My Mother at Sixty-six

Q1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?

Ans: When the poet sees the pale and corpse-like face of her mother, her old
familiar pain or the ache returns. Perhaps she has entertained this fear since her
childhood. Ageing is a natural process. Time and ageing spare none. Time and ageing
have not spared the poet’s mother and may not spare her as well. With this ageing,
separation and death become inevitable.

Q2. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?

Ans: The poet is driving to the Cochin airport. When she looks outside, the young
trees seem to be walking past them. With the speed of the car, they seem to be
running fast or sprinting. The poet presents a contrast—her ‘dozing’ old mother and
the ‘sprinting’ young trees.

Q3. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of
their homes’?

Ans: The poet has brought in the image of merry children ‘spilling out of their
homes’ to present a contrast. The merry children coming out of their homes in large
numbers present an image of happiness and spontaneous overflow of life. This
image is in stark contrast to the ‘dozing’ old mother, whose ‘ashen’ face looks
lifeless and pale like a corpse. She is an image of ageing, decay and passivity. The
contrast of the two images enhances the poetic effect.

Q4. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?

Ans: The poet’s mother is sixty-six years old. Her shrunken ‘ashen’ face resembles a
corpse. She has lost her shine and strength of youth. Similarly, the late winter’s
moon looks hazy and obscure. It too lacks shine and strength. The comparison is
quite natural and appropriate. The simile used here is apt as well as effective.

Q5. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?

Ans: The poet’s parting words of assurance and her smiles provide a stark contrast
to the old familiar ache or fear of the childhood. Her words and smiles are a
deliberate attempt to hide her real feelings. The parting words: “See you soon,
Amma” give an assurance to the old lady whose ‘ashen face’ looks like a corpse.
Similarly, her continuous smiles are an attempt to overcome the ache and fear
inside her heart.

EXTRA QUESTIONS

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (Word Limit: 30-40 words)

Q1. Where was the poet going and who was with her?

Ans: The poet was driving from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport. The poet’s
mother had come to see her off. She was sitting beside her. She was dozing with
her mouth open. The words ‘driving’ and ‘doze’ provide a contrast between images
of dynamic activity and static passivity respectively.

Q2. What was the poet’s childhood fear?

Ans: The child is always in fear of being separated from his parents. In the same
way, the poet’s fear as a child was that of losing her mother or her company.

Q3. What does the poet’s mother look like? What kind of images has the poet
used to signify her ageing decay?

Ans: The poet’s mother is sixty-six years old. She is sitting beside the poet and
dozing with her mouth open. This is a sign of old age. Usually, old people keep their
mouth open to overcome breathing problems. Her face looked pale and faded like
ash. Actually, she is an image of death as her ‘ashen’ face looks like that of a corpse.

Q4. What does the poet realise with pain? Why does the poet ‘put that thought
away’ and look outside?

Ans: The lifeless and faded face of the poet’s mother pains her heart. She looks
lifeless like a corpse. She provides an image of passivity, decay and death. The old
lady seems to be lost in her thoughts. The poet needs a distraction, a change. She
puts that thought away and looks outside. There she gets a picture of life, happiness
and activity.

Q5. Describe the world inside the car and compare it to the activities taking place
outside?

Ans: The pale and faded face of the poet’s mother looks lifeless like a corpse. Her
dozing with mouth wide open suggests passivity, decay and death. Outside the car,
the poet watches young trees speeding past them. They seem to be running fast or
sprinting. Happy children are moving out of their homes cheerfully. They present an
image of life, dynamism and activity.

Q6. Why does the poet look outside? What does she see happening outside?

Ans: The thought of the ageing mother at sixty-six and her pale and ashen face
looking like a corpse becomes too heavy for the poet to bear. She needs a
distraction, a diversion and therefore she looks outside. She watches young trees.
These trees speed past them and appear to be sprinting. Then she sees happy
children moving out of their houses and making merry.

Q7. How has the poet contrasted the scene inside the car with the activities going
on outside?

Ans: The poet has used beautiful images to highlight the stark contrast between the
scene inside the car and the activities going on outside. The ‘ashen’ face of the
poet’s mother is pale and lifeless. It looks like that of a corpse. She is dozing and lost
to herself. The image of the ‘dozing’ mother is contrasted with the ‘spilling’ of
children. The ‘ashen’ and ‘corpse like’ face is contrasted with the young trees
sprinting outside.

Q8. What does the poet do after the security check-up? What does she notice?

Ans: They have to pass through a security check-up at the airport. After it, the poet
stands a few yards away. Before saying parting words to her mother, she looks at
her mother again. Her face looks pale and colourless like the late winter’s moon.
She presents a picture of ageing and decay.

Q9. Why is the poet’s mother compared to the late winter’s moon?

