb infuses in Derry a new spirit, zest and lease of life. Derry feels that the burnt face is no more a hindrance in his self-esteem. All these facts specify that Derry will never get back to his old seclusion rather a new surge of life will float in him to face the challelnges of life.

Mr. Lamb is an old man with a tin leg. Kids in the streets tease and make fun of him by saying ‘Lamey Lamb’ but he does not mind. He lives in a big house with a lively garden. Considering it an empty place, Derry enters there. He tells that he just wants a secluded place. They enter into a long conversation. Mr. Lamb creates hope in his dejected life. For him flowers and weeds are growing living plants. Derry finds in him a real friend.

Mr. Lamb sees Derry entering the garden by climbing over a wall. Mr. Lamb immediately questions his arrival. Derry replies that he has entered thinking it a lonely place. He has no desire to steal but Mr. Lamb tries to comfort him. He asks him not to afraid of any thing. His gate is always open for all. He requests him in collecting the crab apples.

Mr. Lamb leads a happy, lonely and cheerful life in a big house. His garden is full of flowers, fruits and weeds. He is an old man with a tin leg. He has no companion except the garden and its dwellers. His doors are always open for the outside world. He sits in the sun and reads the books. He feels happy on listening to the sweet music of birds, bees and insects. He has become a worldly wise man by reading the books.

Derry has developed both negative attitude and inferiority complex. He has turned withdrawn and defiant. He thinks himself the ugliest person because his burnt face due to falling of the acid. People find his face terrible. A woman at the stand remarked,“What a terrible face!” On seeing his horrible face they get scared. So he is not afraid of the people but they are afraid of him.

Mr. Lamb is a man of firm resolution and has positive views on life, people and things. With one artificial tin leg, Mr. Lamb does not feel any deformity in himself, though children tease him by calling ‘Lamey-Lamb’ but he does not mind. He loves people and makes Derry realise about life.He has a garden with flowers, weeds, plants of fruits. People come for fruits and flowers. He has got friends everywhere. He is always interested in all things and every body. He is happy to live and enjoy in the main-stream of life. In order to enjoy the company of the outer world, he keeps his windows without curtains and doors unlocked.

People are much scared of Derry's burnt face. They pass uncharitable remarks. Those who have got a slight sympathy, they call him a poor boy. Some call that Derry has got a terrible ugly face which can be loved by his mother alone. His parents are much worried about his going on with the world. People stare his ugly face and he has developed negative views about life.

Somebody has uttered that Derry should not have been brought home from the hospital. He should have been left there with others of this kind. Derry said it was a good thing to be done. At least among all the similar looking people nobody would be there to point at them. He would not have to listen to bizarre talk about his burnt face and nobody would look at him disdainfully.

Mr. Lamb does not feel himself lonely because he enjoys life in the company of people. He has got friends everywhere. In order to have a fine contact with the outer world, his doors are always open. He never minds when children tease him by calling ‘Lamey-Lamb.’ He has an open heart for all. They are important and never just nothing.

Mr. Lamb tells Derry to shut out his ears towards those who speak mercilessly about him. Rather he should listen to sweet things like the buzzing of the bees. He should make him too strong to listen to only desirable things. This helps him in leading a happy life.

Mr. Lamb has become a worldly wise with experience of life. He considers flowers and weeds having the same life. He tells Derry that he is an old man with a tin leg. On the other hand, Derry is young with complete body except the burnt face. Derry is standing and Mr. Lamb is sitting. Basically there is no difference in them. It is the same life growing everywhere.

There was a man who was always afraid of everything in this world. He thought that anything could happen to him. He might be either run over by a bus or might be infected with deadly germs of another man. Even a donkey might kick him to death. Lightning might strike him down or he might slip on a banana peel. So he always locked himself into a room. One day a picture fell off the wall on his head and killed him.

