MY MOTHER AT SIXTY-SIX

1 (Kamala Das)

(I)
DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE POEM
In this poem, the poet relates a personal experience. Through it, she
brings out a common paradox of human relationships. Sometimes, we
do feel deep sympathy for someone but we fail to express it in a proper
manner.
It was a Friday morning. The poet was driving from her parent’s
home to the Cochin airport. Her mother was sitting beside her in the
car. The mother was then sixty-six years old. While going, the poet
turned to look at her mother. She found that the mother was dozing
and her mouth was open. Her face was as pale as that of a dead person.
The poet painfully realised that her mother was not going to live long. But soon she drove this painful
thought away from her mind. She started looking at the young trees on the roadside that seemed to
be running fast. She saw children running out of their homes in joy.
After reaching the airport, the poet went through the security check. Her mother was standing
outside a few yards away. After the security check, the poet again looked at her mother from that
distance. The mother’s face was pale white. It was as pale as the face of the moon in late winter. The
poet felt an old familiar ache in her body. It was like she used to feel in her childhood when some
fear overpowered her. Yet she spoke no word to her mother. All that she said was, ‘‘See you soon, Amma.’’
The only thing the poet did was smile and smile and smile.
(II)
MAIN POINTS OF THE POEM
1. It was a Friday morning. The poet was driving to the Cochin airport. Her sixty-six-year-old mother
was sitting beside her.
2. The poet turned to look at her mother. She saw that the mother looked as pale as death. A sad
thought came into the poet’s mind.
3. But she soon drove this thought away and started looking at the trees that seemed to be running
fast. She saw children running out of their homes in joy.
4. After reaching the airport, the poet went through the security check. Standing a few yards away,
she again looked at her mother. The mother looked very pale and weak.
5. But the poet said nothing but this : ‘‘Amma, see you soon.’’ Then she smiled and smiled and smiled.
That was all she did.
(III)
WORD-MEANINGS AND DETAILED EXPLANATIONS
Lines 1-5
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
that she was as old as she looked.
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MY MOTHER
 Word-meanings : 1. beside—next to, at the side of; 2. doze—to sleep lightly for a short time; 3. ashen—
very pale, without colour because of illness or fear; 4. corpse—dead body of a human.
Explanation : The poet recalls the day when she was driving from her parent’s home to Cochin where
she was to catch a flight. It was a Friday morning and her mother was also sitting by her side. She was
going to the airport to see off the poet. But when the poet turned to look at her mother, she found her
dozing. Her mouth was open and her face looked very pale like that of a corpse. A painful thought came
to the poet’s mind. She realised that her mother had not only become old, but also looked very old in
her looks.
Lines 5-10
......... 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 ...........
Word-meanings : 1. put that thought away—turned her mind away from that thought; 2. sprint—run
very fast; 3. merry—happy and cheerful; 4. spilling—coming out in large numbers.
Explanation : The poet soon drove away from her mind the thought of her mother’s pale and aged
face. She started looking out at the young trees that seemed to be running fast. She looked at the children
running out of their homes in joy. At last, they reached the airport and the poet went through the
security check. Now standing a few yards away, she looked at her mother once again. It is to be noted
that the poet had not spoken a word to her mother all through the drive. And even now, she just looks
at her from a distance. Perhaps it is a sad reflection of how indifferent the modern youth have grown
towards their aged elders.
Lines 10-14
........... 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 ..........
Word-meanings : 1. wan—looking pale and weak; 2. pale—with skin almost white; 3. ache—
continuous feeling of pain.
Explanation : After her security check, the poet looked at her mother who was standing a few yards
away outside. The mother looked very pale and weak. Her face looked pale white like the face of late
winter’s moon. The poet felt in her body an old familiar ache. It was like she used to feel in her childhood
when some fear overpowered her. Still she spoke no word to her mother. The only thing she said was : ‘‘See
you soon, Amma.’’ All she did was smile and smile and smile. These lines convey the idea that the
youngers do feel for their elders, but they don’t communicate it properly.
