My Mother at Sixty-Six by Kamala Das - Poem Analysis (2024)

In the final part of the poem, the poet expresses her fear of losing her mother to death. Even as a young girl, the poet had similar feelings and fears. She was so afraid of losing her mother that she would never leave her for a moment. The poet, even as a grown-up daughter, experiences a similar emotion. However, she can hide her fears. She smiles at her mother. She tries to express her love and affection to her aging mother, as the poet bids goodbye.

The opening segment of the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six,’ presents the poet’s realization of her mother’s aging. The poet notices the old appearance of the mother during her car journey from her place to the airport at Cochin. The mother is sleeping with her mouth open. As the car travels, the daughter observes her mother. The mother’s face appears ashen. The pale complexion of the old woman is similar to that of a corpse. The mother looks as old as her age. The thought of the corpse forces the poet to think of her mother’s death. The sleeping form of her mother allows the poet to observe her uninhibitedly. This makes her emotional.

In these lines, the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six,’ alludes to the disturbed state of the poet’s mind when she thinks of her mother’s death. She puts the thoughts away. Then, she looks out through the window of the car. She looks at the passing green trees and young children coming out of their homes to play. The world around the poet appears young and energetic. It forms a contrast to the state of her mother. The poet describes the youthful scenery of the world to underscore the mature years of her mother. Furthermore, the scenery distracts the poet for a while during the car journey.

The thought of her mother’s death brings back the poet’s childhood fears. As a child, the poet was so afraid of her mother’s death. She would never leave her side at any moment. But now, the poet says that the old fears have surfaced again. The poet is now a grown-up woman and she can hide her fears. The daughter (poet!) simply smiles at her mother and bids farewell as she moves towards her flight. The poet says, “See you soon Amma,” and leaves with a smile. The poem concludes by underscoring the optimistic behavior people display towards their loved ones.

The poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six,’ is an intimate work presenting the poet’s thoughts. It deals with the feeling of fear and emotions that daughters experience with their mothers. Any child is attached to its mother. Similarly, children generally are afraid of losing their mothers. This poem brings out this ordinary but profound human nature through a personal reverie. Death is inevitable but people are afraid of losing their dear ones. As the poet expresses, the bond between a mother and her child is special; and therefore, the anxiety in losing the relationship is also strong. As its thematic concern, the poem brings out the inner thoughts of a daughter for her mother.

The poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six,’is confessional. As such, it is a first-person monologue. It runs like an aside. The poet expresses her inner thoughts and her reactions to those thoughts. The language is conversational. The arrangement of the lines is free and fluid. The poetic touch appears when the poet describes her mother and her old age. She first compares her mother’s appearance to that of a corpse. She then describes her mother as the winter moon. In both instances, the poet alludes to the imminent death of her mother. It is usually mothers who describe their children as moons, but here, an affectionate daughter describes her mother as a moon. The last lines of the poem repeat the word ‘smile’, indicating that people helplessly display such gestures to express their true feelings for their loved ones.