Mr. Lamb was in his garden. He got a ladder and a stick to set the task of pulling down the crab apples. Since he was lame, so his climbing on the ladder was not safe. As he did so and tried to make himself steady on it, he lost his balance of body. The ladder fell back along with Mr. Lamb. He was killed accordingly.

The people saw Derry’s acid-burnt face. His ugly face had become fearful to look at. The people did not discourage him. Rather, they often asked him to look at those who are in pain but are brave. They consoled him to think of them who never cried and complained though they are worse than him. They called him better than the blind, deaf, lame, crazy and cripple.

Derry had an ugly face. He had not been able to reconcile himself due to his physical deformities. He could not accept the reality of himself about his burnt face since he had to live it. Whenever he saw people staring or talking about him, he felt afraid and became self-conscious. So he did not like people being near to him and wanted to live in seclusion.

Mr. Lamb was a wise man but he had one physical deformity of leg. Still he always led a happy life and was satisfied with what was left. He told Derry that he had two arms, two legs, eyes, ears, tongue and brain. He could get on the way he wanted like all the rest. If he set his mind to it, he could excel others.

Derry tells Mr. Lamb that acid has not only burnt his face, it has burnt his innerself also. No body likes him anymore. Everyone around him is afraid of his ugly and burnt face. Nobody wants him close. People talk mercilessly about him. They call him as ugly as a devil. All this has hurt his soul. It has spoilt his life. He has become a defiant and withdrawn young boy. He no more likes to be part of the society. Neither society is ready to make him a part of it.

Mr. Lamb keeps his windows without curtains and he keeps the doors and gates open because he is always ready to accept visitors in his house. He lives alone in such a big house. He always needs a companion, he does not want anyone to turn away from his house after watching the doors closed and locked. He wants to be in touch with the outer world. He wants people to come to him and spend their time in his garden so that he can also see life breathing around him.

Children called him “Lamey-Lamb” because he had lost his one leg in a bomb explosion. It did hurt him. But he says that it does not hurt him because he has only one leg and Lamey-Lamb suits him. Thus, there is no harm in calling him Lamey-Lamb. He is always ready to accept the reality of his life.

Derry's conversation with Mr. Lamb has a great effect on Derry. He realizes that he should not confine himself. Rather he should come out in the world. He should see the world, face it and emerge as a winner. Now he wants to live, he wants to forget about his ugly face, and makes his own wishes and his priorities. His life is more important than the views of other people about his face and life.

Derry had desires and ambitions deep embedded in his heart. The burnt face and people's cruel attitude never allowed them to come out. No body talked with him, but when Mr. Lamb talked with him all the embedded desires and frustrations found an outlet, he felt unburdened. Now he is ready to face the world with a changed attitude.

Mr. Lamb's death was a great shock for Derry. Although their relationship was a short-timed one but its roots were very deep. Mr. Lamb had understood Derry and his feelings. He accepted Derry as a friend, while the world had rejected him calling him an ugly or a poor boy. Mr. Lamb inspired him to live in his own way. He had awakened the dormant desires and wishes in Derry to live with Mr. Lamb. He wanted to listen to his peculiar talks. He wanted to help him in collecting apples and making jelly. But Mr. Lamb died before all this leaving him crying and weeping.

Mr. Lamb told Derry that he had many friends, who came to visit him. He wanted to tell Derry that he was not living a lonely life, that his disfigured existence was accepted by the society because he was receptive towards it. But Derry insisted on to tell their names. Mr. Lamb became frustrated and left. This shows that Lamb was just pretending and was leading a lonely life.

Both have got physical impairment. Mr. Lamb have a tin leg and Derry has a burnt face. Both of them feel dejection and they have no friend. The society look down upon them so they lead an empty life. They realize that they can fill up this gap by bonding themselves into friendship. The positive attitude of Mr. Lamb brings Derry quite close.