Ans: The poet’s mother has been compared to the late winter’s moon to bring out
the similarity of ageing and decay. The late winter moon looks hazy and obscure. It
lacks shine and strength. The poet’s mother has an ‘ashen’ face resembling a corpse.
She has lost her shine and strength of youth. The comparison reinforces the impact.

Q10. What is the poet’s familiar ache and why does it return?

Ans: The poet is pained at the ageing and decaying of her mother. The fear is that
with ageing comes decay and death. The sight of her old mother’s ‘ashen’ and
corpse-like face arouses “that old familiar ache” in her heart. Her childhood fear
returns. She is also pained and frightened by the idea that she may have to face all
these things herself.

Q11. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?

Ans: Kamala Das was in much trouble after seeing the lifeless and faded face of her
mother. The old lady seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. The poetess turned
away her attention from her mother and looked outside. The outside world was full
of life and activity. The young trees seemed to be running fast. The children looked
happy while moving out of their homes.

Q12. Why does the poet smile and what does she say while bidding good bye to
her mother? OR With fear and ache inside her heart and words of assurance on
lips and smile on the face, the poet presents two opposite and contrasting
experiences. Why does the poet put on a smile?

Ans: The ‘wan’, ‘pale’, face of the poet’s mother at sixty-six brings an image of decay
and death. It brings that old familiar fear of separation back. She fears the ultimate
fate of human beings. But she has to put on a brave face. She regains self-control.
She composes herself and tries to look normal. She utters the words of assurance
that they will meet again soon. She tries to hide her ache and fear by smiling
continuously.

Q13. What poetic devices have been used by Kamala Das in ‘My Mother at Sixty-
six’?

Ans: The poem ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ is rich in imagery. Kamala Das uses the
devices of comparison and contrast. The use of simile is very effective. The face of
the poet’s old mother is described as ‘ashen’. This ashen face is ‘like that of a
corpse’. The poet uses another simile. The “wan, pale’ face of the mother is
compared to ‘a late winter’s moon’. The poem excels in contrasts. The old ‘dozing’
lady inside is contrasted with the young trees “sprinting” and merry children
“spilling” out of their homes.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

Question 1. What do the poet’s parting words to her mother signify?

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

Answer: The young trees are ‘sprinting’ that is rushing past the poet as she is
travelling in a very fast-moving car. While travelling in a speeding vehicle, the
objects outside appear to be rushing past us in the opposite direction. These
sprinting trees are in stark contrast to the passive old lady sitting inside the car.

Question 3. What is the significance of the parting words of the poet and her smile
in ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’?

Answer: The poet’s parting words convey the dilemma and confusion in her mind.
Her superficial smile expresses her helplessness. She is anxious about her mother’s
frail health and fears that anything can happen to her mother. But, on the other
hand, she also nurtures a faint hope that her mother survives long enough so that
they can meet again.

Question 4. How did Kamala Das put away the thought of her mother’s old age?

Answer: The poet started looking out of the window because she wanted to drive
away the pain and agony, she was experiencing by looking at her aged mother. She
looked outside at the world which was full of life and activity. She saw young trees
running past her and merry children sprinting out of their homes to play.

Question 5. Why did Kamala Das add the image of merry children to her poem?

Answer: The merry children symbolise the spring of life, its energy, vigour and
happiness. Their image presents a sharp contrast to the poet’s limp and ageing
mother. This image is also imperative for the understanding of the process of old
age which is associated with decay. The spontaneous outpouring of life symbolised
by these children is in contrast to the poet’s mother’s passive and inactive life.

Question 6. What helped Kamala Das put away the thought of her mother’s old age?

Answer: The poet started looking out of the window because she wanted to drive
away the pain and agony, she was experiencing by looking at her aged mother. She
looked outside at the world which was full of life and activity. She saw young trees
running past her and merry children sprinting out of their homes to play.

Question 7. What were Kamala Das’ fears as a child? Why do they surface when she
is going to the airport?

Answer: Since her childhood perhaps Kamala Das always feared that she would lose
her mother or in some way be separated from her. Now that her mother is old and
her health has deteriorated, the poet’s fear surface again when she is going to the
airport.

Question 8. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?

Answer: The mother looked pale and ashen faced like a corpse. During late winter
the moon too loses its brightness and looks rather pale and colourless like an ill and
haggard old person who has become worn-out and tired due to the ravages of time.

Question 9. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?

Answer: The young trees are ‘sprinting’ that is rushing past the poet as she is
traveling in a very fast-moving car. While travelling in a speeding vehicle, the objects
outside appear to be. rushing past us in the opposite direction. These sprinting trees
are in stark contrast to the passive old lady sitting inside the car.

Question 10. What were the poet’s feelings at the airport? How did she hide them?

Answer: At the airport the poet, Kamala Das, feels fearful of leaving her pale, ageing
mother alone and unattended. She has an ache and fear inside her heart and is not
sure if she will be able to see her mother again. She hides her feelings of anxiety by
giving a long and cheerful smile to her mother as she bids her adieu.

