NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Vistas chapter 5: On the Face of It

Mr Lamb is an elderly gentleman with a rusted leg. Years ago, during the war, his real leg was blasted off. He is the sole occupant of his home which has a garden. It's filled with luscious crab apples that are orange and golden in colour. When Derry jumps over the garden wall to get into Mr Lamb's garden and does not utilise the open door to enter only to find Mr Lamb sitting in his garden.

Yes, Derry's attitude toward Mr Lamb will change as a result of all of this. Derry's charred face has made him the target of scorn. People sympathized with him, but it was never a heartfelt sympathy. As a result, he developed a negative outlook on life. Everyone loathed and despised him, he believed. Mr Lamb, on the other hand, showed no sympathy for him. Mr Lamb had a tin leg, and Derry had a burnt face, so Mr Lamb could sympathize with him. He assisted the youngster in learning to love and live a happy life without disrespect for himself. Derry had initially dismissed the elderly man as ordinary, but he grew to appreciate and admire him as a result of what he said.

Mr Lamb is distinct from the others, according to Derry. When Mr Lamb sees Derry's charred face, he exhibits no surprise or alarm. Instead, he speaks to him in a caring tone. He extends a warm welcome to him in his backyard. He offers to help him by picking apples and making jelly. He refers to him as a friend. He claims that things may appear to be different on the surface, but they are all the same on the inside. He uses flowers, trees, plants, and weeds as examples. They may differ in appearance, but they are all growing live organisms. People can have diverse outward appearances, yet they are all the same on the inside. When Mr Lamb hears Derry declare he dislikes some individuals, he says it can injure him more than any bottle of acid. Hatred, on the other hand, burns one's insides - the soul. He encourages Derry to forget about his burned face. He has two arms and legs, as well as eyes, ears, a tongue, and a brain.

And if he has a strong mind, he will be able to outperform others. Mr Lamb attracts Derry to himself with such words of encouragement.

Although Derry's loneliness is the focus of the play

• Mr Lamb's loneliness is evident in the first scene of the play.

• He claims to have heard the bees for a long time and that they sing instead of buzz, which shows his perception differs from others and his lack of companionship.

• Mr Lamb spent the entire day sitting in the sun reading books, indicating that his only actual friends were books.

• He mentions that his empty house is full of books, implying that reading filled the hole in his life.

• When he mutters to himself that no one comes back to him after the first meeting, it becomes evident that he is lonely and disappointment.

• Mr Lamb does not anticipate Derry's return and ascends the ladder himself to collect all the apples, showing his lack of expectation for companionship.

• Ironically, if Derry had not returned, Mr Lamb would have died unnoticed, highlighting the extent of his loneliness.

If he is not mocked and punished with cold pity, a person with any physical handicap can live a life of dignity and honour. Instead of sympathy, he expects empathy. If everyone looks down on him with a pessimistic attitude, he may never be able to shake his sadness and, as a result, retreat to his little world. He's already under a lot of mental and emotional strain. As a result, he expects others to be understanding rather than point out his handicap. Derry and Mr Lamb are both caught in a similar scenario in the play. Mr Lamb, as an adult, is capable of dealing with such issues, but Derry, as a youngster, is unable to unravel this web on his own. He takes a liking to this elderly man because he said the words to someone who was going through the same humiliation. The old man assumed the child would want to hear him.

No, Derry will not return to his seclusion. Derry's brief relationship with Mr Lamb increased his self-esteem and taught him to value himself. Derry underwent a remarkable transformation as a result of the elderly man's teaching him the significance of being self-sufficient, appreciating oneself, and holding on to hope. He tells his mother that his appearance is unimportant because of his newfound self-esteem, and he begins to believe in his abilities rather than his appearance. Mr Lamb's death is unlikely to bring him back to his reclusive existence. This significant shift in him is irreversible and will not be undone by setbacks.