My Mother at Sixty-Six

By- Kamala Das

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.
1.” Driving from my parent’s home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother, beside me, doze, open-mouthed, her face
ashen like that of a corpse and realized with pain
that she was as old as she looked but soon put that thought away…
(a)Where was the narrator driving to? Who was sitting beside her?
The narrator was driving to the airport on her way to Cochin. Her mother was sitting next to her.
(b) What did the narrator notice about her mother?
The narrator noticed that her mother had dozed off and she was looking old, pale and weak.
(c) Why did her mother’s face look like that of a corpse?
The mother looked old, pale and ashen. Since she had dozed off, with her mouth open, the narrator felt
she looked like a corpse in that condition.
(d) Find words from the passage which mean (i) Sleep lightly (ii) Dead body
(i) Dozed; (ii) Corpse
2. “looked but soon put that thought away, and
looked out at young trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes
(a) What did the narrator realize? How did she feel?
The narrator realized that her mother had grown old and would not be around for very long. This thought
pained her.
(b) What did she do then?
She started looking out of the car window in order to divert her attention to something else.
(c) What did she see outside?
She saw young trees moving fast as if they were sprinting and also saw young children happily running
out of their homes to play.
(d) Find words from the passage which mean (i) Running fast (ii) Happy
(i) Sprinting; (ii) Merry
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 moon”
(a)Name the poem and the poet.
The poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ and the poet is `Kamala Das’.
(b) What did the narrator do after the security check?
The narrator stood a few yards away and looked at her mother’s face again.
(c) Why did the narrator compare her mother’s face to a late winter’s moon?
The narrator’s mother is old, frail and very pale like the moon in late winter. Hence, the comparison.
(d) Find words from the extract which mean the same as (i) Colourless (ii) Faded yellowish
(i) Pale; (ii) Wan
4. ….as a late winter’s moon and felt that old
familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,
(a) What has been compared to a late winter’s moon?
The narrator’s ageing mother has been compared to the late winter’s moon.
(b) Why has the comparison been made?
The narrator’s mother looked old, frail and very pale like the moon in late winter. Hence, the comparison.
(e) Identify the poetic device in the lines.
The poetic device used in the line ‘as a late winter’s moon’ is a simile.
(d) What is the ‘familiar ache’ mentioned in these lines?
It refers to the narrator’s childhood fear of losing her parent or fear of separation from her. 5. but all I
said was, see you soon, Amma, all I did was smile and smile and smile…’
(a) Why did the narrator say ‘see you soon, Amma’?
The narrator said this to reassure her mother and herself that she would see her soon. After the pain of
realizing that her mother had grown old, there is a mood of acceptance of reality.
(b) Why did the narrator smile and smile?
The narrator tries to put up a brave in front of her mother in order to hide her true feelings of pain at
seeing the old and weak condition of her mother.
(c) ‘Smile and smile and smile’ is a poetic device. Identify it.
It is repetition and has been used to emphasise the narrator’s acceptance of the fact that her mother had
aged and wouldn’t be around much longer.
(d) Amma is the fond way of addressing someone. Who is being addressed here?
The narrator’s mother is being addressed as ‘Amma’.
5. “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
(a) What does the phrase, ‘familiar ache’ mean?
(b) What was the poet’s childhood fear?
(c) What do the first two lines tell us about the poet’s feelings for her mother?
(d) What does the repeated use of the word, ‘smile’ mean?
(a) The phrase ‘familiar ache’ here means a persistent painful thought which has been nagging about her
frail old mother.
(b) The poet’s childhood fear was of losing her old and ageing mother one day.
(c) The first two lines tell us that the poet agonizes at the thought of her mother growing old and she is
trying to sound hopeful while bidding farewell to her mother.
(d) The repeated use of ‘smile’ indicates that she ran short of words, became emotional and was trying to
make an effort to hide her pain behind that smile.
