My Mother at Sixty-Six
About the Poet
The poet, Kamala Das also wrote by her pen-name of ‘Madhavikutty’. She was born in Kerala and is one of India’s first poets.
Her subject – matter is basically related to her personality- beautiful, sensitive, bold and tormented. External factors do not
reflect in her writings, her writings bring out her true inner feelings.
Her favorite poem is ‘composition’.
In the poem ‘My mother at sixty six’, she talks about her mother. This poem is based on mother-daughter relation and the
poet shares her feelings for her mother.
My Mother At Sixty Six Theme
The theme of the poem is 'ageing' which is the law of nature. It also depicts the helplessness and aspirations of
the young generation. It portrays the different stages of life and how everybody grows old and faces various
situations that life throws at them.
Central Idea
Aging is an important phase of human life. A person enters his childhood, experiences youth when he is full of energy and dreams to have luxury
of life. Finally, he approaches his old age and encounters death. Relationship between people becomes stronger at every aspect of life and they
can’t bear separation due to aging. This is a touching poem written by Indian poet Kamla Das who wrote under the pen name of ‘Madhavikutty’.
In this poem, she describes her feeling of love and attachment towards her ageing mother In this poem, the poet relates a personal experience.
She brings out a common paradox of human relationships and portrays a sensational separation of a mother and a daughter. She has been able
to capture almost all the emotions which a daughter is filled with, on bidding farewell to her beloved mother. Sometimes we do feel deep
sympathy for someone but we fail to express it in a proper manner.
Significance of the Title – My Mother at Sixty-Six
The title is apt as the poem is about the narrator’s realization that time has flown by and old age has crept up on her mother. The
poem revolves around the theme of advancing age, the fear associated with it, and loss and separation.
Message of My Mother at Sixty-Six
Ageing is a natural process and it will affect each one of us. The complexity of life is that children are perturbed by the condition of
their parents and wish to be with them. However, they have to leave their parents behind and move on with their commitments. The
question arises how to strike a balance between looking after the ageing parents and attending to our duties and responsibilities.
Poetic Devices of My Mother at Sixty-Six
The imagery used in the poem is suggestive of both death and youth. The image of `young trees and merry children’ are a
contrast to the mother.
The poetic devices used are simile, metaphor, repetition and personification:
Simile — face ashen like a corpse, as a late winter’s moon.
Personification — trees sprinting
Repetition — smile and smile and smile
Metaphor — children spilling
Simile
1. Her face ashen like that of a corpse: poet sees mother dozing off with her mouth open, almost like a corpse — it seems to have
lost all vitality — the grey colour of ash is usually associated with a dead body – triggers the pain of losing her mother who is
close to death.
2. Wan, pale as a lath winter moon: reinforces the idea that the mother’s face was pale and lifeless like that of a fading winter
moon. Winter is symbolic of the last cycle of the season — hence waning moon-mother’s frail health misted by age is indicative
of imminent death.
Poet resorts to escapism to avoid the harsh realities that stare her in the face-dispels the horrifying thoughts by diverting her
attention to the images of the young trees and merry children.
Imagery
Merry children spilling out of their homes: youthful and exuberant, spring of life-contrast to the morbid atmosphere inside the car –
the old mother weak, frail, inactive.
Personification
Young trees sprinting – the sprinting movement of the trees rushing past signify youth, life or passage of time. The mother –
travelling in the car-lifeless, helpless decayed by age. Her instinctive awareness leads to the familiar ache-painful realization of
helplessness (cannot share her fears with her mother-fear stemmed out of unknown-didn’t want to worry her)-fear of separation-that
childhood fear-inherent in all children-of losing one’s loved ones-fear of death.
smile and smile and smile: emphasis on the fact that she made a desperate effort to cover UP her guilt, anxiety and agonizing
thought of her mother’s impending death by putting up a smile to bid her a cheerful adieu.
Main points
Poetess travelling to Cochin airport with her mother in a car.
Looks at the wan, pale face of her dozing mother.
Old fear of losing her mother returns.
Sprinting trees and merry children provide the contrast and relief.
After the security check the old familiar ache returns.
Tries to hide her emotions by smiling.
Bids good bye to her mother with a hope to see her again.
My Mother at Sixty Six Summary
This is a touching poem written by Indian poet Kamla Das who wrote under the pen name of ‘Madhavikutty’. In this poem, she
describes her feeling of love and attachment towards her ageing mother.
Once the poet went to visit her mother. She was on her way back to the the airport to return to Cochin. She looked at her
mother who was seated beside her in the car. Her mother had dozed off to sleep and her ageing face - was smoky in colour
like ash. Her mouth was open and she resembled a dead body. The poet realized that her mother was old. She felt pain and
sympathy for her. Her mother needed love, affection and care.
In order to come out of the gloom, the poet shifted her glance and looked out of the car’s window. There she saw young trees
pass by. Little children were running out of their houses into the playgrounds. These things were contrary to the ageing face of
her mother. They symbolised energy, life and happiness.
As they reached the airport and the poet was about to leave for the aeroplane, she glanced at her mother one more time. Her
mother appeared weak and pale just like the moon in the winter season which seems to have lost all its strength. The poet felt
the pain and fear of losing her mother. She was reminded of her childhood when she used to fear losing her mother. As a child
she could not bear to be separated from her mother even for a few moments. Now the loss would be permanent as her mother
was about to die and she would lose her forever.
The poet did not express her feelings. She smiled and said “see you soon, Amma” because she wanted that her mother should
live and they could meet again.
