MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX By Kamala Das

Kamala Das, born Kamala Surayya, was an Indian poet and novelist. She went by the pen name Madhavikutty.
She is an acclaimed Indian woman writer in English.

Setting
“My Mother at Sixty-Six” was published in 1999. Kamala Das was 65 years old then. In this poem, Das recalls
the memory of her mother, Balamani Amma, also a writer. In this poem, Das depicts the scene of leaving her
mother at the airport. The event probably happened after her marriage. While leaving her mother, several
thoughts appeared in her mind. But, without saying anything to her mother, she left with a smile. Ironically, she
recalls the memory at the age of 65, a year before turning 66. She might have been thinking how her mother had
felt on that day. It made her emotional, and she penned down this lyric.

Themes
Old Age--The poet illustrates the lack of energy and enthusiasm due to old age through the image of her sixty-
six-year-old mother. She describes how old age makes a person weak and pale. The poet makes use of the
theme of old age through the lack-lustre image of her mother.

Death--Death or mortality is one of the most significant themes of “My Mother at Sixty-Six.” Kamala Das
depicts the theme by using the image of the aging mother and especially her “ashen” face. In the first encounter,
the speaker’s mother is seen dozing open-mouthed. The complexion of her face resembles that of a deceased
person. Next, the speaker stands in the airport. This time, she uses “wan” and “pale” to describe her mother’s
face. These adjectives are closely associated with a dying person. In this way, the theme of death or mortality
lingers throughout the poem.

Hope vs. Apprehension-- Das only uses two images to tap on the theme of life versus death and hope versus
apprehension. One is of the “Young Trees” sprinting alongside the car. The other one is of the “merry children
spilling out of their homes.” The trees symbolize youth in life, and the children symbolize innocence and
vitality. In contrast, the image of her mother’s face portrays the hopelessness and despair.

Summary
The poet, Kamala Das, is the confessor of feelings in this poem. She describes her feelings for her mother while
traveling in a car. It is during one of her visits to her mother’s place. The poet looks at her mother’s face and
realizes that her mother had grown old. She is disturbed by the fact that her mother may soon die of old age. She
becomes emotional and tries to distract herself by looking out at the passing scenery. The poet records the
contrasting nature of the scenery: there are young trees and playing children. They represent the freshness and
youth of what is on earth, while her mother looks old, frail and lack-lustre.

In the final part of the poem, the poet expresses her fear of losing her mother to death. Even as a young girl, the
poet had similar feelings and fears. She was so afraid of losing her mother that she would never leave her for a
moment. The poet, even as a grown-up daughter, experiences a similar emotion. However, she has learnt now
how to hide her fears. She smiles at her mother. She tries to express her love, affection and reassurance to her
aging mother, as she bids goodbye.

My Mother at Sixty-Six’ is an emotional poem that describes a daughter’s feelings towards her mother. The
poet, also a daughter who has come to visit her mother, expresses her concern over her mother’s aging. Through
the lines of this poem, the poet pours her fear of losing her mother. This is a confessional poem that presents the
common feelings daughters have for their mothers. In this regard, this poem is a representational work.
The daughter, i.e. the poet, is ill-at-ease to realize that her mother is aging. She notices how the rest of the world
appears young and energetic. This is in contrast to her mother who continues to age. She compares her
mother’s face to a corpse. This is a rather morbid image, but the poet is not afraid to put off her readers a little if
it serves the overall purpose of making her poem as honest as possible. She makes this stark comparison to
show how the process of aging immediately brings up the fear of losing her mother in her mind. She also
 describes how that fear disturbs her so much that she is forced to turn her attention away. This turning away
does not symbolize a turning away from her responsibility towards her mother, but only a turning away from
her own pain-filled emotions.
Even though her mother is no longer a young woman, she is still beautiful. That is why the second time around,
Takeaways

 Kamala Das is an Indian woman writer in English

 It is a confessional poem and a work of representation
 It deals with the themes of old age, death and hope vs. apprehension
 It deals with a morbid image to make the poem honest and relatable and express candidly the age-old fear of
daughters about their aging mothers

 It highlights how maturity teaches us charades (smile before leaving)

 It talks about the irony of human relationships

Explanation
Driving from my parent’s home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother, beside me

The poet recalls a trip back to Cochin from her holiday in her parents’ house the previous week. It was a
Friday, and that morning, she was driving with her mother who was sitting next to her on the front seat.

doze, open mouthed, her face

ashen like that of a corpse and realised
with pain that she was as old as she looked but
soon put that thought away, and

During the drive, her mother fell asleep on the front seat with her mouth slightly open. Her face was pale, and
it reminded her of the nearly white faces of dead bodies. At this point, she realizes that her mother was not
young any longer, and that her appearance had caught up with her age.

