Central Idea:
The story highlights the deep bond between the narrator and his grandmother, portraying her spiritual strength and graceful acceptance of death.
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Themes:
Themes include love and respect for elders, change and continuity, spirituality, and the inevitability of death. -
Message:
The story conveys that relationships rooted in love and respect transcend time, age, and even death. -
Setting:
The setting shifts from a village to an urban city, symbolizing the changing lifestyle and growing emotional distance over time. -
Title Justification:
The title is apt as the grandmother is the central figure, and the story is a touching portrait in words capturing her essence. -
Literary Devices:
Imagery (her peaceful face, rosary beads, and sparrows), personification (death described with reverence), and contrast (between past and present) enrich the narrative.
Understanding The Text
Mention
1. The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad.
Answer:
The three phases of the relationship of the author with his grandmother before leaving the country to study abroad are:
(i) Early childhood – His grandmother helped him while getting ready and went to the village school along with him.
(ii) Boyhood – He shared a room with his grandmother when he studied at the city school. She was not able to help him in his studies.
(iii) Early youth – The link of their friendship snapped when he was provided a separate room at the university.
2. Three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school.
Answer:
The three reasons why the grandmother of the author was disturbed when he went to the city school are:
1. She did not like Western learning and Science.
2. She was hurt when she came to know that there were no scriptures and teachings of God there.
3. She did not like music and thought that it was not for gentlefolk and decent people. In her opinion, it was the monopoly of beggars and prostitutes.
3. Three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up.
Answer:
Three ways how the grandmother of the author spent her days after he grew up are:
1. She accepted the loneliness and lived unaccompanied in the room.
2. She would recite prayers while sitting at the spinning wheel.
3. She fed the sparrows for half an hour every afternoon.
4. The odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died.
Answer:
The grandmother of the author did not speak to them before her death. The night before she died, she did not pray while singing homecoming songs and beating the drum, as she was not ready to waste time. She laid peacefully in her bed praying and telling beads and ignored the protests of her family members.
5. The way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died.
Answer:
The dead body of the author’s grandmother was surrounded by thousands of sparrows which did not chirrup. They did not even notice the bread crumbs which were thrown by the author’s mother to feed them. They quietly flew away once the corpse of the grandmother was carried away. Hence, this way the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died.
Talking About The Text
Talk to your partner about the following.
1. The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this?
Answer:
The grandmother of the author was a deeply religious person. This can be known from the different ways of her behaviour. Every morning, she visited the temple and read the scriptures. She always mumbled inaudible prayers at home and kept telling the rosary beads. She constantly repeated prayers like a song while helping the author get ready for school. She wished that the author would learn it by heart. She did not like the English school as there was no teaching of scriptures and God.
She would recite prayers even while spinning in her spinning wheel. Once, she forgot to say her prayers. Prior to her death, she felt over-excited in the evening while celebrating her grandson’s arrival with beatings of drums and songs. She continued telling beads of rosary and praying till her last breath.
2. Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?
Answer:
The author was entirely dependent on his grandmother during his boyhood. She was an important part of his life. However, a turning point came in their friendship when they moved to the city. As he went to school by bus, she was not able to accompany him. She could not help him in his studies though they shared the same room. She used to ask him what his teachers taught him and did not believe in the things which were taught at school. She was pained that he was not taught about scriptures and God. As music was being taught, she felt offended and expressed her disapproval silently. She rarely spoke to the author after this. The link of their friendship was snapped as he was given a separate room when he went to the university. However, their feelings towards each other did not change. They loved one another deeply. When he left the country and moved abroad for higher studies, she went to the railway station to send him off. She quietly kissed his forehead and showed no emotion. This was valued by the author as it was the last sign of physical interaction between them. After five years, when the author returned, she received him at the station. She clasped the author in her arms and celebrated his homecoming in the evening by beating an old drum and singing songs.
3. Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.
Answer:
Yes, I agree that the grandmother of the author was a person with a strong character. She was a woman with strong beliefs. Though she was not educated formally, she was serious about the education of the author. She was not able to adjust herself to the western lifestyle, English and Science education. She did not like music and disapproved of its teaching in schools.
She was a religious woman whose lips were always moving in a silent prayer and was telling the beads of her rosary. She daily went to the temple and read scriptures. When she got to know that there was no teaching of scriptures and God at New English School of Khushwant, she was distressed.
She was a kind woman who used to feed the dogs in the village. She was feeding sparrows in the city. Though weak in body and old in age, she had a strong mind. She refused to talk to the family members before her death as she was not ready to waste her time. She wanted to make up the time she did not pray to God the previous evening. She laid peacefully in bed telling the beads of rosary and saying prayers until her last breath.
Central Idea:
The central idea of Khushwant Singh's "The Portrait of a Lady" is the touching portrayal of the changing relationship between a narrator and his grandmother, highlighting themes of love, respect, and the inevitability of change. It explores the deep bond between generations, the loneliness of old age, and the serenity found in spiritual, traditional living. The story explores deep emotional bonding, the inevitability of change, and the clash between tradition and modernity.
Key Aspects of the Central Idea: (ONLY FOR READING)
Evolution of Relationships: The story traces the transition from close childhood companionship to a distant relationship, caused by modernization and lifestyle shifts.
The Grandmother's Character: She is depicted as a symbol of serenity, unwavering faith, and kindness, maintaining her dignity and spiritual routine (praying, feeding sparrows) despite emotional distance or aging
Generational Gap and Change: It depicts how growing up and urban life (modern education) separates, yet does not completely break, the emotional connection.
Acceptance of Life and Death: The grandmother’s peaceful demeanor, even until her final moments, highlights the themes of accepting life's, and death's, inevitability with grace.
Key themes in "The Portrait of a Lady" (ONLY FOR READING)
Change and Aging: The story explores the natural progression of time, where the grandmother ages and becomes more confined to prayer, while the narrator grows and moves into a modern, fast-paced life.
The Generation Gap and Modernization: A significant theme is the divide between traditional, rural lifestyles and modern urban life. The shift in the grandmother’s lifestyle and the decrease in her time with her grandson reflect this.
Unconditional Love and Friendship: Despite their changing circumstances, the narrator and grandmother share a deep, quiet affection that persists despite their growing distance.
Spirituality and Inner Strength: The grandmother’s life is defined by her unwavering faith, daily prayers, and quiet resilience, even in the face of loneliness.
Love for Nature and Animals: The grandmother's relationship with the sparrows highlights her nurturing, kind-hearted nature. The birds' presence and behavior, especially after her death, emphasize her spiritual connection with living things.
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