Question

Character sketch of Derry

Answer 1

Answer:

hey buddy..

The other protagonist of On the Face of It, Derry (whose full name is Derek) is a boy of fourteen with a badly burned face. Of the accident that left him scarred, all he says is “I got acid all down that side of my face and it burned it all away. It ate my face up.” Because of this, people treat him differently—he complains that others fear and pity him, and usually actively avoid him. This has led Derry to isolate himself and create a tough, reserved exterior. He wants to avoid being hurt, and so he avoids everyone he can, and when he does interact with other people he is both wary and angrily defiant. He also has internalized the way others see him and seems to consider himself monstrous because of his disability. He assumes that the world is a harsh and alienating place, and acts accordingly—for example, climbing over Mr. Lamb’s garden wall instead of checking the gate, which is always left open. At first Derry assumes that Mr. Lamb will treat him like other people do, but he is soon intrigued by the old man’s “peculiar” questions and open nature, suggesting that Derry does in fact long for human connection even as he fears the potential pain of being rejected. This is confirmed when Derry runs away from his mother—who, it’s suggested, treats him with a dehumanizing kind of pity—to go back to Mr. Lamb’s garden, where he just wants to sit and talk with the old man.