Derry promises Mr. Lamb to come back and help him in putting down the crab apples. But Mr. Lamb knows from his old experience that Derry will not return. To pull down the apples Mr. Lamb climbs up the ladder, steadies himself and pulls a bench. Suddenly he loses his balance. The ladder falls back alongwith Mr. Lamb. Mr. Lamb dies.

Derry’s mother claimed to have heard many things about Mr. Lamb. So she did not allow her son to go there. She had been told and warned by the people. She told that so many stories were prevalent about Mr. Lamb. He was not a man to be believed. But the boy insisted and proceeded to Mr. Lamb’s house.

The play is very pedagogic in nature. It tells that we should try to adjust ourselves in the main-stream of life. Disabilities and complexes are to be overlooked. We should neither develop alienation nor any deformities of life. We should accept and face the life in its real terms. Ups and downs are the paths of life.

Deny is a boy of fourteen years of age. He got a burnt and cut on his face due to fall of acid. His face has turned scarred and disfigured. He feels low. He is even scared of looking himself in the mirror. He has got a strong hatred for himself.

Mr. Lamb is an old man with a big house having a decent garden full of flowers, weeds and crab apples. He thinks that it is all life. His one leg is blown off in the war and has a tin leg. The gate of his garden is always open and there are no curtains in the windows. Everyone who comes into the garden is always welcomed. He has become a wise man by reading books and sitting in his garden. The sweet notes of birds and buzzing of bees give him charm and life.

Mr. Lamb has got over his physical impairment with the passage of time. He has learnt how to keep himself balanced for plucking crab apples. Children call him ‘Lamey Lamb’, but he is not disturbed rather he takes it very lightly. So they are not afraid of him and they come to his garden for fruits. On his part, Mr. Lamb enjoys their company. Derry enters into his garden by climbing on the wall and he thinks it to be a lonely place. Immediately, Mr. Lamb questions and tells that the door is always open. Both discuss a lot but Mr. Lamb falls from a ladder and dies.

Mr. Lamb was a worldly wise man though one of his legs was blown off in the war. He welcomes Derry in his garden. During their talks, Derry finds him a decent fellow. The children called him ‘Lamey Lamb’ but he allowed them to enter his garden without any irritation.

Lamb told Derry how to overcome his physical deformity. Lamb called him blessed because he had got two arms, two legs, ears, eyes, a brain and a tongue except the burnt face. Lamb also narrates him a story of ‘The Beauty and the Beast.’ He also told Derry many points how to get on with the world inspite of physical disability. In this way, Mr. Lamb tries to give courage and confidence to Derry.

Derry, a fourteen years old boy has developed inferiority complex in him because of his ugly face. He is afraid of seeing people since they look down upon him. So he has started thinking that he will do nothing in his life. Even his parents too remain worried about him. He likes to live in seclusion. Thinking the garden a suitable place, he climbs over the garden wall where he comes in contact with Mr. Lamb who has a tin leg.

Both have got similarities and Mr. Lamb traces inferiority in Derry. In order to remove this complex, Mr. Lamb explains that he has a weed garden. There are flower plants in it but for him they all have life. They look beautiful and have utility as well. He makes him understand that Derry is a boy like others. Then he reminds him the fairy tale of ‘Beauty and Beast’ which Deny is fully aware of. He knows how a princess loves a beast who turns into a handsome prince when she kisses it. It is because he has something very beautiful inside him. It is thus the power of love that attracts the princess towards the beast. Derry is too good from inside. His face is not important. The important thing is what he thinks and feels and what he wants to see and find out. Mr. Lamb tells Derry that he has brain and limb. He can attain whatever he chooses in case he sets his mind on it. He should not care for others what they say. This has a very healthy effect on the boy.

Derry had developed a good relationship with Mr. Lamb since his conversation with him made a healthy effect on removing his physical deformity. After his long discussion, Derry decided to go and see his mother but Lamb desired to have crab apples. Since Derry was to go, so Mr. Lamb asked him to go and tell her. Side by side Mr. Lamb told that once he got home they would never let him come back. So many had come and promised to come back but none returned.

