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ON THE FACE OF IT, SUSAN HIL, Introduction: Susan Hill is a notable English author of fiction and non-fiction. Her famous novels include the woman in Black; I am the King of the Castle and so on. The play is about an old man and a young boy both suffering from trauma in their lives and how one gives the other the advice and strength to cope with it, face the challenges society, life offers., Summary:, Scene One, The play begins with Derry the main protagonist of the play, staring into Mr. Lamb’s garden. Derry is walking slowly and cautiously along the long grass., The young boy is startled when he hears the old man telling him in a friendly manner ‘ Mind the apples’. Derry is immediately apologetic towards the old man but Mr. Lamb tries to make him feel at ease and comfortable., Derry replies to the old man telling him that he wasn’t trespassing in his garden or anything of that sort. But Mr. Lamb simply replies that the gates to his garden was always open to people., Mr. Lamb told Derry that he saw him climbing the wall and he could have simply have used the gate as it was always open. Derry almost out of guilt replies that he wasn’t trying to steal anything, he was just curious to see the garden., Dery tried to leave but the owner told him that he need not be afraid as the old man wasn’t mad or angry with him. Shouldn’t be afraid to come inside as it was only a garden., Page 57- But I’m not…. I am not afraid. People are afraid of me., Derry is a fourteen year old who has a disfigurement on his face. Because of the incident he is somehow reclusive and has a pessimistic attitude towards the world. He also has inferiority complex as he thinks people will judge and be unsympathetic towards him cause of the mark on his face., He believes that people will make fun of him because of this disfigurement and be cruel towards him., The boy has as negative world view as he believes people only pretend to be concern about him by saying nice things. He also hates when people take pity on him, he believes that inside everyone is afraid of him as he is also afraid of staring himself in the mirror., Note# You can also mention he believes people find him repulsive, Mr. Lamb is still friendly and hospitable as before and offers the small boy to help him make jellies with the crab apples., Derry doesn’t want Mr. Lamb to change the topic he wants to talk about himself. The old man thinks that Derry got that scar cause of a fire accident. Derry answers that it was because of an acid accident as it ran down on one side of his face and burnt it all up., Mr. Lamb then points to the plants growing in his garden towards a weed and a flower. He tells the young boy that every life is same one has been viewed as ‘flower’ which is good and the other one ‘weed’ as a nuisance. It is all the same he relies, the perception has been made different because of society deep down there wasn’t any difference as all of it is part of God’s creation., It turns out that Mr. Lamb doesn’t have one leg as it got blown off. Some kids tease him by calling him ‘Lamey Lamb’ but he doesn’t mind it. He doesn’t cover his legs with his trousers which indicates he doesn’t mind being different and isn’t ashamed of it., Derry then says how many people have told him fairy tales, especially the story of the Beauty and the Beast. And the only difference between his life and the story is that he will remain ugly and deformed and wont change into a Prince., Unlike the story he will remain a monstrous beast., These words show that Derry suffers from a inferiority complex, a low self-esteem. He is anxious and scared most of the time as he thinks that people might be afraid and make fun of him. But the sad truth is that he is the one who is critical of himself the most., (Mr. Lamb will later on tell him how self hatred and fear is the worst enemy to living a care free and happy life.), Derry is obsessed with what people might say and comment. People out of kindness remind Derry that there are people far worse than him who are blind, dumb or mad by birth., He then talks about the time people commented on his deformity and that he can’t stand people staring at him and passing cruel comments about him., Mr. Lamb told him that there was no point in hating the world and living in constant fear. He then tells the story of a man who locked himself up in fear of dying over the fact that a bus might run over him, a donkey might kick him or lightning might. However, he died in a bizarre manner when a picture fell off the wall on his head and killed him., Note: Mr. Lamb tries to remind the boy that there was no point in living in constant fear all the time that he should be grateful for the things that he has. He still had arms, legs; eyes and ears and fear shouldn’t hold him back from living a rich and fulfilling life. The boy has a negative mindset and is constantly withdrawn and alienated most of the time, he is prejudicial over the fact that people might make fun of him and is afraid of him. He develops anxiety over such facts and the old man was able to change his mind set in the end., The fact that self love is most important that Derry should be happy and content with life. Even when people were being insensitive and making uncharitable comments he should rise above it be better than them. According to Mr. Lamb hatred was similar to a bile of acid, it never does anyone any good. The old man motivates him to move forward inlife. He should stop caring hat other say and think as their opinions didn’t matter and locking oneself wont do any good., _________________________________________________________________, Scene 2, The second scene is at Derry’s house and Derry is talking to his mother., His mother asked what did Derry think of her. She had already heard about Mr. Lamb. Derry told her not to believe what others said but she warned him that she knew what was required to be known about any person and therefore, asked him not to go back. Derry asked her the reason of her fear. He told her that Mr Lamb was just an old man with a tin leg and had a big house without curtains and a garden. He said that he wanted to go back and listen to things. His mother was curious to know what was it that he wanted to listen. He replied that he wanted to hear bees singing and wanted to listen to what Mr Lamb said. But she didn’t find it suitable and so she told him to stay at home and think about what he wanted to., ., He is going there to help the old man with crab apples and to look at things and listen. If he doesn’t go back there, he will never go anywhere in that world again., The third or last scene is again located in Mr Lamb’s garden. Derry reaches Mr Lamb’s garden panting. He finds Mr Lamb lying on the grass with the ladder. Derry tells him that he has come back. Since Mr Lamb fails to respond, Derry kneels by him and begins to weep and the curtain falls. The play has a very sad end., Character of Mr. Lamb, Mr. Lamb is a real contrasting character to that of Derry as the old man is full of optimism and has a positive attitude towards the world. He is kind, friendly and understanding figure and was a positive role model for the young boy. He is someone who lives life the fullest and accepts things as they are., He hardly shows any signs of loneliness or disappointment and is content with life. He says he has numerous friend and is evident from the fact that the gates of his garden is always open to people. Disappointment and negativity isn’t part of his philosophy of life. Even though he has a tin leg he hardly complains about it and it doesn’t hold him back from living a rich and fulfilling life., There is nothing which doesn’t interest him as he enjoys sitting in the sun and reading books. Life means growing to him, he grows all sort of plants in his gardens., Derry meeting him was a turning point for the former, as the old man was able to reform the young man attitude. Cause of their meeting Derry became nicer as a person and open hearted towards the world. Unfortunately the old man died in the end but was able to save the boy from the clutches of misery and despair to live a happy life., ____________________________________________