[English Notes] on My Mother At Sixty Six Short Summary Pdf for Exam

My Mother At Sixty Six poem is written by Kamala Das and is one of her very popular poems. Kamala Das is famous for capturing the complexities of personal relationships. In the short summary of My Mother At Sixty Six, the poet relates to her own experience in the poem. She brings out a contradiction in human relationships. Throughout the poem, she has pictured what emotions a daughter feels when she bids farewell to her mother. She feels sad for her mother and is not able to express her grief. A short and long summary of My Mother At 66 is provided below.

The poet was driving from her folks home to the Cochin air terminal last Friday morning. Her mother was sitting close to her. She was sixty-six years of age. The older woman was resting. Her mouth stayed open. Her face looked pale and blurred. It was dim like debris. It looked dormant like a body (dead body).

Her youth dread overwhelmed her once more. In any case, she controlled herself. She gave off an impression of being ordinary. She scattered grains all over while bidding farewell to her mother. She wished to see her old Amma once more.

My Mother At Sixty Six Theme

The theme of the poem is ‘ageing’ which is the law of nature. It also depicts the helplessness and aspirations of the young generation. It portrays the different stages of life and how everybody grows old and faces various situations that life throws at them. Hence, this is the central theme of the poem My Mother At Sixty Six.

The dead and blurred face of her mother tormented her heart. The older woman appeared to be lost in her considerations. The poet dismissed her attention from her mother and looked outside. The world outside was loaded with life and action. The youthful trees appeared to be running quickly. The youngsters watched gladly while moving out of their homes.

My Mother At Sixty Six Summary: Brief Explanation

My Mother At 66 is a poem about a mother and her daughter. One fine day, the poet was driving to Cochin airport from her parent’s house. On the way, her mother was sitting beside her. She also mentions that her mother’s age is sixty-six. While the old lady was dozing, her mouth remained open. Her face was faded and pale. She looked like a corpse. 

As a little girl, the actual thought of losing her mother upsets her. Thus, to drive away from her stressful consideration, she begins watching out at the trees, which seem, by all accounts, to be running as she drives a vehicle. She likewise sees little youngsters hurrying out of their homes to play outside. This helps her to remember youth and excellence.

The summary of the poem My Mother At Sixty Six depicts the dilemma of a child seeing her mother getting old. The lifeless and pale face of the mother pained the poet’s heart. In the poem- My Mother At 66, the poet’s mother seemed to have been lost in her own world. In My Mother At Sixty Six explanation, you will find that the poet then turned her attention towards the window and looked at nature that was full of activity and life. Here, she shows the contrast between the world outside and the inside gloominess.

The poet is harmed and pitiful and shifts her attention outside the vehicle to drive the unwanted sentiments. She changes her awful mindset. The scene from the window of the vehicle is of rising life and energy. The quick-running green and enormous trees near the happily playing kids address life, youth, and imperativeness. The poet here is recalling her youth. In her adolescence, her mother was youthful and wonderful. Though presently, her mother is encircled by the dread of losing her life, which makes her uncertain and dismal.

My Mother At 66 summary further tells us that the daughter reaches the airport and waits far away from her mother and as she bids goodbye to her, the image of her old, pale face strikes her. She compares how one grows old and starts looking like the faded moon in the winter. 

Mother At Sixty Six summary further states the pain that the daughter feels on getting separated from her mother. Here the fog is an obstacle for the moonlight. The poet suddenly feels sad about getting separated from her mother as she felt in her childhood. She hopes to see her mother again. She expects her mother to enjoy her life and not to cry in front of her. 

My Mother At Sixty Six Line by Line Explanation

A brief explanation of My Mother At Sixty Six in a line-by-line manner is provided in the following section.

“Driving from … out of their homes” –

The poet here explains that it was Friday and she was driving back to the airport from her parent’s house. She was with her mother and her mother fell asleep in the car. While she was unconsciously sleeping, the poet realises that her mother is growing old and feels sad about it. She also compares her mother with a corpse. Then she looks outside and sees the young children playing and the trees sprinting. She then realises that everything grows old after a certain time. This realization scares her.

She arrives at the air terminal to take her flight. It shows takeoff and separation, which makes her pitiful. As she bid farewell to her mother, the picture of the old mother in the sunset of years strikes her. Here once more, a metaphor is practically identical with her mother with a late-night moon of the winters. The moonlight is a hindrance by the haze and cloudiness as she seems more seasoned at this point.

“But after the airport’s … smile and smile” –

The poet is presently feeling the aggravation of getting separated due to leaving her mother. Her youth dread of losing her caring mother presently turned out to be so unnerving. Presently her mother could pass on of advanced age whenever surprisingly. She is entirely miserable, to the point that she begins crying gradually without control; however, keeping a fearless heart, she conceals her tears and starts grinning. 

She then continues to say that in the airport, she was at the security check and stood far away from her mother. She noticed her mother’s ageing face which looked pale and dull. At that time, the poet feels sad about being separated from her mother just as she felt in her childhood. She feels that it may be the last time she is seeing her mother as her mother has grown old. She still says that she will see her mother soon as she doesn’t want to lose her.

Accordingly, she offers her goodbye to her old mother and keeps her desire to see her mother alive. She says, see you soon, Amma. She conceals her tears and distress as she would rather not make a difficult and enthusiastic climate. Besides, she does not need her mother to cry and shows her that she is partaking in her life. She anticipates that her mother should be cheerful and partake in her life very much like her.

Thus ends the summary of the poem My Mother At Sixty Six.

About the Author

Kamala Das (31 March 1934 31 May 2009) was an Indian English poet and litterateur and simultaneously the main Malayalam creator from Kerala. 

Her prominence in Kerala depends predominantly on her brief tales and memoirs, while her oeuvre in English is noted for poems and personal history. She won Kerala Sahitya Academy Award and Sahitya Academy Award.