Themes

The short play carries several interwoven themes, all of them arising naturally from the meeting of a scarred, embittered boy and a cheerful, disabled old man.

Physical disability and the isolation it brings

The most obvious theme is the loneliness and prejudice that physical disability or disfigurement can cause. Derry's burnt face has cut him off from other people; he assumes everyone is repelled by his appearance, and this assumption has made him withdrawn, suspicious and full of self-pity. Mr Lamb, too, has been set apart by his tin leg and mocked as "Lamey-Lamb." The play shows that the deepest wound of disability is often not the physical injury itself but the isolation — the staring, the whispered comments, the pity — the way society makes the disabled person feel abnormal and unwanted.

The power of a positive attitude

Running against Derry's despair is Mr Lamb's warm, life-affirming outlook, and the play makes this positive attitude its healing force. Mr Lamb keeps his gate always open, delights in his bees and fruit, welcomes strangers, and finds value in everything around him — even the weeds. He teaches Derry that fear and self-pity are far more disabling than a scarred face, and that a person can choose to engage joyfully with life whatever his circumstances. Our outlook, the theme insists, matters more than our physical condition.

Inner worth over outward appearance

Closely linked is the theme that what a person truly is counts for more than how a person looks. Mr Lamb urges Derry to stop measuring himself by his damaged face — "Not the whole of you" — and to value instead his thoughts, feelings and capacities. The play argues that appearance is superficial and that the real substance of a human being lies within: in character, kindness, courage and the will to live fully.

Human connection overcoming loneliness …