The Old Mother (Pearl S Buck)

Introduction:

Pearl S. Buck’s short story “The Old Mother” is about the deranged condition of an old mother who needs to stay with her son in her old age. The author in this short fiction juxtaposes the old and young generations and tradition and modern life-style on the same platform to highlight the theme of lack of love and humanity in modern men. The author also portrays the absence of heart-felt love existing among the family members in this fiction.

The Old Mother’s Traditional Life-Style:

The old mother lived with her husband and children at a small house in a village. She and her husband did farming in their own fields. She did not maintain a hygienic environment at her home. She used the chopstick which she used for eating food from her bowl to serve food to the other family members or to put extra food into her bowl from the cook-pot. Her husband and children also did not know the meaning of hygiene or infection, etc. Yet they all lived a happily tilling their fields. They reaped food grains and grew vegetables to the keep the family away from starving. But tragedy struck in the life of the old mother when she lost her two sons for a viral epidemic called cholera. In fact, she did not understand the cause of the death of her sons. Like other villagers, she thought that it was the fate that played in the lives of her children.  The only son who survived was her last son. He showed mettle in his studies. So, she and her husband were ready to sell their farming land for the sake of her son’s education, even though the other villagers warned against doing so. The old mother strongly believed that her son would take care of her and her husband in their old age. However, before moving to her son’s house in the city, she lost her husband who died due to his old age. With the remaining piece of land, she gave a decent burial to her husband. Then, without her husband, she was fated to go to her son’s house in the city. She hesitated to go to her daughter’s house, for she thought that it was a demeaning on her part to live with her daughter and son-in-law, while the son is alive.

The Old Mother’s Mental Trauma:

The old mother moves to her son’s house in the city. In fact, her son who is well educated and well settled, married a woman of his own choice, in love-marriage. The old mother does not know what a love-marriage is. Yet she and her husband did not want to stand as hurdles on the path of their son’s progress in life. Now, the son has two little daughters. But the old mother is not allowed to kiss and play with her grandchildren. The old mother is forced to adapt table manner – she needs to wait until all the food items to be served on her plate. Besides, her daughter-in-law never allows the old mother to use the chopstick which she uses to eat food from her bowl, for taking some more food from the common bowl. Hence, it is necessary for the old mother to wait until the food, though her favourite one to be served to her bowl. Above all, the old mother never gets the satisfaction of fully-eaten. Therefore, she often steels and stores food which is kept for the servants. She keeps the stolen food in her room in a separate box and eats it later even though it becomes stale, sometimes. Her son and daughter-in-law codify many rules that the old mother should adapt. But these are new as well strange to her and so often she develops tension in her mind and that turns out to be a mental trauma of hers.

The Old Mother’s Derangement:

One day, the old mother’s granddaughters are playing in front of her room. In fact, the girls are restricted not to enter in to the old mother’s room. But seeing the granddaughters, grandmotherly-love springs out of the old mother’s heart. So, she takes the little one, keeps it on her lap, cajoles it and kisses it to her heart content. Then she gives a cake to it from the tin-box. Actually, the cake is stale. But the old mother does not understand it and so she wipes out the white-dust deposited on the cake and gives it to the little one to eat. Seeing this, the elder one reports it to its mother. So, the old mother’s daughter-in-law reprimands the old mother for her action. She also makes the child to spit the food given by the old mother. However, the child develops fever. Throughout night, her son and daughter-in-law attend the child and gives medicine as per the doctor’s advice. In the next morning, the baby becomes normal. The son who is angry at the old mother, scolds her for the foolish action. The old mother convinces him saying many irrelevant excuses. This further kindles the son and so he orders one of the servants to keep an eye on the old mother in her room. Thus, the old mother becomes arrested in her own house. Nobody in the house understands the old mother’s love.

Conclusion:

Thus, in this short fiction, Pearl S. Buck brings out the vanity of modern life. The old mother who sacrificed her entire life and property for the welfare of her son received only contempt from him. The life of the old mother is the microcosm. In this modern age, people are after money and fail to value fellow relationship. There is no place for love and humanity in the hearts of modern men. The derangement set in the lives of individuals and the failure of humanity are the crux of the fiction.