NCERT Solutions Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 6 - On The Face Of It
Page No: 56
Read and Find Out
1. Who is Mr. Lamb? How does Derry get into his garden?
Answer
Mr Lamb is an old man with a tin leg. His real leg was blown off years
ago during the war. He lives all alone in his house. There is a garden near
the house. It has ripe crab apples looking orange and golden in colour.
Mr Lamb is sitting in his garden when Derry climbs over the garden wall
to get into his garden. Though the gate is open, the boy does not use it.
Page No: 62
1. Do you think all this will change Derry’s attitude towards Mr. Lamb?
Answer
Derry’s burnt face made him the center of ridicule. Although people
sympathized with him, it was never a heartfelt one. This resulted in his
pessimistic approach towards life. He thought that everyone detested
and despised him. On the contrary, Mr. Lamb did not show any pity
towards him. He considered Derry to be his equal and welcomed him in
his garden. He helped the boy to love and live life happily without any
contempt for his own self. Derry had initially considered the old man to
be like others, but he gradually started respecting and liking him for
what he said.
Page No: 69
Reading with Insight
1. What is it that draws Derry towards Mr. Lamb in spite of himself?
Answer
Derry finds Mr. Lamb different from others. Mr. Lamb shows no shock or
fear on seeing Derry’s burned face. Rather he talks to him in a loving
manner. He welcomes him to his garden. He offers to pluck apples and
make jelly for him. He calls him his friend. He says that things look
outwardly different, but inwardly they are all the same. He gives the
example of flowers, trees, herbs and weeds. They look different, but
they are all growing living things. Similarly, people can have different
looks, but inwardly they are all the same. Derry says that he hates some
people. At this, Mr. Lamb says that it can do him more harm than any
bottle of acid. Acid burns only the face, but hatred burns one away
inside. He tells Derry never to think of his burned face. He has two arms,
two legs, eyes ears, tongue and a brain. And if he has a firm mind, he
can do better than others. It is by such words of encouragement that
Mr. Lamb draws Derry to himself.
2. 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
Although the loneliness of Derry dominates the play, there are evident
traces of Mr. Lamb’s loneliness throughout the first scene of the play.
The old man says that having heard the bees for a “long time” he knows
that they “sing”, not buzz. It not only depicts how his perception was
different from others but also illustrates that he was lonely and that he
did not have any one to be with.
Another evidence of his loneliness is the fact that whole day he sat in
the sun and read books. This proves that books were his only true
friends. He says that his “empty house” is full of books, underlining the
way in which the void of his empty life was filled in by books.
By the end of this scene, it becomes even clearer that he is lonely and
sad when he mutters to himself that no one comes back to him after the
first meeting. Likewise, he did not expect Derry to return. He was so sure
that Derry would never return that he climbed the ladder to collect all
the apples himself, although Derry had offered to help him after
informing his mother. Ironically, the old man would have died unnoticed
if Derry had not returned to fill the emptiness of his own life.
3. 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
A person with any physical impairment can live life with respect and
honour, if he is not ridiculed and punished with heartless pity. He
expects empathy rather than sympathy. If everyone looks down at him
with a pessimistic approach, he may never be able to come out of his
sorrow, and consequently, recline to his own secluded world. He is
already in tremendous mental and emotional pressure. So, he expects
others to be understanding rather than remind him of his disability.
In the play, Derry and Mr. Lamb, both are caught in a similar situation.
Mr. Lamb, as an adult, is able to cope with such problems, but Derry,
being a child, is not able to untangle this web alone. He develops a
strong liking for this old man because he spoke the words a person, with
such problem, would want to hear.
4. 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
The brief association of Derry with Mr. Lamb boosted his self-confidence
and helped him to respect his own self. The manner in which the old
man made Derry realize the importance of his being self-dependent, of
respecting himself and of holding on to hope helped Derry undergo a
remarkable change. The new found self-esteem makes him tell his
mother that his looks are not important.
It is not likely that the death of Mr. Lamb would take him back to his
secluded life. This big change is definitely here to stay and would not be
undone due to setbacks.
