Overcoming Adversity: Derry and Mr. Lamb’s Journey

Comparing Mr. Lamb and Derry

Both Mr. Lamb and Derry suffer from physical impairments. Mr. Lamb has an artificial leg made of tin, and Derry has a severely burnt face. Both experiences have been terribly painful for the respective sufferers. Apart from this, Mr. Lamb does not bother about his lameness or that children make fun of him. He takes life as it comes without grumbling. He keeps the gates of his house and windows open. Mr. Lamb loves all of God’s creatures and states, “There’s nothing God made that doesn’t interest me.” Weeds and flowers demonstrate life and growth. If one isolates oneself, one might suffer like the man in Mr. Lamb’s story who died when a picture fell off the wall and killed him.

Derry, on the other hand, is a fourteen-year-old boy who is conscious of his ugly face and is full of bitterness. Derry is withdrawn and has a complex. He hates meeting people. He suffers on account of the pain caused by his notions of how much people hate him and are repulsed by him. Derry is forced by Mr. Lamb to see that actions are more important than looks, and even weeds have their value. Mr. Lamb’s positive attitude changes Derry and inspires him to rush back and face the world.

The Theme of ‘On the Face of It’

“On the Face of It” deals with the theme that appearances are deceptive. Derry’s mother has been warned about Mr. Lamb, and Derry is seen as a repulsive, ugly boy. Mr. Lamb, on the contrary, is a kind and generous man who has a positive and practical outlook. Derry is a vulnerable boy who desires love and acceptance.

The play also deals with the consequences of physical impairment on a person’s emotions. People need love and not pity. This theme has been brought out through the positive attitude of Mr. Lamb, who draws Derry out of his shell. He tells Derry that acid only burns the face, but isolation and withdrawing from the world consume the whole being. Mr. Lamb illustrates that scars do not change a person. On the face of it, people may appear differently-abled, but they are all the same. They are God’s creations, like the weeds and the flowers. It is life. The theme has been woven into the play through the interaction of the two characters.

Derry’s Benefits from Mr. Lamb

Derry was a fourteen-year-old boy whose one side of the face was burnt because a bottle of acid fell on him. As a result, he became conscious of his ugly face. He found that people either ridiculed him or pitied him. He developed a negative attitude towards life. He became frustrated. But when he met Mr. Lamb, he got inspiration from him to live life as it comes. Derry was encouraged by Mr. Lamb to look at the world around him and to find many interesting things. He found truth, sense, and inspiration in Mr. Lamb’s words. He learnt to handle the handicap and loneliness from Mr. Lamb. In fact, it was Mr. Lamb who brought Derry back to life. Derry learnt the way to live life fully by dealing with his infirmity in an appropriate manner.

Derry’s Infirmity and Defiance

Derry was a fourteen-year-old boy. Half of his face was burnt as acid fell on it. This made him look so ugly that everyone either showed pity or ridiculed him. This kind of attitude from people made him bitter. He detested the world and suffered from a lack of self-respect and rejection. Derry’s infirmity made him so frustrated that he evaded people. He came to Mr. Lamb’s garden because he thought it to be empty. When he saw Mr. Lamb, he wanted to go away. He was extremely sensitive and even had a grudge against his mother for kissing him only on the other side of his burnt face.