(IV)
EXAMINATION-STYLE QUESTIONS
TYPE—I
READING COMPREHENSION
Extract 1
......... I saw my mother, beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that
244 MBD SUPER REFRESHER ENGLISH (XII CBSE)
 of a corpse and realised with pain
that she was as old as she looked but soon
put that thought away.
Questions (2015)
1. What worried the poet when she looked at her mother ?
2. Why was there pain in her realization ?
3. Why did she put that thought away ?
Answers
1. The poet was worried to see that her mother had turned pale like a corpse. 2. It pained her to realize
that her mother was now not going to live long. 3. She put that thought away because it was a painful
thought.
Questions (2016)
1. Who is ‘I’ ?
2. What did ‘I’ realise with pain ?
3. Why was the realisation painful ?
4. Identify and name the figure of speech used in these lines.
Answers
1. The word ‘I’ refers to the poet, Kamala Das. 2. She realised with pain that her mother had become
very old. 3. It was because of the realisation that her mother was not going to live long. 4. The figure of
speech used here is the simile : ‘her face ashen like that of a corpse’.
Extract 2
.......... 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, ..........
Questions (2011)
1. Which thought did the poet put away ?
2. What do the ‘sprinting trees’ signify ?
3. What are ‘the merry children spilling out of their homes’ symbolic of ?
4. How can the trees sprint ?
Answers
1. It was the thought that the poet’s mother might not live long now. 2. The ‘sprinting trees’ signify the
vitality of youth. 3. The ‘merry children spilling out of their homes’ are symbolic of carefree childhood when
all time is playtime. 4. Trees can’t sprint; they only seem to be sprinting when we pass by them in a fast-
moving vehicle.
Extract 3
I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s moon and felt that
old familiar ache 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 .....
245 MY MOTHER AT SIXTY-SIX
 Questions (2015, 19)
1. Name the poem and the poet.
2. What was the poet’s childhood fear ?
3. Why did the poet look at her mother again ?
4. What did she observe ?
5. What is the poetic device used in lines 1-2 ?
6. Explain : ‘late winter’s moon’.
Answers
1. The name of the poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’. The name of the poet is Kamala Das. 2. It was the
fear that the mother would leave her. 3. The poet was going away from her mother. She feared that her
mother was not going to live long. This painful thought made her look at her mother again. 4. She observed
that her mother’s face looked pale white like the face of late winter’s moon. 5. The figure of speech used in
these lines is simile : ‘............ her wan, pale as a late winter’s moon’ . 6. Old age is the last phase of human
life, just as winter is the last phase of the year. And in old age, a man grows pale like death, just as the moon
in late winter looks pale white.
Questions (2009)
1. What was the childhood fear that now troubled the poet ?
2. What do the poet’s parting words suggest ?
3. Why did the poet smile and smile ?
Answers
1. In her childhood, the poet’s heart was filled with fear when her mother was not with her. It was the
same fear that overcame her now. 2. These words suggest that younger ones do feel for their elders though they
may not communicate their feelings openly. 3. The poet couldn’t find appropriate words to say to her mother.
Therefore, she only smiled and smiled.
Questions (2016)
1. What does the phrase, ‘familiar ache’, mean ?
2. What do the first two lines tell us about the poet’s feelings for her mother ?
3. What does the repeated use of the word, ‘smile’, mean ?
Answers
1. It means that the pain the poet felt at that particular moment was not a new one. She had felt it
often earlier also. That is why she calls it an old familiar pain. 2. These lines show that the poet couldn’t
bear the thought of separation from her mother. She was always haunted by the fear that her mother would
leave her. 3. It means that the poet tried hard to hide her feelings of pain from her mother.
TYPE—II
SHORT-ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q. 1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels ? (2010, 16)
Ans. The poet sees that her mother has grown very pale and weak. She looks as pale as death. She
realises that her mother is not going to live long. This thought gives her much pain.
Q. 2. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’ ? (2012)
Ans. The poet is driving to the airport. She looks outside and finds the trees coming fast towards
her. They seem to be running fast. In fact, it is only the car that is running, not the trees.