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

The poet turned away from her ageing mother to look outside the windows of the car which she was driving.
Outside, her eyes fell on the trees that the vehicle was passing by. The car was moving so fast that it seemed to
the poet that all the trees she could see were also running at full speed past her.She also saw the children who
were pouring out of their houses, brimming over with excitement to get outside. The poet passed all these and
reached the airport. Till then, her mind was distracted by the sights. However, after the security check, she was
standing a short distance away from her mother and again she chanced to notice the old woman.
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, smile and
smile….

The poet compares her mother’s face with the sight of the moon on a night towards the end of winter. Even
though her mother is no longer a young woman, she is still beautiful. Hence she compares her mother’s face with
that of the moon on a winter night. As she made this comparison, her childhood fear surfaced once again - the
fear that her mother would die one day. This was a fear that had troubled her many times earlier
and it was plaguing her again now. However, she did not let it reflect on her face. Instead she put up a brave face
and waved goodbye. She assured her mother that they would be seeing each other again soon, and all the while,
even though she was in great agony, the smile never left her face.

Poetic Devices
 Simile: ‘her face ashen like that of a corpse’: Her face is as pale and colourless as a dead body.
like a late winter’s moon:The poet compares her mother with the moon in winter time and also uses the word
“as” while making this comparison.

 Metaphor: ‘the merry children spilling out of their homes’

Just like water spills out of a full vessel, the children are running out of their houses.
 Tautology: ‘wan, pale’
Usage of words with same meaning placed side by side for emphasis.

 Personification: Young Trees sprinting,

The poet imagines the trees to be figures that are running alongside her car.
 Imagery: The poet looks outside the car to observe vibrant images of life in the form of the green trees and the
energetic movements of the children brimming with life vigour and vitality; thus the image of “death” inside the
car in the form of the pale ,placid and lifeless old mother has been juxtaposed with the effervescence of “life” as
observed outside the car, in the form of the young trees and the merry children

 Repetition: ‘all I did was smile and smile and smile…’

Repetition has been used for emphasis.

 Polysyndeton: all I did was smile and smile and smile…

Multiple use of conjunction

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

I. Multiple Choice Questions

1.The poet was going to

(a) Goa (b) Kochi (c) Cochin (d) Calcutta

2. ‘Trees sprinting’ signify-

a) the car was moving fast

b) the place had greenery which helped the poet to distract herself
c) Transience of youth
d) the poet missed her mother's company

3. What does the narrative style of the poem signify?

a) differing thoughts
b) many thoughts
c) contrasting thoughts
d) a single thread of thought mixed with harsh realities

4. Choose the statement that uses the same poetic device as used in ‘I looked again at her, wan, pale,,,’

a) They stared at her open-mouthed

b) This is a piece of awfully good news
c) This money should be adequate enough
d) There was a deafening silence in the hall

5. What does poet's smile signify in the poem?

a. Her assurance to mother and helplessness inside

b. she has a responsibility
c. she has to do her duty first
d. she is a loving daughter

Answers
1 (c) 2(a) 3(d) 4(c) 5(a)

II. Reference to context

Q1. ‘doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like

that of a corpse and realised with pain
that she was as old as she
looked but soon put that
thought away,’

a. What did the poet observe about her mother?

During the drive, her mother fell asleep on the front seat with her mouth slightly open. Her face was looking very
pale and colourless, just like a dead body.

b.Explain the line 'ashen like that of a corpse' and mention the poetic device used.
The mother's pale complexion reminded her of the nearly white faces of dead bodies. The poetic device used here
is a simile. ‘her face ashen like that of a corpse’ Her face is as pale and colourless as a dead body.

c.What did the poet realize with pain?

At this point, she realized that her mother was not young any longer, and that her appearance had caught up with
her age.
d.What did she do after making her realization?
The truth about her mother ageing was very hard for the poet to accept, hence she decided to focus on
something else so that this thought did not distress her.

Q2. ‘looked out at YoungTrees 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…’

a. Why did the poet turn away from her mother? What did she turn her attention to?
The poet turned away from her ageing mother to look outside the window of the car which she was driving.
Outside, her eyes fell on the trees that the vehicle was passing by.

b.Explain ‘Trees sprinting’. Also mention and explain the poetic device used in the phrase.
The car was moving so fast that it seemed to the poet that all the trees she could see were also running at full
speed past her. It seemed that those trees were quite youthful as they had the energy to move at such a fast pace.
Personification: Young Trees sprinting, Sprinting is a human quality endowed on a non-human, i.e. the young
trees
c.Explain ‘the merry children spilling’. Also mention and explain the poetic device used in the phrase.
Besides the trees, the poet also saw the children who were pouring out of their houses, brimming over with
excitement to go outside.
Poetic Device-Metaphor: ‘the merry children spilling out of their homes’ An implicit comparison has been
used here. Just like water spills out of a vessel when full, similarly the energetic children are running out of their
houses.
d.Why do you think the poet looked at her mother again?
The poet passed all these and reached the airport. Till then, her mind was distracted by the sights. But the thought
about her mother was always there in her mind.

