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My Mother at Sixty Six Summary

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In this post, I am sharing My mother at Sixty Six Summary For CBSE Class 12th Board Exam 2023-24. If you want to score High, you should learn the Summary of My Mother at Sixty Six.

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My Mother at Sixty Six About the Poet

Kamala Surayya (1934-2009), also known as Madhavikutty and Kamala Das, was a famous writer from Kerala, India. She wrote in both English and Malayalam. In Kerala, she was well-known for her short stories and autobiography, while her English works, written as Kamala Das, were notable for her poems and very personal autobiography.

She was also a widely read columnist and wrote on diverse topics including women’s issues, child care and politics among others.

Theme of My Mother at Sixty Six

In the poem “My Mother at Sixty Six,” the poet talks about her fear of losing her aging mother because of her declining health and lack of energy that comes with old age. The poet understands this is a fact of life and feels torn between her mother’s needs and her own responsibilities. This feeling of being unable to do much is shown powerfully in the poem. The poet’s emotions are something many people can relate to because the fear of losing a loved one is a universal theme.

Form

This poem is like a story with 14 lines, and it’s written as one long sentence with commas. This style is called “enjambment.” It makes the poem flow like thoughts one after the other, like a stream of consciousness. The poet’s tone is thoughtful, and the overall feeling in the poem is one of accepting things the way they are.

Justification 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 and the fear of loss and separation associated with it.

Message of the Poem My Mother at Sixty Six

Getting older is something that happens to everyone. It can be complicated because kids worry about their parents getting old and want to be with them. But they also have their own responsibilities to take care of. So, the challenge is how to find a balance between taking care of aging parents and doing what they need to do.

My Mother at Sixty Six Summary

Declining health and loss of energy accompanies old age. The narrator accepts this reality and is disturbed by her mother’s need for her on the one hand, and her own duties.

In the poem, the narrator is taking a car ride to the airport, and her mother is with her. The narrator notices that her mother looks old when she falls asleep. Her mother’s face is pale and she looks very still, like a dead person. This makes the narrator uncomfortable, so she gazes out of the car window. Outside, she sees trees that appear to be moving quickly (because the car is moving), and she also sees children running out to play. These images of the lively trees and energetic kids contrast with her mother, who is resting and not active.

On reaching the airport, the narrator stood a few yards away and looked at her mother’s face again. The mother is old, pale and looks like the obscure winter moon. The narrator is pained at having to leave her frail and aged mother behind.

Class 12 My Mother at Sixty Six Summary

Kamala Das has beautifully balanced the contrast between old age and childhood or youth in the poem. Old age is shown as ‘ashen’ and compared to a corpse. This is contrasted with words and ideas expressing vitality, energy and movement. For example, ‘Trees sprinting’ and ‘children spilling out’. Old age is like a winter’s moon and the mother is ‘pale’ and ‘wan’.

The narrator is pained, yet with a smile says, ‘See you soon.’ The separation is not merely of a daughter leaving, but there is pain and a fear of death, a permanent separation, yet the narrator must leave – probably to fulfil her commitments.

The poem concludes with a feeling of acceptance. The narrator acknowledges the truth. She puts on a smile as she says goodbye to her mother. The repeated use of the word ‘smile’ shows how the daughter is pretending to be brave and cheerful for her mother. It’s like an act. But deep down, she knows she might not see her mother alive again, and she comes to terms with it.