question_answer 4)

Will Derry get back to his seclusion or will Mr Lamb's brief association effect a change in the kind of life he will lead in future?    

Answer:

When Derry met Mr Lamb in a chance meeting, he was apprehensive, shy, and bitter as he had faced a great deal of rejection early in life. People felt that his face was 'a terrible thing' and shunned him. They pretended to be sympathetic but were actually afraid of him. Derry was acutely aware that he had 'the ugliest face'. Mr Lamb exposed him to a new world where one's physical attributes did not matter. He was interested in everything God made—the weeds to him were a weed garden. He respected each creation's individuality. Just as Mr Lamb was old and Derry young, he had a burnt face while Mr Lamb, a tin leg. He felt that beauty was relative. He advised Derry to keep his ears shut to adverse comments. He told Derry that he had arms, legs, eyes, ears, tongue, and a brain and if he chose, and set his mind to it, he could get on better than all the rest. Mr Lamb said that hating people would do him more harm than any bottle of acid. Acid only burnt his face like the bomb that only blew up his leg. Worse things could happen and one could burn oneself away inside if one hated people. He said that people with the same deformity would also be different. It was incorrect to judge people by how they looked. One had to watch, listen, and think to notice the difference. This brief meeting left an indelible imprint on Derry's young mind. For the first time Derry felt comfortable with himself. He told his mother that he didn't care what he looked like. He didn't care about his face and it wasn't important. He had learnt to accept himself.