Q3. ‘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. Why does the poet compare her mother’s face with moon?
The radiance of the moon is subtle and subdued in comparison to the sun. The mother is aging and approaching
the end of her life. She too has lost her brightness and radiance. She looks dull and pale and is compared to the
winter’s moon covered with mist and fog.

b.Explain the phrase ‘late winter’s moon’

The poet compares her mother’s face with the sight of the moon on a night towards the end of winter. The
reference to the last season indicates that the year is coming to an end. This is symbolic of the last phase of the
human life. Hence, it is an indication that the mother's life is nearing its end.
c.What is the poet’s childhood’s fear? Why does she refer to it as a ‘familiar ache’?
As she made this comparison, her childhood fear surfaced once again - the fear that her mother would die one
day. This was a fear that had troubled her many times earlier and it was plaguing her again now, hence it is a
familiar ache.

III. Short Questions

1. How has the poet used the theme of apprehension and hope in the poem?

Ans. A trepidation or anxiety about something impending denotes apprehension. When the poet sees her aging
mother, dozing beside her in the car, looking quite ashen like a corpse, she fears that her mother’s days are now
numbered. However, she does not allow this apprehension to colour her actions. She keeps an outward jolly
demeanour and waves back at her mother from the airport’s security check as if to reassure that all is well.

2. The final lines of the poem ‘all I did was smile and smile and smile’ uses both repetition and
polysyndeton. Highlight its significance.
Ans. Repetition is a device used when we choose to emphasise something. ‘Smile’ has been repeated in the line.
It is an effort to reassure the aging mother that they will meet again. The poet did not let her fear be reflected on
her face. Instead she put on a brave front and waved goodbye. The repeated use of ‘and’ is polysyndeton. It has
been used to indicate that the smile was a continuous process, without any breaks. As long as mother stood and
watched the poet, she kept the smile plastered to her face even though she was agonised internally.

3. The theme of death seems to be hovering in the poem. Do you agree? Give reasons.

Ans. Yes, the theme of death seems to be hovering in the poem. The readers are first acquainted with this when
the poets compares the face of her aging mother, dozing in the car beside her, to the ashen face of a corpse. The
idea is revisited when mother is compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’ signifying her wilting energy and lack-
lustre appearance. The poet mentions that she is assaulted by a ‘familiar ache’-the fear of losing her mother. As a
child, she had experienced this fear. Now, seeing her mother in such a condition, this fear re-surfaces.

IV. Long Questions

1. Bring out the various images as portrayed in the poem.

Ans. The poem captures the complex subtleties of human relationship in a texture of symbols, imagery and other
poetic devices. The entire poem is structured in the frame of a single sentence, punctuated by commas. It
indicates a single string of thought that runs throughout the poem. The poem opens with the descriptions of the
poet’s mother’s old age-her face ashen like that of a corpse which disturbs the poet as fear of separation from her
mother heightens. She describes her mother a little later in the poem ‘as a late winter’s moon’. It reminds her of
her childhood fear of separation.
To ward off her agonising thoughts she looks outside the window of the car. Her mood is lifted on seeing ‘the
young trees sprinting’, ‘the merry children spilling out of their homes’. The sights make the poet optimistic.
When she goes through the security check, she looks back at her mother and smiles. She continues to smile thus
reassuring herself and her mother that all will be well.

2. Imagine the mother gets to know of the poet persona’s fears. Write a letter, as the mother, telling
the daughter why she must not dwell on these fears.

Pallipuram Cochin, Kerala

22 April, 19xx

Dear Kamala
I am writing to you because when you left me at the airport, I felt something was not right. Judging by how little
you spoke that day, I sensed that you were trying to hide your fears. I think that you are afraid that you will lose
me. My child! You can cast away your fears for I’m enjoying the prime of my health. But you should also
understand that death is the ultimate truth of life from which there is no escape. The one who is born has to die
one day. What matters really is the time spent and how it was spent. We have some good memories, my dear
daughter!
I cannot assure you that I will never leave you. But I want you to promise me that the day I die, you should not
grieve. You will miss me and I give you that. But, also make it an occasion to cherish the memories we have so
lovingly created. However, that day is still quite far away. In fact, if my plans work, I might move close to you in
the coming months. Hoping to see you soon,
With love, Amma