My Mother At Sixty Six by Kamala Das - Explanation
My Mother At Sixty-Six
The poem "My Mother At Sixty-Six" is written by Kamala Das, one of the foremost Modern Indian English writer who was famous for her frank depiction of women sexuality. Most of her poems are personal.
The poem describes the narrator's concern towards her mother who has grown old which can also be seen from her physical features. It also depicts the complexity of the narrator digesting the fact of her mother getting too old and understandably, she doesn't convey her fear to her.
The poem begins with the narrator driving from her parents home to Cochin (present-day Kochi). Her mother accompanies her. While travelling, she notices that her mother was drowsy, her face looks like of a "corpse" lacking vigour.
The narrator sadly realises that her mother has aged older as her facial features show unambiguously. But then she chooses to ignore the painful thought, perhaps to spare her own mind. She tries to look out at youthful beings such "Young trees" and "merry children" who are rushing out from their homes to play.
After reaching the airport and passing the security check, she again looks at her mother who is standing few yards away from her. And she find her face colourless and pale, compares it with "a late winter's moon". After getting the not-so-bright looks of her mother, she felt an old familiar ache, her childhood's fear. Perhaps, she realised that her mother would not live much longer because of clear signs of intense oldness.
But the narrator concealed her fear in front of her mother because she didn't want to show her concern and bade her farewell. She just smiled and smiled at her because the narrator thought that it would not be very cheery to depart making a scene or crying. She wants her mother to think that she departs her parents home joyously.
The poem "My Mother At Sixty-Six" is written by Kamala Das, one of the foremost Modern Indian English writer who was famous for her frank depiction of women sexuality. Most of her poems are personal.
The poem describes the narrator's concern towards her mother who has grown old which can also be seen from her physical features. It also depicts the complexity of the narrator digesting the fact of her mother getting too old and understandably, she doesn't convey her fear to her.
The poem begins with the narrator driving from her parents home to Cochin (present-day Kochi). Her mother accompanies her. While travelling, she notices that her mother was drowsy, her face looks like of a "corpse" lacking vigour.
The narrator sadly realises that her mother has aged older as her facial features show unambiguously. But then she chooses to ignore the painful thought, perhaps to spare her own mind. She tries to look out at youthful beings such "Young trees" and "merry children" who are rushing out from their homes to play.
After reaching the airport and passing the security check, she again looks at her mother who is standing few yards away from her. And she find her face colourless and pale, compares it with "a late winter's moon". After getting the not-so-bright looks of her mother, she felt an old familiar ache, her childhood's fear. Perhaps, she realised that her mother would not live much longer because of clear signs of intense oldness.
But the narrator concealed her fear in front of her mother because she didn't want to show her concern and bade her farewell. She just smiled and smiled at her because the narrator thought that it would not be very cheery to depart making a scene or crying. She wants her mother to think that she departs her parents home joyously.