My Mother at Sixty-six: Images and Contrasts
Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked
The poem works through contrasting images: the mother's ashen, corpse-like face and her pale, late-winter-moon look against the sprinting trees and merry children outside. Similes show the poet's fear of losing her mother; the repeated smile hides it. The whole poem is one sentence, so feeling flows without a pause.
Notice how the poet sets the old, fading mother beside the lively world outside, then hides her fear behind a repeated smile.
Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.
Understand Images and Contrasts in My Mother at Sixty-six
Setting. The poet is driving from her parents' home to Cochin, with her mother beside her. The mother, who is sixty-six, has fallen asleep with her mouth open. The poet looks at her and sees a face ashen like that of a corpse. The picture brings a sharp pain: she realises her mother is old and may not live long.
Image 1: the sleeping face. The simile compares the mother's face to a corpse, a very strong image. It tells us how the poet sees her mother's lifelessness and how deeply she fears death. The word ashen adds the colour of ashes.
Image 2: outside the car. To escape the thought, the poet looks out of the window. She sees young trees that seem to be sprinting and merry children spilling out of their homes. The personification of the trees gives them speed and youth. These images of energy and life are placed immediately next to the old, tired mother; the contrast is the poem's main device.
Image 3: the airport. After the security check, she looks at her mother again. This time the simile is of a late winter's moon, wan and pale. A moon at the end of winter is faint and about to fade: it again suggests ageing and the nearness of loss.
The feeling named. The poet then speaks of the old familiar ache, her childhood's fear. It is the fear she had as a child of losing her mother, which has come back.
The closing gesture. She does not say what she feels. She says only see you soon, Amma, and smiles and smiles and smiles. The repeated smile shows both the effort of hiding fear and the wish to reassure her mother.
Structure. The poem is a single sentence. It runs without a full stop until the end, which mirrors how thoughts and feelings run on during the drive and parting. The short ending line is the only pause.
How to use this in answers. Always name the image, say what it shows about the mother and the poet, and mention the contrast with the outside world. One poem, three images and one closing gesture are all that the board asks you to cover.
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
her face ashen like that of a corpse
Poet: Seeing her mother asleep in the car.
The poet's fear of her mother's death.
pale as a late winter’s moon
Poet: Looking at her mother at the airport.
The mother's fading strength.
all I did was smile and smile and smile
Poet: Her farewell.
She hides her pain to keep her mother cheerful.
Images and Contrasts in My Mother at Sixty-six: key facts
- The three images
Corpse ashen face in the car Moon wan, pale as a late winter's moon at the airport Trees and children sprinting trees, merry children outside - Two similes for the mother, one personification for the outside world.
- The central contrast
Inside the car old, dozing, ashen mother Outside young trees sprinting, merry children Effect youth and life against age and approaching death - The contrast deepens the poet's sadness.
- The unspoken fear
- Old familiar ache
- Childhood's fear of losing her mother
- Hidden by: smile and smile and smile
- Words spoken: see you soon, Amma
- Words reassure; feelings stay hidden.
- Form
- One sentence
- Commas and no full stop till the end
- Effect: unbroken flow of thought and feeling
- Mention it in questions on structure.
How to answer Images and Contrasts in My Mother at Sixty-six questions
Use this for questions on images, similes, contrast or the poet's feelings.
- 1Quote the image exactly: ashen like a corpse, or pale as a late winter's moon.
- 2Name the device: simile, personification or repetition.
- 3Say what it shows about the mother: age, weakness, nearness of death.
- 4Say what it shows about the poet: fear, pain and love.
- 5Add the contrast with the sprinting trees and merry children, then the smile.
Images and Contrasts in My Mother at Sixty-six in real life
The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Hiding sadness with a smile at a parting
Suppose a boy leaves for a hostel in another city and sees his grandfather, who has been unwell, waving from the station platform. He wants to cry but waves cheerfully.
How does the boy's behaviour match the poet's? Which line of the poem helps explain it?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The poet is afraid of losing her mother but only says see you soon.
- Both hide fear to avoid worrying the elder.
- The line smile and smile and smile shows this hidden pain.
Answer: Both hide their sadness to comfort an elder. The repeated smile in the poem is the matching line.
Memory hook: A smile can be the heaviest thing to carry.
Tricks to remember Images and Contrasts in My Mother at Sixty-six
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
C-M-T-S: Corpse, Moon, Trees, Smile
The four pictures in order of the poem.
Use it when: Use this list to answer any image question.
Inside old, outside young
Inside the car is age; outside the car is youth.
Use it when: The main contrast in one line.
One breath, one sentence
One sentence = one unbroken flow of feeling.
Use it when: For the structure question.
Images and Contrasts in My Mother at Sixty-six: solved examples
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.
Example 1: The repeated smile · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
The phrase 'smile and smile and smile' uses which device, and what does it show?
(a) Repetition, the effort of hiding sadness
(b) Simile, a comparison of smiles
(c) Metaphor, a hidden comparison
(d) Alliteration, a sound pattern of s
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The word smile is repeated three times, which is repetition (1 mark).
- It shows how much effort the poet puts into hiding her sadness.
Answer: (a) Repetition, the effort of hiding sadness
Example 2: Where does the poet see her mother pale? · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
Complete: At the airport, the poet sees her mother looking ________, like a late winter's moon.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The poem says the mother is wan, pale as a late winter's moon (1 mark).
Answer: wan and pale (colourless).
Example 3: The corpse simile · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why does the poet compare her mother's face to a corpse? What does it reveal about her feelings? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The sleeping mother looks lifeless and grey (1).
