My Mother at Sixty-six

By Kamala Das ( her pen name ‘Madhavikutty’)

Born in Malabar, Kerala
 In this poem, she talks about her mother.
 This poem is based on mother-daughter relation and
 The poet shares her feelings of love and attachment towards her ageing mother.

Theme:
 The poem revolves around the theme of advancing age and the fear of separation of a daughter from her aging
mother.
 It is a sentimental account of the mother’s approaching end through the eyes of the daughter.
 It reflects the natural bond of love and affection between the mother and daughter, smeared in the backdrop of
nostalgia and fear.
 Nostalgia of the past (the time spent with the mother) and fear of the future without her.
 It is a short poem, without a full stop, the poem is like a long sentence, over flowing thought process.
 The poet uses the device of comparison and contrast, simile and repetition.

The Poem Explanation

Driving from my parent’s home to The poetess explains that once when she visited her parent’s house in
Cochin last Friday morning, Cochin.
I saw my mother, beside me, It was a Friday morning, when she was driving back to the airport, her
mother was sitting beside (alongside) her at the back of the car.

She looks at her closely and presents before us her image.

Poetic Device:
Assonance: Here we see the use of vowel sound that is ‘o’.(To Cochin
last Friday morning)
Doze, open mouthed, her face Poet uses a “similie”
ashen like that of a corpse and
She saw that her mother was sleeping and her mouth was open. She
realised with pain that she was as
old as she looked further explains that the colour of her mother’s face was like that of
ash. (This means that there was some smoky appearance on her
face). Here poet strikes a comparison between her mother with the
dozing face and open mouth and a corpse (a dead body)
As she looks at her mother’s pale and pallid face, she is struck with
the horror and pain of losing her.
Here, the poet shows the typical love and affection which is present in
a mother-daughter relation.
The words ‘driving’ and ‘doze’ provide a contrast between images of
dynamic activity and static passivity respectively
Doze: a short and light sleep, nap
Ashen: very pale like ash
Poetic Device:
Similie: comparing with corpse, use of word “like that”
Assonance: Use of vowel sound ‘o’,’a’, ‘e’ (doze, open-mouthed, her
face ashen like that
of a corpse)
but soon put that thought away, and The poetess realised that her mother has grown old.
looked out She felt pain for her mother.
at Young Trees sprinting, But she shifts her attention outside the car in order to drive out the
the merry children spilling out of negative feelings and emotions.
their homes,
She changes her sad mood.
.
The scene outside the window is of growing life and energy.
The rapidly sprinting trees alongside the merrily playing children
running out of their house into the playground.
The young trees although stationary seemed to be running very fast
as though they were sprinting

All these sights symbolized life, happiness, youth, energy ,

dynamism,enthusiasm , activity and vitality.
contrary to her mother’s old age.

The poet here is reminded of her own childhood when her mother
had been young whereas now she is encircled with the fear of losing
her and that has made her insecure and trying to rejuvenate her with
positive thoughts by looking outside to young playful life.

Spilling: let out

Sprinting: Moving fast

Poetic Device:
Consonance: use of the sound ‘s’ and ‘t’
imagery: when the poet say trees sprinting, merry children spilling
Repetition: Repeated use of ‘looked’
but after the airport’s security The poet continues that when she reached the airport, she finished
check, standing a few yards away, I with the security check and stood a few yards away from her mother.
looked again at her, wan, pale as a She noticed her mother’s ageing face which looked so dull, weak and
late winter’s moon
pale.

She is at the airport to take a flight. It indicates departure and

separation which creates melancholy.

As she bids goodbye to her mother, the image of the old, wan, worn
out mother in the twilight of years strikes her again.

Here again a similie is used to compare her mother with a late

winter’s moon that is not shiny, whose light is obstructed by fog and
mist As she looks old now and lost the charm of youth, her
personality is affected by it.

Wan: dim, weak

Pale: dull, colourless

Poetic Device:
Similie

and felt that old familiar ache, my As her mother was getting older and weak, the poet/poetess feels the
childhood’s fear, but all I said was, fear of separation just as she used to feel during her childhood.
see you soon, Amma, all I did was
The pain of separation is depicted here.
 smile and smile and smile.... As a child, she could not bear the pain of separating from her mother.
But now as her mother has grown old and is inching towards the end
of her life, the poetess is pained. Hence the poet feels that maybe this
is the last time that she is seeing her mother.
She tries to hide her fear. Keeping a brave front she hides her tears
and smiles.
She bids goodbye to her mother and keeping her hope of seeing her
again alive, says “see you soon, Amma”. She hides her sorrow and
pain as she does not want to create a painful environment for her
mother and conveys her that as she is enjoying her life similarly her
mother should also be happy and enjoy her life.

Poetic Device:
Repetition: use of ‘smile
Rhyme scheme – The poem does not follow any rhyme or rhythm. It
has been written in free verse.