Q. 3. Why are the youngsters described as sprinting ? (2017)
Ans. While driving from her parent’s home to Cochin airport, the poet looked out of the window
of the car. She looked at the youngsters running out of their homes in joy. This scene contrasts
the poet’s sadness with the joy of the youngsters.

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 Q. 4. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their
homes’ ?
Or
Having looked at her mother, why does Kamala Das look at the young children ? (2017)
Ans. This image helps to bring out the contrast between childhood and old age. While childhood
is a period of carefree merry-making, old age is a period of death-like sadness. With childhood,
the journey of life begins, and with old age, the journey ends.
Q. 5. Why does the poet look at ‘young trees’ and ‘merry children’ ? (Sample Paper 2017-16)
Ans. When the poet sees her mother’s pale and aged face, the painful thought comes to her mind
that her mother is not going to live long. To drive away this painful thought from her mind,
she starts looking out at the ‘young trees’ and ‘merry children’.
Q. 6. Why does Kamala Das compare her mother to ‘a pale winter’s moon ? (2013, 17)
Ans. Winter, like old age, is a time of inactivity. Old age is the last phase of human life, just as winter
is the last phase of the year. And in old age, a man grows pale like death, just as the moon in
late winter looks pale white.
Q. 7. What does the poet’s smile in the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’, show ? (2018)
Ans. The poet’s smile shows that she has no idea of her mother’s mental state. While her mother is
looking as pale as death, the poet can do nothing but smile and smile and smile.
Q. 8. Where was the poet going ? Who was sitting beside her ? What does she say about the one
going with her ?
Ans. The poet was going to the Cochin airport. Her mother was sitting beside her. The poet turned
to look at her mother. She found her mother dozing. Her mouth was open and she looked as
pale as death.
Q. 9. How does the poet feel when she looks at her mother during her drive to the airport ?
Ans. When the poet turns to look at her mother, she finds her dozing. The mother’s mouth is open.
She looks as pale as death. A painful thought comes to the poet’s mind. But soon she drives this
thought away.
Q. 10. What were Kamala Das’s childhood fears ? Why do they surface when she is going to the
airport ? (2011, 16)
Ans. In her childhood, Kamala Das’s fears were that her mother would leave her. Those were a child’s
fears of insecurity. But now the fear was not of insecurity. It was the fear of being left alone
without her mother.
Q. 11. What was the poet’s childhood fear ? (2014)
Ans. In her childhood, the poet used to fear that her mother would leave her one day. It is a fear of
insecurity that every child feels when its mother is not around.
Q.12. What painful thought comes to the poet’s mind and how does she drive it away ?
Ans. The poet sees that her mother looks as pale as death. A painful thought comes to her mind. She
feels that her mother won’t live long now. But soon she drives this thought away. She starts
looking at the scene outside.
What does the poet see when she looks outside during her drive to the airport ?
Ans. The poet sees young trees on the roadside. These trees seem to be running fast towards her. In
fact, it is the car that is running, not the trees. Then she sees children running out of their
homes in joy.
247 MY MOTHER AT SIXTY-SIX
 What happens when the poet reaches the airport ?
Ans. First of all, the poet goes through the security check. Then she again looks at her mother who is a
few yards away. The mother’s pale weak face gives her pain. But she says only this, ‘‘See you
soon, Amma.’’ And then she does nothing but smile and smile.
Q.15. What do the poet’s parting words to her mother signify ? (2009, 10)
Ans. As her parting words, the poet says just this to her mother, ‘‘See you soon, Amma.’’ These words
signify that youngers do feel for their elders, but they don’t communicate their feelings in a
manner that can soothe the troubled heart of their elders.
What were the poet’s feelings at the airport ? How did she hide them ? (2012)
Ans. The mother’s pale face gave her ache. It was like she used to feel in her childhood when
somefear overpowered her. But she hid her feelings by saying, ‘‘See you soon, Amma.’’
The only
thing the poet did was smile and smile and smile.
In the last line of the poem, why does the poet use the word ‘smile’ repeatedly ? (2017)
Ans. By using the word ‘smile’ repeatedly, the poet wants to convey how hard she tried to hide her
feelings of pain from her mother.

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