My Mother at Sixty-Six Poem

Introduction

The author of “My Mother at Sixty-Six”, “Kamala Das”, is renowned for depicting the complexity of “human relationships”. The poem is one of the best representations of a human connection, especially between a “mother and daughter”.  It expresses the poet’s suffering and fear of losing her mother as a result of the terrible fact of life, which is death.

Short Summary

 In this poem, the poet expresses her affection and attachment to her aging mother 

The poet once went to see her mother. She was returning to the airport to fly back to Cochin. She turned to face her mother in the passenger seat of the car. Her mother had fallen asleep, and the color of her aging face was ashy-smoky. She looked like a dead person since her mouth was open. The poet became aware of her mother’s advanced age. She sympathized with her and sensed her pain. Her mother needs devotion, care, and love.

The poet turned her head to look out the car window to escape the darkness. She observed young trees passing by there. Little kids were rushing into the playgrounds from their homes. These things stood in stark contrast to her mother’s aging face. 

The poet looked at her mother one more time when they arrived at the airport and she was going to board the plane. Like the moon in the winter, which seems to have lost all of its strength, her mother looks frail and pale. The loss of her mother caused the poet both pain and fear. She recalled her early years when she used to worry about losing her mother. She struggled as a child to tolerate even brief periods of separation from her mother. Now that her mother was on the verge of passing away, the loss would be irreparable.

The poet kept her emotions to herself. To ensure that her mother would live and that they may one day reunite, she smiled and added, “See you soon, Amma.”

Mother-daughter

About the poet

The poet Kamala Das also published works under the pen name “Madhavikutty.” She was one of India’s first poets and was born in Kerala. Her topic reflects her personality, which is stunning, tender, brave, and troubled.

Conclusion

The poem conveys a message that it is a slow but inevitable realization that one’s parents are aging. Parents are young and capable when one is growing up, but they age in front of our eyes. Here, the poet expresses sadness over learning the same thing about her mother. The advice is to spend more time with them.

My Mother at Sixty Six – Textbook Question and Answers

1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?

Ans: The poet feels a familiar sorrow or aches when she sees her mother’s pale and lifeless face. Perhaps she has been afraid of this since she was young. Growing older is a normal process. “Ageing and time” have no mercy. The poet’s mother has not been spared by time or aging, and she might not be. Death and separation are “inevitable” as we age.

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

Ans: The poet travels by car to “Cochin  Airport”. When she glances outdoors, it appears the young trees are moving by them. They appear to be running quickly or sprinting at the pace of the car. Her elderly mother, who is “dozing,” and the youthful trees, who are “sprinting,” are contrasted by the poet.

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

Ans: The poet used the metaphor of the happy kids “spilling out of their homes” to create contrast. The jubilant children who are streaming out of their homes in large numbers are the ones who can best describe life’s freshness and joy. It contrasts with the elderly mother who is “dozing,” whose “ashen” face is “pale and lifeless”, like a corpse. The poet’s mother is described throughout the poem in a way that strongly suggests inactivity, degradation, and aging. The contrast between these two pictures enhances the poem’s impact.

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

Ans: The mother of the poet is “66 years old”. Her ‘ashen’ shrunken face looks like a corpse. She no longer possesses the brightness and energy of youth. The moon in the dead of winter appears similarly “foggy and opaque”. It also lacks luster and durability. The connection is quite appropriate and natural. Here, the metaphor is both relevant and powerful.

5. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?

Ans: When compared to the childhood terror or familiar ache, the poet’s leaving words of confidence and her smiles stand in stark contrast. She makes a conscious effort to conceal her true emotions through her words and smiles. The elderly woman, whose “ashen face” appears to be that of a corpse, is comforted by the parting words, “See you soon, Amma.” Similar to this, her continuous smiles are an effort to get over the pain and terror inside her heart.

Extra Questions

1. What was the poet’s greatest fear as a child? 

Ans: The young child always worries about losing his parents. The poet’s fear growing up was similar to that of losing her mother or her companionship.

2. Why did the poet continue to smile?

Ans: The poet smiled frequently to remind herself that she would soon meet her mother. She makes a conscious effort to mask her true concerns and emotions with her words and smiles.

3. What painful realizations did the poet have?

  Ans: The poet’s mother’s lifeless and faded face hurts her heart. She appears dead, like a corpse. She paints a picture of slowness, degradation, and death. The elderly woman appears to be deep in her thoughts.

4. In the poem, what is “wan and pale”?

Ans: Wan: feeble and dim. Pale:  without color. The poet goes on to say that after arriving at the airport, she completed the security check and then stood close to her mother. She observed how her mother’s aging face appeared so lifeless, frail, and colorless.