The Portrait of a Lady Summary

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Summary of The Portrait of a Lady Class 11

Class 11 English has a chapter based on a true story written by Khushwant Singh. In the
first chapter of the book, the author describes her grandmother and his relationship with
her. He has beautifully penned down what she did all day when she was old. The
description of her appearance in the prose piece is remarkable. It shows how niftily the
author has drawn a character with his words. 

To understand the chapter well enough, use The Portrait of a Lady Class 11 Summary
prepared by the top experts of Vedantu. This chapter has beautiful explanations of many
things you need to understand. The context of this prose piece should be properly
analyzed so that you can answer the questions properly. The Portrait of a Lady Summary
Class 11 has been formatted in a simple language enabling you to read it and get hold of
what the author wants us to understand. This will help you score well in the exams.

Introduction

The summary of The Portrait of a Lady is based on the author's grandmother's true story.
The author's name is Kushwant Singh. He informs us about his youth with his
grandmother. The summary of this story tells you about the writer's relationship with his
grandma. This synopsis includes all of the beautiful and poignant moments. It will inform
you about the writer's beautiful relationship with his grandmother.

Summary: The Portrait of a Lady 

The author begins the narrative with a well-embraced account of his grandma. He
remembers his grandmother as a small and healthy woman with a slight hunch. Her silver
hair was strewn across her aged face in a haphazard manner. She used to stroll around
the entire house dressed in white. Her one hand was resting on her waist, while the other
was telling the beads of her rosary.

The writer regards her as not very attractive but always gorgeous. He compares her
serene expression to the winter scenery. During their extended stay in the hamlet, She
used to rouse him from bed in the early morning, plaster his wooden slate, prepare his
breakfast, and send him to school.

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She used to feed the stale chapatis to the street dogs on their way back home. When
they moved to the city, it marked a watershed moment to their lovely relationship. His
grandma could no longer accompany him to school. Now, the writer started to ride a
school bus to the city school and study courses like English, Physics, Mathematics, and
many more that his grandma could not grasp.

She was dissatisfied with the municipal school's lack of instruction on God and the Bible.
He was instead given music lessons but his grandmother said nothing.

When the writer went to university, he was given his room at his residence. This played
the biggest role in severing the close bond between him and his grandmother. She no
longer spoke to anyone in the home. She spent a lot of time sitting with her spinning
wheel, praying to God. She fed the sparrows in the afternoon. 

When the writer moved for higher studies to another country, his grandma was
unconcerned. She saw him off at the airport. The writer was worried that seeing her at
this age may be his last contact with her. But when he returned home after a 5-year
absence, his grandma was there to greet him, and he witnessed her rejoice on his return.

She became unwell the next morning. Despite the doctor's assurance that it was only a
little fever that would pass quickly, she could sense that her time to depart this world was
approaching. She didn't want to waste her time conversing with anyone.

She went to her bed and prayed and spoke the beads till her lips stopped moving and the
rosary slipped from her lifeless fingers. Thousands of sparrows swooped in and sat
scattered about her corpse to mourn her passing. When the elderly lady's body was
brought away for the final rites, all the sparrows fluttered away without making a sound.

Conclusion
To summarise The Portrait Of A Lady, the writer and his grandma had a wonderful
relationship and adored each other. The story depicts how lovely a friendship may
develop between a grandchild and his grandma. In this way, it perfectly expresses how
strong familial bonds and bonds of love are, and how distance split them apart even while
their hearts were connected. Probably this is why despite being so old, the grandmother
was able to survive one more day with her grandson by her side before passing away.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1. How was the Relationship Between the Author and his Grandmother?

In Class 11 The Portrait of a Lady Summary, the poet was fond of her grandmother as he
remembers how she took care of him.

Q2. How did the Author Describe his Grandmother?

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The Summary of Chapter The Portrait of a Lady Class 11 suggests that the author
described his grandmother as an old and weak woman with white hair and a wrinkled
face.

Q3. What did the Author Miss About his Grandmother?

As per Class 11 English The Portrait of a Lady Summary, the author missed how she took
care of him when he was a kid.

4. What are the main themes of the story?

The themes can be understood to be spread across different stages of the author’s life.
During childhood, innocence, adoration, and love between the pair of grandmother and
grandson form the main themes. However, during the author’s time in the city, the two
were bound by themes of disconnect and unfamiliarity. Lastly, after his return from
abroad, the main theme seems to be the sense of reunion and a bittersweet finality.

5. What was the main reason for the severing of the bond between the author and his
grandmother?

The first instance was when they moved to the city, where their entire lives and their
routine changed. Their topics of discussion and conversation were also reduced due to
the change in subjects taught at his school. The second instance was when he went
abroad for his studies, with his grandmother reluctantly but lovingly sending him off.

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