6. ————-I saw my mother,
beside me, doze, open-mouthed, her face ashen like
that of a corpse and realised with pain
(a) Who is ‘I’?
(b) What did ‘I’ realise with pain?
(c) Why was the realisation painful?
(d) Identify and name the figure of speech used in these lines.
(a) Here ‘ l’ is the poet.
(b) ‘I’, i.e. the poet realised with pain her ageing mother’s failing health and noticed her corps till pale
face.
(c) The realization was painful as she felt that her mother might not live long.
(d) The figure of speech is simile ‘ashen like that of a corpse’.
7.Driving from my parent’s home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother, beside me,
doze, open-mouthed, her face ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with pain
(a) When and where was the poetess driving to?
(b) Who was sitting beside her? What did the poetess notice about her?
(c) What does the poetess compare her mother’s face with and why?
(d) Name the poem and the poetess.
(a) The poetess was driving from her parents home to the airport at Cochin on a Friday morning.
(b) The mother of the poetess was sitting beside her. She noticed that her mother was dozing with her
mouth open. Then she realised that her mother had grown old.
(c) The poetess compares her mother’s face with a corpse, i.e. a dead body because her face has lost the
charm. It is pale, faded and lifeless.
(d) The poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ and is written by Kamala Das.
8. …that she was as old as she
looked but soon put that thought away, and
looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the messy children spilling
out of their homes,
(a) What did the poetess realise? How did she feel?
(b) What did the poetess do then?
(c) What did the poetess notice outside?
(d) Explain: “the merry children spilling out of their homes”.
(e) What do young sprinting trees signify?
(f) Which thoughts did the poetess put away?
(a) The poetess realised that her mother was old now. Her corpse-like ashen face made the poet accept
the fact that her mother was approaching her death. This realisation frightened the poetess. She felt
restless and disturbed.
(b) The poetess tried to change the thought of her mind and distract herself from the thoughts about her
ageing mother and so started looking out of the window.
(c) The poetess noticed young children playing outside. The young trees seemed moving rapidly in the
opposite direction of the moving car. These represent energy and youth in contrast to the thought of old
age and death.
(d) This refers to the image of young children rushing out of their homes to play. These children are
young, full of energy and happy. They are in direct contrast to the ageing mother.
(e) The young sprinting trees signify the active, cheerful, bright and energetic youth.
(f) The poet put away the thoughts of her mother who was getting old and the fear of losing her one day.
9. I looked again at her, wan,
Pale as a late winter’s moon and felt that
Old familiar ache, my childhood’s fear.
(a) Who do ‘I’ and ‘her’ refer to? How does ‘her face appear?
(b) What does the ‘familiar ache’ refer to?
(c) Name and explain the poetic device used in the second line.
(a) ‘I’ refers to the poet, Kamala Das, and ‘her’ refers to her mother. Her mother was very old a herface
appeared withered and pale.
(b) The ‘familiar ache’ refers to the poet’s childhood pain and fear of being separated from her mother.
Her mother’s old pale face made the poetess realise the fact of her eventual death.
(c) A simile has been used in the second line. Mother’s old pale face has been compared with pate late
winter’s moon to emphasise her withered face and gradual ageing.
10….. 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…
(a) What do the of the poetess parting words of the poetess suggest?
(b) Why did she ‘smile and smile’?
(c) Why did the poetess suppress her pain in the presence of her mother at the airport?
(a) The parting words suggest the optimism of the poetess. They console the mother that she would
return soon and give her a hope of survival.
(b) The poet smiled and smiled to conceal her fear and pain of separation from her mother. Again the
smile was to give an assurance of survival to the mother.
(c) The poetess didn’t want to increase the pain and agony of her mother, who must be feeling sad while
parting from her daughter. So she didn’t show her pain at the time of departure of her mother.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the narrator feels?
The emotional pain and ache that the narrator feels is the realization that her mother has grown old and is
frail and pale like a corpse.