Hearing these words, Derry left for his house but Mr. Lamb went to listen to the bees. Derry reached home and told her everything but she did not have a good impression about him. He even told her that Mr. Lamb had told that it was our thinking that could make us lead a healthy life. He told he was going as he had to help Mr. Lamb with the crab apples. He persuaded not to leave but Derry reached there. He was surprised to find Mr. Lamb lying dead on the ground. Mr. Lamb could not see him but Derry cried that he had returned.

In both the characters one can find a lot of affinity between them. They are dejected, disappointed, secluded and lead a tensed life.Derry's face is eaten up by acid so he suffers from a sense of inferiority complex and negativeness towards life. People are scared of him and he tries to alienate from the mainstream of life. He is defiant and withdrawn. He does not trust people and thinks that no one will ever love him except his mother. He can't face the stare of the people.

On the other hand Mr. Lamb does not allow his disability to come in his way. He develops positive attitude and accepts it as it comes. Though children tease him by calling ‘Lamey-Lamb’, yet he does not mind. He keeps his door always open. People visit him and he gives toffees to the children. He has friends every where. He has one tin leg but he enjoys life. He sits in the sun to read books. He grows weeds, plants, flowers and fruits. He loves everybody and everything. Derry is deeply influenced by the positive attitude of Mr. Lamb.

Derry is a young boy of fourteen years. One side of his face is badly burnt due to falling of the acid. He thinks it ‘the ugliest thing” in the world. When he sees his face in the mirror, he gets afraid of himself. He has heard ladies saying ‘What a terrible face!’. None will like him except his mother. People are afraid of him. He becomes dejected, withdrawn and defiant. He is unable to face the world. He avoids the general public. All these facts turn Derry a victim of his own inferiority complex and negative attitude.

By chance he sneaks into the garden of Mr. Lamb thinking it to be a secluded place. But Mr. Lamb interrupts him and tells that his door is always open. People can come and he has got so many friends. Consequently a surge of relief starts flowing in the mind of Derry. He is drawn towards him. Mr. Lamb tells that children tease and call him ‘Lamey-Lamb’ but he never minds. He plays with them and gives them toffees. His viewpoint brings a great change in Derry. He becomes free from inferiority complex and decides to face the realities of life.

In the story, both Derry and Lamb are physically impaired and lonely. Such people can live their lives with respect and honour, if they are not ridiculed and punished with heartless pity. These people expect empathy, rather than sympathy, from others. If everyone looks down at them with a pessimistic approach, they may never be able to come out of their sorrow; consequently, they may recline to their own secluded worlds. As responsible citizens, we should understand the tremendous mental and emotional pressure these people go through. Instead of reminding them of their disabilities, we should give them the chance to live a normal life.

One alternate ending to the story 'On the Face of It' would be that when Derry returns to Mr Lamb, he finds the latter waiting for him in his garden. The two would become good friends and inspire each other to live life with zeal and hope.

Mr. Lamb was a very amiable and friendly person who would get into theconversation with the passersby and allow children to play in his garden. When it’s a bit cool, Mr Lamb keeps himself busy by pulling down the ripe crab apples of his garden with the help of the ladder and a stick. He makes jelly with those apples.

The lesson 'On The Face of It' aptly depicts the loneliness and sense of alienation experienced by Derry and Mr Lamb on account of disability. The actual pain and inconvenience caused by the disabilities is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the disabled person. Derry suffered from severe negative complexes because of his burnt face. He became a pessimistic loner who indulged in self-pity and was always suspicious of the intention of others. His anger and frustration made him withdrawn and an introvert. Mr. -178- Lamb, on the other hand, was inwardly a loner who craved for company and acceptance. Though outwardly he was always jovial, outgoing and optimistic, he was an extremely sensitive person. Not only their physical disabilities caused pain and suffering to their body, but also to their mind and soul.