- It shows the poet's fear of her death (1).
Answer: The mother sleeps with her mouth open, and her face looks grey and lifeless. The poet compares it to a corpse. The shocking image shows how suddenly she realises her mother's age, and reveals her deep fear that her mother may not live much longer.
Example 4: Why look out of the window? · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why does the poet look outside the car, and what does she see? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- She wants to push away the painful thought (1).
- She sees sprinting trees and merry children (1).
Answer: The thought that her mother is old and may die is painful, so the poet tries to put it away by looking out. She sees young trees that seem to sprint past and merry children spilling out of their homes. These lively images contrast with her tired mother.
Example 5: Hidden feelings · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
The poet says all she did was smile and smile and smile. Why does she hide her feelings, and is hiding them the right thing to do? Write in 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Introduction: the situation (1).
- Body: reasons for hiding fear (2).
- Judgement (1).
- Conclusion and accuracy (1).
Answer: At the airport the poet feels the old familiar ache of her childhood's fear, yet all she does is smile and say see you soon, Amma. She hides her feelings because she does not want to burden or frighten her ageing mother. Showing her fear might make the parting more painful for both of them, and a smile gives her mother a cheerful last picture. Hiding emotions can be a loving act, as here. Yet the repeated smile also suggests how heavy the effort is, and some people might think she should speak honestly. In my view she is right to protect her mother in that moment, but she should share her fear with someone close to her afterwards. The poem is moving because love and fear are both there.
Where students lose marks in Images and Contrasts in My Mother at Sixty-six
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Saying the mother is dead
The simile is misread as fact.
Wrong working
The poet's mother has died and the poet is grieving.
Right working
The mother is alive, sixty-six and asleep; the poet fears her death.
Do this: Use the word like.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Missing the contrast
Students list the images without linking them.
Wrong working
The poem mentions trees and children.
Right working
Sprinting trees and merry children give youth and life, contrasting with the ageing mother.
Do this: Always write against.
Usually costs: 1 of 2 marks.
Mistake: Mixing up the two similes
Both describe the mother as pale.
Wrong working
Her face was pale as a corpse at the airport.
Right working
Corpse in the car; late winter's moon at the airport.
Do this: Remember C then M.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Ignoring the final smile
The ending is only one line.
Wrong working
The poet leaves her mother without saying anything.
Right working
She says see you soon, Amma and smiles repeatedly to hide her fear.
Do this: Close with the smile.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.
Exam tips
- Quote the image in inverted commas, then label the device.
- Always mention both settings: the car and the airport.
- Use the word contrast when you pair the mother with the trees and children.
- For the one-sentence form, say it mirrors an unbroken flow of thought.
- Do not guess the poet's age or details not in the poem.
Practice questions on Images and Contrasts in My Mother at Sixty-six
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Which feeling does the poet hide behind her smile at the airport?
(a) Anger at the delay (b) Fear of losing her mother (c) Pride in her mother (d) Boredom with the journeyHint
Think of her childhood's fear.
Answer
(b) Fear of losing her mother.
Q2 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What is the effect of the line 'that old familiar ache, my childhood's fear'? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
What is she afraid of, and since when?
Answer
The line says the fear of losing her mother, felt in childhood, has returned. The word familiar shows it has never left her. It reveals the deep bond between mother and daughter, and the parting at the airport recalls that old fear.
Q3 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level
The poem is one single sentence. Explain why the poet may have chosen this form. Answer in 120-150 words.
Hint
Think of how thoughts run on during a drive.
Answer
The whole poem is one sentence, punctuated only by commas, and the poet chooses this form with a purpose. In the car and at the airport, her thoughts and feelings flow continuously. The sight of her mother, the fear of her death, the effort to look away and the final smile all follow one another without a stop, as in real life. A full stop would give a pause for reflection, but the poet gives herself no pause to think about the pain. Only at the end, with the short line see you soon, Amma and the repeated smile, does the sentence come to rest. The form therefore mirrors the unbroken flow of emotion, and also the poet's attempt to keep going and not break down.
Q4 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why does the poet choose the word sprinting for the trees? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Speed, youth and the moving car.
Answer
Sprinting suggests speed, youth and energy. The trees only seem to run because the car is moving fast, which also hints at time rushing by. Set beside the slow, dozing mother, the word makes the contrast between young life and approaching old age sharper.
Q5 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
A critic says the poem is sad but the poet's reaction is weak because she says nothing. Evaluate this view in 40-50 words.
Hint
Silence can be strength.
Answer
The view overlooks the poet's strength. Her silence is not weakness but love: she smiles to protect her mother from worry. The painful images in her mind and the old ache she names show strong feeling. Controlling emotion at a parting is a form of courage.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.How old is the poet's mother?Show answer
Sixty-six.
2.Where is the poet driving to?Show answer
Cochin (the airport).
3.What is the mother compared to at the airport?Show answer
A late winter's moon.
4.What is the mother's face compared to in the car?Show answer
A corpse.
5.What words does the poet speak at the end?Show answer
See you soon, Amma.
6.Which figure is sprinting trees?Show answer
Personification.
Images and Contrasts in My Mother at Sixty-six: frequently asked questions
Who wrote My Mother at Sixty-six?
Kamala Das wrote it; it is a poem in Flamingo.
What is the theme of the poem?
Ageing, the fear of losing a parent and the hiding of emotions.
Why is the poem a single sentence?
To show the unbroken flow of thought and feeling.
What question types come from this poem?
Extract-based questions on images, 2-mark questions on similes or contrast, and a 5-mark question on emotions.