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Critical Evaluation of “Face”
by Benjamin Zephaniah



The Novel “Face” written by Benjamin Zephaniah is a compelling story about an adolescent who’s life goes from being everything you could ever wish for, to everything you would wish not to have! This novel deals with the main character’s (Martin) struggles to get back his everyday normal life after he is involved in a serious accident which leaves him with life changing facial disfigurements which cannot be healed nor justified by any surgery or medical attention.


The connotations of the title suggest that in this novel someone has to face up to a obstacle in their life that has been causing them distress or upset, such as bullying etc. It could also be about someone’s facial features being altered, which we later find out to be the case!


Martin starts off in the story as the know-it-all teenager that has everything he need’s and shall ever want as a teenager. He feels on top of the world and thinks that he is untouchable in his perfect little life! He soon finds out that this in fact is completely untrue, as he discovers when he gets involved in what he thinks of as just harmless fun when he climbs into a stolen car. Of course Martin wasn’t aware that the boys within in the car were carrying a load of illegal drugs, but I feel he should have used his basic instinct and went with his friend Mark who had chosen to continue walking home.


Martin’s stay at the hospital is due to the injuries he sustained during the car accident. Whilst in hospital Martin meets many people who are in a much worse situation than he is, this seems to open up martin’s eyes and drives him to coping with reality. Whilst in hospital Martin has one act of surgery on his face which involves the use of skin graphing. Later, after realising that his facial state will make no major improvement, Martin decides...