MY MOTHER AT SIXTY-SIX

1) What is the theme of this poem?

Ans. This poem reveals the poet’s closeness to her mother and her fear of losing her mother to the finality
of death, feelings all humans are familiar with. Seeing a parent dwindling before one’s eyes is painful
and unacceptable. The theme encompasses separation from a loved one, one’s inability to reconcile
oneself to the inevitability of death and how one learns to accept it in the course of time. It also deals
with the social isolation and the loneliness which tend to increase with age as a result of the younger
generation’s need for independence or the necessity to earn a livelihood.

2) Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?

Ans. As the car moves at a very high speed, the trees outside give the illusion offlashing by /rushing in the
opposite direction. Hence, they have been described as ‘sprinting’. It could also indicate the rapidity of
the passing of one’s youth.

3) Why does the poet look at ‘the young trees sprinting’ and ‘the merry children spilling out of their homes’?
Why does she use these images?
Ans. The poet can’t bear to see her dozing motherlook as grey-faced as a dead body. Her mother’s deathlike
stillness is equally upsetting. So, by watching the young trees flashing past and the happy children
rushing out of their homes, she hopes to divert her thoughts from her own inner fears.She tries to drive
away her own sadness and sense of helplessness in the face of her mother’s ageing and impending
death. She hopes to forget this reality by simply ignoring it or refusing to accept it. A contrast is drawn
between the mother’s advancing age, helplessness and seeming lifelessness / stillness and the youth
and freshness, the vitality and the movement of the trees and the children.‘The merry children spilling out
of their homes’ symbolises the spontaneous overflow of life. Thus, the image of death is replaced by one
of life.

4) What is the symbolic significance of the security check at the Cochin airport?
Ans. The security check serves as a barrier or a point of separation between the poet and her mother,
beyond which the latter may not proceed. Though the physical distance may not be too great, the
emotional impact is. Due to life’s circumstances, the poetess is forced reluctantly to leave her mother
behind, even as she notices how faded and sickly the latter looks.

5) Why is the mother compared to ‘the late winter’s moon’?

Ans. The waning moon symbolises decay and winter, death. The mother’s sickly and pale appearance
resembles the dullness of the late winter’s moon obscured by fog or mist. The image that comes to
mind is of the mother fading away gradually — her ageing decay; her youthful radiance has been
misted by age,illness and frailty.Also, during winter, the moon is hazy and unclear. Here, thismight
imply that the poet can’t be sure of her mother’s future:whether or not the latter will still be alive when
she visits next.

6) What do the poet’s parting words and smile signify?

Ans. The poet’s heart aches with the fear of separation and of losing her mother, so wants to reassure both
herself and the latter. Not wanting to face her fears and to avoid acknowledging the reality of the
latter’s ageing and mortality, Kamala Das infuses her parting words and smile with enthusiasm and
positivity. She puts on a brave front, hoping against hope that her mother will live on for a long time.
Also, she hides her guilt at leaving her mother at that critical juncture. Kamala Das conceals her true
feelings and fears, probably so as not to worry her mother or to add to her sorrow at their separation.

7) What is the underlying message of this poem?

Ans. The poetess, Kamala Das is deeply distressed to see her mother’s pitiable condition — ill-health and
approaching death. However, other considerations prevent her from remaining with her mother. She
has to move on just as life does. Death or approaching death, no matter how painful, is inevitable and
must be accepted.
… I saw my mother, beside me, out of their homes, but after the airport’s
doze, open mouthed, her face security check, standing a few yards
ashen like that away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
of a corpse and realised with pain as a late winter’s moon and felt thatold
that she was as old as she looked but soon familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,
put that thought away, and but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,
looked out at young all I did was smile and smile and smile.....
trees sprinting, the merry children spilling

i. Describe the poet’s mother.

Ans. The poet’s mother is asleep with her mouth open, oblivious to her surroundings. Her face is absolutely
pale or grey.She isunmoving, seemingly lifeless.

ii. What were the poet’s thoughts when she looked at her sleeping mother?
Ans. Watching her sleeping mother, the poet realised how aged, ill and weak she looked. As sleep is often
associated with death, she couldn’t help but think that death would soon take her mother away.

iii. Explain ‘ashen like that of a corpse’.

Ans. The poet means that, because of her mother’s advanced age, illness and physical weakness, her face
looks as dull and grey as that of a dead body. This is indicative of approaching death.

iv. What is the pain and fear the poet feels?

Ans. Seeing her weak, grey-faced and ageing mother, the poet once again feels the pain of being parted
from her either by circumstances or by death. She is reminded of her childhood fear of losing her. Her
heart aches when she thinks of her mother’s approaching death; she fears she might not see the latter
the next time she visits her parent’s home. She might even feel guilty for not being there for her
mother during her twilight years.

v. List the figures of speech in this poem, with examples.

Ans. Simile = ashen like thatof a corpse, paleas a late winter’s moon; Personification= youngtrees sprinting;
Metaphor = merry children spilling; Imagery = youngtrees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of
their homes, winter’s moon; Alliteration = see you soon; Repetition= smile and smile and smile

… I saw my mother, beside me,

doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with pain

i. Where is the speaker and with whom?

Ans. The speaker, accompanied by her mother, is in the car on the way to Cochin airport.

ii. What does the speaker realise with pain and how?
Ans. Observing her mother dozing, open-mouthed, and looking quite pale, the poetess is reminded of a dead
body. She comes to the painful realisation that her mother was ageing and ill, nearing death.

iii. Why is that realisation painful?

Ans. That realisation is painful as the poetess cannot accept the harsh reality of her mother’s approaching or
actual death and the resulting eternal separation.

iv. Identify the figure of speech used in the above lines, with example.
Ans. Simile — ashen like that of a corpse.