Q. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
Ans:
 When the poet looks at her mother’s face closely, she discovers that she has aged and she is inching towards
end of her life.
 The feeling of her mother being old, needing care and help pains the poet as there is no one to look after her.
 She feels that her mother can die any moment and that then she will lose her forever, putting an end to the
beautiful relation of a mother and daughter.
 Her childhood fear of losing her mother which was then timely but now, will be forever, resurfaces.
 The poet feels the pain of her mother’s old age and her helplessness towards her.
 She realises that time and ageing spares none and not even her beloved mother.
 With this ageing, separation and death become inevitable.
 Hence she has the fear of separating from her mother forever, upon her death.

Q. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?

 The poet is driving to the Cochin airport. To change her fear and sad mood, she looks outside, to have a vision
of the young trees.
 The young trees have been personified.
 When looked at from the poet’s moving car, they seem to be running past, symbolizing life, happiness,
youth, energy , dynamism, enthusiasm , activity and vitality.
 The poet found it to be strikingly opposite/ in contrast to her old mother who looked lifeless, as still as a dead
body.

Q. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’?

 The poet has drawn a contrast between her old mother, who was dozing and appeared to be lifeless with the
playful children outside.
 It’s a comparison between life and death.
 Her mother is sleeping, with mouth open, like a lifeless body, while outside she can see children who are full
of life, energy and enthusiasm, symbolizing life, happiness, youth, energy , dynamism,
enthusiasm , activity and vitality.
 Thus the contrasting image of poet’s old mother, representing ageing, decay and lifelessness on one hand and
the image of happiness and spontaneous overflow of life of the children, enhances the poetic effect.

Q. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?

 Just as the late winter’s moon is dull and lacks lustre, so is her mother at the end stage of her life.
 Her shrunken “ashen” face at the age of sixty six resembles lifelessness, which has lost all the charm, shine
and strength of youth, just like the hazy and obscure winter moon.
  Also, as the late winter moon gets overshadowed by the fog and mist in the sky similarly her mother can get
overshadowed by death at any time.
 Both of them are nearing an end- one of season and the other of life.
 Thus the comparison is apt and appropriate.

Q. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
(OR) Why does the poet smile and what does she say while bidding good bye to her mother ?
(OR) With fear and ache inside her heart and words of assurance on lips and smile on the face, the poet
presents two opposite and contrasting experiences. Why does the poet put on a smile?

 The ‘wan’, ‘pale’, face of the poet’s mother at sixty-six brings an image of decay and death. It brings that old
familiar fear of separation back. She fears the ultimate fate of human beings.
 But she made a brave effort and regains self-control on her emotions.
 She composes herself and tries to be normal.
 The poet’s parting words of assurance and her smiles provide a stark contrast to the old familiar ache or fear
of the childhood. It shows a positive attitude and sign of hope and optimism.
 Her words and smiles are a deliberate attempt to hide her real feelings.
 She overcomes her pain and fear, assures herself and her mother that they would meet again.
 The repetition of the word “smile” symbolises an attempt to overcome the ache and fear deep inside her heart.

NCERT Question Answer

Read the stanzas given below and answer the questions that follow each:
1. Driving from my parents home to Cochin last Friday morning, 1 saw my mother, beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse and realised with pain
that she was as old as she looked but soon
Questions
(a)Where was the poet driving to? Who was sitting beside her?
(b)What did the poet notice about her mother?
(c)Why was her mother’s face looked like that of a corpse?
(d)Find words from the passage which mean :
(i) sleep lightly (ii) dead body (iii) felt.
Answers:
(a)The poet was driving from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport. Her mother was sitting beside her.
(b)She noticed that her mother was dozing with her mouth open.
(c)Her mother’s face looked pale, faded and lifeless like a dead body because she had grown old.
(d)(i) doze (ii) corpse (iii) realised.

2.…………..She
looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes,
Questions
(a)What did the poet realise? How did she feel
(b) What did she do then?
(c)What did she notice in the world outside?
(d)Find words from the passage which mean: (ii) running fast (ii) happy (iii) moving out.
Answers:
(a)Her mother was lost somewhere else in thoughts. It pained her.
(b)The poet withdrew her thoughts from her mother and looked outside.
(c)The young trees growing outside went past as if they were sprinting. Happy children were coming out of their
houses.
(d)(i) sprinting (ii) merry (iii) spilling.
3………………but after the airport’s
security check, standing a few yards away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s mooft and felt that old
familiar ache, my childhood’s fear, but all I said was, see you soon,
Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and
smile
Questions
(a)What did the poet do after the security check?
(b)Why did the poet compare her mother’s face to a late winter’s moon?
(c)What is her childhood fear ?
(d)How do the parting words of the poet and her smile present a contrast to her real feelings?
Answers:
(a)After the security check, the poet stood a few yards away from her mother and looked at her face again.
(b)The late winter moon lacks brightness as well as strength. The pale and colourless face of the mother resembles the
late winter moon.
(c)The fear of ageing and ultimate death/separation.
(d)The poet’s parting words of assurance and her smiles present a stark contrast to the old familiar ache or childhood
fear. Her words and smiles are a deliberate attempt to hide what is going on inside.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (Word Limit: 30-40 words)

Q1. Where was the poet going and who was with her?
Ans:
 The poet was driving from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport.
 The poet’s mother had come to see her off.
 She was sitting beside her.
 She was dozing with her mouth open.
 The words ‘driving’ and ‘doze’ provide a contrast between images of dynamic activity and static passivity
respectively.

