My Mother at Sixty – Six Summary Chapter Summary for 12th Class CBSE
My Mother at Sixty-Six is a poem, and as such, it lacks characters in the conventional sense that one could find in a play or story. Rather, it has a speaker who muses over her feelings and views about her mother. The speaker of the poem serves as the main voice and lens through which the reader experiences the themes of aging, mortality, and the changing parent-child connection.
It is a very intimate and introspective work. Even though the speaker's mother plays a major role in the poem, her role is mainly symbolic, serving to highlight the larger issues of aging and its effects on familial relationships. The speaker's thoughts and feelings as she considers her mother's aging during an automobile accident are highlighted.
My Mother at Sixty – Six Summary
My Mother at Sixty-Six is a
poignant poem written by Kamala Das, an Indian English poet. The poem reflects
on the aging process and the emotional impact it has on the speaker as she
observes her mother's physical decline. The central theme revolves around the
inevitability of aging and the complex emotions it elicits in both the elderly
and their loved ones.
My Mother at Sixty – Six Summary Chapter Summary-The speaker of the poem opens by describing her mother's appearance, emphasizing the marks of aging on her face and her graying hair. The speaker is especially affected by the knowledge that her mother, who was once lively and active, is now weak and fragile. The poem is set on a car ride, as the speaker watches her mother through the window and muses on the passing of time and the transient aspect of existence.
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As the journey progresses, the
speaker becomes increasingly introspective, contemplating the mortality of her
mother and the inevitable separation that death brings. The speaker grapples
with the conflicting emotions of love, sorrow, and acceptance. There is a sense
of helplessness and nostalgia as the speaker reflects on the moments shared
with her mother in the past.
My Mother at Sixty – Six Summary Chapter Summary-The poem also explores the
generational gap and the changing dynamics between the speaker and her mother.
The mother, once the caregiver and source of strength, is now dependent on
others for support. This reversal of roles adds another layer of complexity to
the emotional landscape of the poem.
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The poem's final lines, in which
the speaker concedes that aging is a fact of life and that it is temporary,
express a profound sense of loss and resignation. There is acceptance and an
understanding of the strong link between mother and daughter despite the pain.
Characters in My Mother at Sixty-Six
The Speaker:
The speaker is the narrator of the
poem, and likely represents Kamala Das herself or a persona created for the
purpose of the poem. The speaker's thoughts and emotions are central to the
exploration of the impact of aging on the mother.
The Mother:
While the mother is not a character in the traditional sense within the poem, she is the subject of the speaker's reflections. The mother's physical appearance, emotions, and vulnerability in the face of aging are portrayed through the speaker's lens.
My Mother at Sixty – Six Summary Important Questions and Answers
Who is the poet of "My Mother at Sixty-Six"?
Kamala Das, an Indian English poet,
is the author of "My Mother at Sixty-Six." Known for her powerful and
emotionally charged poetry, Das explores themes of love, identity, and societal
norms in her works.
How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?
Kamala Das finds the thoughts of
her ageing mother very painful and disturbing. It is hard for her to accept the
fact of her mother growing old, as it brings back to her mind her childhood
fear of losing her mother. She makes a deliberate effort to drive or put away
such thoughts by looking out of the moving car, at the trees ‘sprinting’ and
the joyful young children rushing out of their homes.
What were Kamala Das, fears as a child? Why do they surface
when she is going to the airport?
As a child Kamala Das was insecure
about losing her mother just as all young children often are. The same feelings
are evoked inside her while she is on the way to the airport, as she sees her
mother’s pale face, which is a sign of her old age and impending death.
Why has Kamala Das compared her mother to a “late winter’s
moon”?
The poet has used this simile as
‘the late winter’s moon’ looks too hazy and lacks brightness and lustre.
Similarly, the mother, who is now sixty-six, is pale and has a shrunken and
ashen face. She is devoid of the effervescence and exhilaration of youth.
What were the poet’s feelings at the airport? How did she hide
them?
The poet was torn apart by the
feeling whether she would see her mother alive the next time or not. She hid
her feelings by smiling reassuringly at her mother.
Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children
spilling out of
their homes?
The young children spilling out of
their homes represent the exuberance and vigour of youth. They are in complete
contrast to the poet’s mother. Perhaps the poet has used the image to bring out
the pangs of old age.
Bring out the poetic devices used in the poem.
The poem ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six’
captures the complex subtleties of human relationships 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. There is a simile in the explicit
comparison of the ashen face of her mother to that of a corpse. We find another
simile in the comparison between the pale visage of her mother and the late
winter’s moon, as her face has lost its brightness.
There is the use of personification
in the line “Trees sprinting’, where trees are attributed with the quality of
running swiftly, for enhancing the poetic effect. The poet has used
alliteration in the use of the words ‘familiar’ and ‘fear’ with the repetition
of the consonant sound |f|. It also suggests the poet’s familiarity with her
childhood fear and the sorrow of losing her mother to death.
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