2. Why are the young trees described as sprinting?
The young trees are personified in the poem. They seem to be running in the opposite direction when seen
through the window of the moving car. The movement is juxtaposed with the expression on the mother’s
face i.e. ashen like a corpse.
3. Why has the narrator brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their
homes’?
The narrator highlights the helplessness and frailty of old age with the help of contrasts. The listless
mother dozes off open-mouthed, whereas the children spill out of their homes signifying movement and
energy, which the old people are bereft of. The image of the children spilling out of their homes and trees
sprinting provides a contrast to the lack of vitality in the mother.
4. Why has the mother been compared to ‘late winter’s moon’?
The mother has been compared to the late winter’s moon which is dull and shrouded. It symbolizes the
ebbing away of life. The moon brings to the narrator’s mind, the night or the approaching end of life.
5. What do the parting words of the narrator and her smile signify?
The parting words ‘see you soon Amma’ are used by the narrator to reassure the mother and to infuse
optimism in the narrator herself. She accepts the reality of her mother’s approaching death, yet keeps up
the facade of a smiling, happy face in order to put up a brave front. It requires a lot of effort and hence
the poet has used the poetic device of repetition to emphasize this.
6. What childhood fears do you think the narrator is referring to in the poem ‘My Mother at
Sixty Six’?
The narrator refers to the fears a child has of losing a parent or getting lost somewhere and thus getting
separated from them or even one’s own process of ageing. The narrator felt this kind of fear while looking
at her mother’s aged and pale face. She was afraid that she might never see her alive again.
7. What does the narrator mean by ‘all I did was smile and smile and smile…’?
The narrator realizes the pain and aches she would feel at separating from her mother. It was her
childhood fear that she was experiencing once again. She was trying to hide her true emotions from
herself and her mother by smiling and smiling.
8. What does the narrator’s mother look like? What kind of images has been used to signify her
ageing?
The narrator’s mother is sixty-six years old, looks pale like a corpse. The imagery of death has been
created by this comparison.
9. What were the activities that the narrator saw outside the car window?
The narrator saw young trees speeding past which seemed as if they were sprinting or running fast.
Happy, enthusiastic and energetic children could be seen running out of their homes. They present an
image of youth and energy in comparison to the lack of energy of the narrator’s mother.
10. Why does the narrator look outside? What does she perceive?
The very thought of separation from her mother upsets and depresses the narrator. She experiences the
fear that she may never meet her mother again. In order to drive away such negative thoughts, she looks
out of the window and her mind gets diverted when she sees trees moving rapidly and children playing
merrily.
11. What does the narrator do after the security check-up? What does she notice?
Immediately after the security check-up at the airport, and standing a few yards away from her mother,
the narrator observes her mother once again and compares her to the pale, colourless winter’s moon,
marking the last phase of her life, i.e., her old age. She is pained to see her in such a condition and the
fear of separation returns in her, once again.
12. What is the narrator’s familiar ache and why does it return?
The narrator is pained to see her mother old and pale. This arouses the ‘familiar ache’ in her heart which
she used to experience in her childhood.
13. Why does the narrator smile and what does she say while bidding goodbye to her mother?
The narrator smiles in order to put up a brave front so that her mother does not observe her pained and
frightened look. She smiles in order to reassure her mother and says that she would see her again soon.
14. What poetic devices has the poet used in ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’?
The poem is rich in imagery. Devices of comparisons and contrasts are also used by the poet to draw out
the difference between youth and old age. She describes the mother’s face using similes ‘ashen like a
corpse’, and ‘late winter’s moon’. The merry children playing happily are contrasted with the old, weak
and pale mother.
15. What kind of pain does Kamala Das feel in ‘My Mother at Sixty Six’?
The pain that Kamala Das feels is the pain of separation from her mother by death. She had also felt it in
her childhood.
16. Why are the youngsters described as springing? (My Mother at Sixty-six)
The poetess is in the car on her way home to the Cochin airport. She looks outside some young children
were running and playing. The poetess seems to contrasts her ageing mother with the youngsters’ full of
life.
