ENGLISH - XII

My Mother at Sixty-Six
- Kamala Das
SUMMARY
After a visit to her parents’ home, the poet was driving to the airport
with her sixty-six-year-old mother sitting beside her. Her glance fell
on the face of her sleeping mother. It struck her that her mother’s pale
ashen face resembled that of a corpse. She realised her mother was
ageing and this brought with it the painful thought of losing her. She
dismissed the thought and turned her attention to outside the car. She
looked at the young trees flashing past as the car moved forward. She
also saw energetic children pouring out of their homes.
Later, after the security check at the airport, she again looked at her
mother’s weak and sickly expression that was like the dim glow of the
winter moon. She was once again assailed by familiar childhood fears
of insecurity after losing her mother. However, she didn’t want to
give her mother an inkling of their feelings. So, she reassured her with
the promise of revisiting her soon and maintained a smile on her face
till they parted.

CRITICAL APPRECIATION

A sensitive writer, Kamala Das captures the complex subtleties of

human relationships in lyrical idiom. This poem captures the bond
that binds a mother and her daughter. With love and attachment
comes the fear of losing a loved one. The poem contrasts the
ageing mother with images of young trees and energetic children.
A beautiful smile compares the sickly expression of the mother’s
face to a winter moon – winter being symbolic of old age.
LITERARY DEVICES
Simile: her face ashen like that of a corpse
wan, pale as a late winter ‘s moon
Repetition: smile and smile and smile
Personification: Young Trees sprinting
Metaphor: merry children spilling out of their homes
Images and Symbols: doze, open mouthed
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes – are
symbols of youth, vitality, life and growth.
Late winter’s moon – symbolises lack of energy and death
Special feature of the Poem
The entire poem is composed in a single sentence, punctuated only by
commas which indicate that a single thought runs from the beginning
to the end.

[Please write the following questions and answers in your English

notebook]

[Think it out Page 91 - Flamingo]

1. What kind of pain and ache does the poet feel?
Ans: The poet feels the pain of losing her mother and the ache of
separation and insecurity.
2. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?
Ans: The young trees are viewed from a car speeding ahead, so it
seems as if they are flashing past (backward).
3. Why has the poet brought in the image of merry children
 ‘spilling out of their homes’?
Ans: The poet has brought in the image of merry children to contrast
old age with youthful energy in order to divert her mind from gloomy
thoughts.
4. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s
moon’?
Ans: Winter is symbolic of old age. The moon during the winter
season has a dull look which is comparable to the ashen pale
face of the poet’s mother.
5. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
Ans: The parting words of the poet were a reassurance to her mother
that all was well. She did not want her mother to see how worried she
was. So, she kept her cheerful appearance.

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