Q2. What was the poet’s childhood fear? [All India 2014]
Ans:
 A child is always in fear of being separated from his/her parents.
 In the same way, the poet’s fear as a child was that of losing her mother or her company.

Q3. What does the poet’s mother look like? What kind of images has the poet used to signify her ageing decay?
Ans: The poet’s mother is sixty-six years old. She is sitting beside the poet and dozing with her mouth open. This is a
sign of old age. Usually old people keep their mouth open to overcome breathing problems. Her face looked pale and
faded like ash. Actually, she is an image of death as her ‘ashen’ face looks like that of a corpse.

Q4. What does the poet realise with pain? Why does the poet ‘put that thought away’ and look outside? 2014
Ans:

 The lifeless and faded face of the poet’s mother pains her heart.
 She looks lifeless like a corpse and provides an image of passivity, decay and death.
 She realises that with passage of time, a person ages and death is inevitable.
 The poet needs a distraction, a deviation of her thoughts.
 She puts those negative thoughts away and looks outside.
 Outside the car, the poet watches young trees speeding past them. They seem to be running fast or sprinting.
 Happy children are moving out of their homes cheerfully. They present an image of of life, happiness,
youth, energy , dynamism, enthusiasm , activity and vitality.

Q5. Describe the world inside the car and compare it to the activities taking place outside?
Ans:
 The pale and faded face of the poet’s mother looks lifeless like a corpse.
  Her dozing with mouth wide open suggests passivity, decay and death.
 Outside the car, the poet watches young trees speeding past them. They seem to be running fast or sprinting.
 Happy children are moving out of their homes cheerfully. They present an image of of life, happiness,
youth, energy , dynamism, enthusiasm , activity and vitality.

Q6. How has the poet contrasted the scene inside the car with the activities going on outside?
Ans:
The poet has used beautiful images to highlight the stark contrast between the scene inside the car and the
activities going on outside. The ‘ashen’ face of the poet’s mother is pale and lifeless. It looks like that of a corpse.
She is dozing and lost to herself. The image of the ‘dozing’ mother is contrasted with the “sprinting” young trees
and ‘spilling’ of children. Thus a contrast of passivity, decay and death on one side and life, happiness,
youth, energy , dynamism, enthusiasm , activity and vitality on the other.

Q7. What does the poet do after the security check-up? What does she notice?
Ans:
 She had to pass through a security check-up at the airport.
 After it, the poet stands a few yards away from her mother.
 Before saying parting words to her mother, she looks at her mother again.
 Her face looks pale and colourless like the late winter’s moon.
 She represents a picture of ageing and decay.

Q8. What is the poet’s familiar ache and why does it return?
Ans:
 The poet is pained at the ageing and decaying of her mother.
 The fear is that with ageing comes decay and death.
 The sight of her old mother’s ‘ashen’ and corpse-like face arouses “that old familiar ache” in her heart.
 Her childhood fear returns.
 She is also pained and frightened by the idea that she may have to face all these things herself.

Q9. What poetic devices have been used by Kamala Das in ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’?
Ans:
The poem ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ is rich in imagery. Kamala Das uses the devices of comparison and contrast. The
use of simile is very effective. The face of the poet’s old mother is described as ‘ashen’. This ashen face is ‘like that of
a corpse’. The poet uses another simile. The “wan, pale’ face of the mother is compared to ‘a late winter’s moon’.
The poem excels in contrasts. The old ‘dozing’ lady inside is contrasted with the young trees “sprinting” and merry
children “spilling” out of their homes.

Q10. Why does the poet smile and what does she say while bidding good bye to her mother ?
OR
With fear and ache inside her heart and words of assurance on lips and smile on the face, the poet presents two
opposite and contrasting experiences. Why does the poet put on a smile?
Ans:
 The ‘wan’, ‘pale’, face of the poet’s mother at sixty-six brings an image of decay and death.
 It brings that old familiar fear of separation back.
 She fears the ultimate fate of human beings.
 But she has to put on a brave face.
 She regains self-control.
 She composes herself and tries to look normal.
 She utters the words of assurance that they will meet again soon.
 She tries to hide her ache and fear by smiling continuously.