Home Life and Family Relationship – The Tattered Blanket

(a) In spite of being young and energetic, he does not like to work hard.

(b) In spite of there being a lot of space, only a few people were invited.

(c) In spite of being well paid, they do not like to work hard.

(d) In spite of bicycles being easy to ride, teenagers do not like it.

(e) In spite of playing at home, they lost the match.

In spite of is followed by a noun, pronoun or gerund (-ing form), not by a full clause, so but is dropped and the first clause is turned into a gerund phrase.

(b) The mother's declining memory and neglected relationship

The old blanket, which Gopi bought long ago and which is now torn, stands for Amma's worn-out state and for the neglected bond between her and her son Gopi, who has stopped writing and visiting.

In Kamala Das's "The Tattered Blanket", the old mother (Amma) is physically frail and mentally clouded by age. She lives in the family home in the countryside, looked after by her widowed daughter Kamala. When her son Gopi, a government officer in Delhi, arrives unannounced after years, she cannot recognise him. She asks Kamala to find out who the man at the gate is, refuses to believe him when he says he is her son, and has even forgotten the name of his wife. Yet she imagines that Gopi writes to her every day and keeps asking whether a letter has come. She lives on her memories and her longing for him.

Her repeated reference to the blanket reveals her emotional state. She says her old blanket, the one Gopi brought when he was studying in Madras, is badly torn, and she asks for a new red one to keep out the cold mist. The request shows her physical need, but also how little care she has received. The old blanket is the last thing that links her to her son, and its tattered state shows how worn out her life and her hopes have become.

It also reveals the relationship between mother and son. Her love for him is unchanged and trusting, while he is absorbed in his promotion, his family and his career, and has not written a single letter. He has come mainly to arrange the sale of his share of the family land. The torn blanket is therefore a symbol of a bond that has worn thin through neglect: the mother has not forgotten her son in her heart, but the son has in effect forgotten his mother.

The blanket in Kamala Das's story "The Tattered Blanket" is described as tattered because it is very old and badly torn. It is the blanket that Gopi brought for his mother when he was a student in Madras, and years of use and neglect have worn it out. Amma tells Gopi and Kamala that she needs a new red blanket to protect her from the cold mist.

Its physical condition mirrors the emotional distance between mother and son:

• Just as the blanket has been left to fall apart without being replaced, Amma herself has been left without her son's care and attention for years.
• The blanket once gave warmth and comfort, as a mother's love did for her son. Now it can no longer protect her from the cold, just as the relationship no longer offers closeness. Gopi has not written even one letter.
• The blanket was a gift from Gopi's student days, when he was still attached to his mother. Its decay shows how far that old affection has faded as he has risen to a high post in Delhi.
• Gopi's visit is not to look after his mother, but to sell his share of the family property. He does not notice, or does not care about, the state of the blanket, which shows his indifference.

Thus the tattered blanket is not just an object but a symbol of a worn-out, neglected mother-son relationship.

The Tattered Blanket by Kamala Das is a short story about the emotional neglect of an aged mother by her successful son. It shows that old age brings loneliness as well as weakness, and that grown-up children who are busy with their own careers often forget the parents who raised them.

The son's attitude towards his mother

Gopi is a government officer in Delhi, recently promoted, married and the father of four children. He has not written to his mother for a long time. He arrives unannounced at his old home while returning from an official meeting, and his widowed sister Kamala, who looks after Amma, greets him coldly and asks why he has come without warning. Gopi offers excuses: he has been too busy since his promotion.

Amma no longer recognises him. She asks whether her son has written, believes he writes to her every day, and proudly says he is an officer in Delhi. When Gopi says he is her son she does not believe him, and she has even forgotten his wife's name. Gopi does not try to comfort her. Instead he opens his briefcase and takes out his clothes, files and shaving set, and discusses with Kamala the sale of his share of the family land. Kamala senses that he will never come back once the land is sold. Gopi replies that he will come when he has time, and says that Amma cannot even remember who he is. The story suggests that it is Gopi who has forgotten his mother.

The tattered blanket and the theme

Amma asks for a new red blanket to protect her from the cold mist, because her old one, which Gopi brought when he was studying in Madras, is badly torn. The blanket symbolises the worn-out state of Amma's life and of the bond between mother and son. The central theme is the plight of elderly parents who are neglected by their grown-up children. Amma has a home and a daughter to care for her, but is starved of her son's love, attention and presence. Her love is trusting and constant, while his is replaced by self-interest.

The message

The writer conveys that children have a moral duty to care for their aged parents emotionally as well as materially. Filial responsibility means remembering their sacrifices, giving them time, affection and respect, and not treating them as a burden or as a means to property. The story warns that ambition, status and money can erode family relationships.

Conclusion

Through Gopi's selfish indifference and Amma's patient love, Kamala Das reminds readers that parents need warmth in their last years, and that a tattered blanket can be replaced far more easily than a lost relationship.

despite (or in spite of)

The blank is followed by a noun phrase, the request to take her seat, so a linking word of contrast that takes a noun is needed: The minister stood still despite the request to take her seat. She did not move even though she was asked to sit.

after (or only after)

The permission was linked to a point in time, and after joins the two clauses in the right order: The Principal permitted [it] only after the programme began.