Question 11. What childhood fear did Kamala Das refer to in her poem? How did
she hide it?

Answer: Kamala Das childhood fear was that she would lose her mother to the cruel
hands of death and thus would be separated from her forever. She attempts to hide
her fear through her elongated and superficial smile.

Question 12. What childhood fear does Kamala Das have? Why?
Answer: Kamala Das’ childhood fear is that she would lose her mother to the cruel
hands of death and thus would be separated from her forever. She has had this fear
since her childhood as she knows her mother will be scourged by age and time.

Question 13. Why has the poet’s mother been compared to the late winter’s
moon’?

Answer: The winter season is a traditional symbol of death and the moon,
especially, if it is pale, it enhances the image of decay. The mother’s pale and
colourless face that has becomes rather wrinkled due to old age gives her a look
that the poet compares with ‘the late winter’s moon’.

Question 14. How did Kamala Das’s mother look during the drive to Cochin?
Answer: During the drive to Cochin, Kamala Das’s mother looked rather old and
pale. As she dozed off beside the poet, she looked almost like a corpse as her face
was like ash, totally colourless and it seemed to have completely lost the zest for
life.

Question 15. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing
mother?

Answer: The poet (Kamala Das) started looking out of the car-window because she
wanted to drive away the pain and agony, she was experiencing on seeing her aged
mother. She looked outside at the world which was full of life and activity. She saw
young trees running past her and merry children sprinting out of their homes to
play.

Question 16. What was the poet’s childhood fear?

Answer: The poet’s childhood fear was that she would lose her mother to the cruel
hands of death and would thus be separated from her forever. So, she feared this
separation from her mother.

Question 17. What do the parting words of Kamala Das and her smile signify?

Answer: The parting words of Kamala Das, ‘see you soon, Amma’ are in sharp
contrast to what she is feeling. In reality these words are something she is not sure
of even herself. Her smile is elongated and superficial merely to give some kind of
reassurance to her mother so that she cannot get even a glimpse of her daughter’s
inner fears and anxieties.
Question 18. What were the poet’s feelings as she drove to Kochi airport?

Answer: The poet saw her mother dozing open-mouthed in the car. She was
disturbed as she felt her mother looked old and withered. Her childhood fear
started to haunt the poet. She feared if her mother would still be alive on her return.

Question 19. What kind of pain does Kamala Das feel in ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’?

Answer: Kamala Das mother is old and pale and her health is deteriorating. So, the
poet feels a familiar pain, which is one of her constant fears that she might lose her
mother. She has an ache inside her heart that she might not be able to see her
mother again.

Question 20. Why are the youngsters described as springing?

Answer: The springing of the youngsters signifies the spring of life, their youth and
vigour in contrast to the poet’s old mother who looks pale and lifeless. The springing
youngsters are symbolic of the beginning of life as contrasted to the poet’s mother
whose ashen face symbolizes imminent death.

Question 21. Having looked at her mother, why does Kamala Das look at the young
children?

Answer: After looking at her mother, Kamala Das looks at the ‘merry children spilling
out of their homes’ as they are symbolic of energy, vigour and liveliness, which is in
sharp contrast to her old and pale mother. The spontaneous outpouring of life
symbolised by these children is contrasted with her mother’s passive and inactive
life.

Question 22. What was Kamala Das’s childhood fear?

Answer: The poet’s childhood fear was that she would lose her mother to the cruel
hands of death and would thus be separated from her forever. So, she feared this
separation from her mother.

Question 23. In the last line of the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’, why does the
poet use the word ‘smile’ repeatedly?

Answer: The word ‘smile’ has been used repeatedly by the poet as behind her
elongated smile she attempts to hide her fear and anxiety regarding her mother’s
frail health. The poet smiled and smiled in an effort to reassure herself that she will
be able to meet her mother again.

Question 24. What familiar ache and childhood fear did Kamala Das feel?

Answer: Since her childhood Kamala Das always feared that she would lose her
mother or be separated from her. Now that her mother is old and frail and her
health is deteriorating, the familiar ache resurfaces that she might not be able to
see her mother again.

Question 25. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting in the poem ‘My
Mother at Sixty- six?

Answer: The young trees are described as ‘sprinting’ which means rushing past the
poet as she is travelling in a very fast-moving car. While travelling in a speeding
vehicle, the objects outside appear to be rushing past us in the opposite direction.
These sprinting trees are in stark contrast to her passive old mother who is sitting
beside her in the car.

Question 26. What did Kamala Das think when she looked at her mother?

Answer: Kamala Das saw her mother dozing open-mouthed, her face looking pale
and colourless like that of a corpse. She then realized how old her mother was. She
looked quite haggard and worn-out as the ravages of time had taken their toll on
her.

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