My Mother at Sixty-Six Explanation
My Mother at Sixty-Six:
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, and
looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes, 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 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......
Explanation
Firstly, when the poet is on her way to the cochin airport with her old mother sitting beside her, she looks at her closely and
presents before us her image.
She compares her with a corpse. (similie is a figure of speech to show comparison between her mother’s face and a corpse.)
As she looks at her mother’s pale and pallid face, she is struck with the horror and pain of losing her. The mother with the
dozing face and open mouth is compared to a corpse. Here, the poet shows the typical love and affection which is present in a
mother-daughter relation.
The poet is pained and shifts her attention outside the car in order to drive out the negative feelings. She changes her sad
mood .The scene outside the window is of growing life and energy. The rapidly sprinting trees alongside the merrily playing
children symbolize life, youth and vitality. The poet here is reminded of her own childhood when her mother had been young
whereas now she is encircled with the fear of losing her and that has made her insecure.
She is at the airport to take a flight. It indicates departure and separation which creates melancholy. As she bids goodbye to
her mother, the image of the old, wan, worn out mother in the twilight of years strikes her again. Here again a similie is used to
compare her mother with a late winter’s moon whose light is obstacle by fog and mist As she looks old now, her personality is
affected by it.
The poet is feeling the pain of separation, leaving her mother and going. Also, her childhood fear of losing her mother which
she feels that earlier was temporary but now, could be forever as she could die of old age, is haunting her. She is so pained
that it is natural for her to cry but keeping a brave front she hides her tears and smiles.
She bids farewell to her mother and keeping her hope of seeing her again alive, says “see you soon, Amma”. She hides her
sorrow as she does not want to create a painful environment for her mother and conveys her that as she is enjoying her life
similarly her mother should also be happy and enjoy her life.
(The poem revolves around the theme of advancing age and the fear that adheres to its loss and separation. It is a sentimental
account of the mother’s approaching end through the eyes of the daughter. The seemingly short poem touches upon the theme
of the filial bond between the mother and daughter smeared in the backdrop of nostalgia and fear. Nostalgia of the past (the
time spent with the mother) and fear of the future without her.)
It is a short poem, without a full stop, the poem is like a long sentence, over flowing thought process. The poet uses the device
of comparison and contrast, simile and repetition.
NEW / DIFFICULT WORDS
1) doze: a short, light sleep
2) ashen: very pale, like ash.
3) corpse: a dead body.
4) sprinting: here, shooting out of the ground.
5) spilling: here, to move out in great numbers.
6) wan: unnaturally pale, as from physical or emotional distress.
7) ache: pain.
Question and answers
What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
When the poet looks at her mother’s face closely, she discovers that she has aged and her end is near. The feeling of her
mother being old, needing care and help pains the poet as there is no one to look after her. She feels that her mother can die
any moment and that then she will lose her forever. Her childhood fear of losing her mother which was then timely but now, will
be forever, resurfaces. The poet feels the pain of her mother’s old age and her helplessness towards her. She has the fear of
separating from her mother forever, upon her death.
Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?
The young trees have been personified. When looked at from the poet’s moving car, they seem to be running past. The poet
found it to be strikingly opposite to her mother who looked as still as a dead body.
Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’?
The poet draws a comparison between what is travelling with her and what she can see outside. It’s a comparison between life
and death. Her mother is sleeping, with mouth open, like a dead body, while outside she can see children who are full of life,
energy and enthusiasm.
Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?
Just as the late winter’s moon is dull and lacks luster, so is her mother at the end stage of her life. Also, as the late winter moon
gets overshadowed by the fog and mist in the sky similarly her mother can get overshadowed by death at any time. Both of
them are nearing an end- one of season and the other of life.
What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
The parting words of the poet show her positive attitude. She overcomes her pain and fear, assures herself and her mother that
they would meet again. She is being very brave which is indicated by the use of repetition in the poem:
“smile and smile and smile......”
Question.. Read the extract given below and answer the questions
that follow.
I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s moon 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 was the poet’s childhood fear?
(b) What were the poet’s parting words?
(c) What is the poetic device used in these lines?
(d) Why did the poet smile and smile?
Answer. (a) In her childhood, the poet was insecure about losing
her mother, just as all young children often are.
(b) The poet’s parting words were, “See you soon, Amma”, which are
suggestive of the hope that they will meet again.
(c) The poetic device used in these lines is simile, where the
mother’s dull and lifeless face is compared to a late winter’s
moon.
(d) The poet smiled and smiled (meaning that she smiled
continuously) because she was trying to hide her real feelings.
She feared the fact that she might not see her mother again, which
left her almost in tears.
Extract-2
……….but soon
put that thought away and
looked out at young
trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes……………
(a) What thought did the poet drive away from her mind?
(b) What did she see when she looked out of the car?
(c) How do you know that the joyful scene didn’t help her drive
away the painful thought from her mind?
(d) What are the merry children symbolic of?
(a) The poet drove away the painful thought of the distressing
reality that her mother was getting old and she might die anytime.
(b) When she looked out of the car, she saw young trees on the
roadside, which appeared to be moving. She also saw a group of
children, merrily rushing out of their homes to play.
(c) As the poet passed through security check at the airport and
happened to look at her mother, she was again haunted by the same
fear of losing her to death. This shows that the joyful scene
earlier didn’t help drive away the painful thought from her mind.
(d) The merry children are symbolic of the exuberance of youth.
The energetic and lively children present a contrast to the poet’s
mother who has grown old and pale.