17. Why does Kamala Das compare her mother to ‘a pale winter’s moon’?
The late winter’s moon is calm and hazy with a dim lustre; it loses its vitality and power. So the poetess
compares her mother’s calm, colourless and withered face to the late winter’s moon. She has become
weak and was due to her age of sixty-six.
18. Having looked at her mother, why does Kamala Das look at the young children?
While driving her car, the mother was sitting with her. She was dozing with mouth open. Her face was
pale and ashen. She looked like a corpse. She was deeply depressed and pain started troubling her mind.
In order to put these troubled thoughts away, she looked at the outside world which was full of life,
activity and energy. This distraction made her feel happy.
19. What was Kamala Das’ childhood fear?
After seeing her mother at sixty-six in a pale like a corpse face, her childhood fear of separation from her
mother returns. She is deeply pained lest she should not find her mother alive after her return. These
thoughts are painful and distressing to her.
20. In the last line of the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’, why does the poet use the word
‘smile’ repeatedly?
In the last line, the poet repeats the word ‘smile’. This repetition brings out the poet’s need to hide her
pain from the mother and even herself and to pretend that all was well and they would meet again. The
smile heightens the contrast between her inner pain and outward behaviour.
21. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?
In order to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother, the poetess started looking out of the window of
the car at young trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes.
22. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
Whenever the poet looks at the colourless and pale face of her mother, her old familiar pain realising that
her mother was ageing and would die soon.
23. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?
The young trees are described as “sprinting” because when we look at them from a moving car, they seem
to be running fast in the opposite direction.
24. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of these home’?
The image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their home’ is to suggest the idea of youth and beauty in
contrast to the ashen-like pale wan face of her ageing mother. This image emphasises the fact that the old
mother has lost the vitality, energy, charm, beauty and youth.
25. Why has the mother been compared to the late winter’s moon?
The mother has been compared to the late winter’s moon as she is very old and her face is ashen, pale
and withered. She looks very dull and lifeless like the late winter’s moon.
26. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
The parting words express the poet’s optimism. These words console the mother that she would soon visit
her again. She smiles to conceal her fear and pain of separation from her mother and gives her ageing
mother an assurance of survival.
27. What was Kamala Das fear as a child? Why do they surface when she is going to the
airport?
As a child, the poet always had a fear of getting separated from her mother. There was a sense of
insecurity and fear of losing her mother. The childhood fear reappeared when, while going to the airport,
she looked at the pale and withered face of her mother and realised that her mother was ageing and she
might lose her soon.
28. What were the poet’s feelings at the airport? How did she hide them?
The poet was full of pain and fear of being separated from her ageing mother. The fear of losing her
mother gripped her. But she bade her mother goodbye with a smile to give her hope of survival and
meeting again.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. In today’s fast life, children neglect their ageing parents. What do you think children can do
to have an involved and inclusive relationship with their elderly parents?
Children are caught up in their own world of stress and ambition. They sometimes ignore their parents.
However, if they live in the same city, they should take out some time for them. If they are in another
city, the children must ring them up regularly.
Birthdays and festivals are a good time to spend with their elderly parents and make them feel wanted. If
children accompany their parents for the medical check-up, the parents will feel reassured. Last but not
least, children must let them know how much they are loved. This is the best gift children and
grandchildren can endow to the elderly parents.
2. The poem, ‘My Mother At Sixty Six’, brings home the theme that ageing is a natural process
and is going to envelop one and all. Comment.
The narrator sees her mother dozing looking pale as a corpse. The mother’s pale face arouses the
narrator’s childhood fears of losing her mother but she cannot stay on. She accepts her mother’s ageing
as a natural process. She hides her pain and guilt under a smile. The narrator delves on the complexities
of life in which we have to strike a balance and sometimes part with our dear ones as we have other
commitments.