The Portrait of a Lady Summary
The first chapter in the Class 11 English Hornbill textbook is based on a true story by Khushwant Singh. The author describes his Grandmother and their bond. He’s written a great description of what she did all day when she was old. Her appearance in the prose piece is explained fascinatingly. It demonstrates how finely the author can use words to create a character. Use ‘The Portrait of a Lady’ Summary for Class 11, developed by our best professionals, to truly understand the chapter. This chapter has excellent explanations of various subjects you should be familiar with. You must analyze the context of this prose piece to answer the questions appropriately.
CBSE Class 11 English Hornbill Textbook – ‘The Portrait of a Lady’ Summary
Khushwant Singh tells us about his upbringing and his relationship with his Grandmother. The Portrait of a Lady summary will provide an overview of the writer’s relationship with his Grandmother. This summary contains all of the beautiful and emotional moments in the chapter.
His Grandmother, according to the writer, was short, healthy, and slightly bent. Her silver hairs were chaotically scattered across her aged face. She used to dress in all white and go around the house. One hand rested on her waist while the other counted the beads on her rosary. In the writer’s opinion, she was not highly pretty, but she was always beautiful. He compared her calm face to the winter landscape. Grandmother used to wake him early during their long stay in the village, plaster his wooden slate, organize his breakfast, and send him to school.
She used to give the stale chapatis to the street dogs on her way back to the house. When they moved to the city, it marked a turning point in their beautiful relationship. Now, the writer used to take a school bus to the city school and study subjects like English, Physics, Mathematics, and a variety of other subjects that his Grandmother could not understand. His Grandmother was no longer able to accompany him to school. She was disappointed because the city school did not educate her about God or the Scripture. He was instead given music lessons, but she remained silent.
When the writer went to University, he was given his room. The bond between the grandson and the Grandmother had now been broken. His Grandmother no longer spoke to anyone in the house. She spent a lot of time sitting next to her spinning wheel, reciting God’s prayers. In the afternoon, she would feed the birds. When the writer went abroad to complete his education, his Grandmother was unaffected. She saw him off at the airport. But, the writer wondered whether that would be his final visit with his Grandmother because she was so old. However, when he returned home after a 5-year stay, his Grandmother was there to welcome him and celebrate his return.
She became ill the following day after her grandson arrived. Despite the doctor’s assurance that only a little fever would pass quickly, she sensed that her time had come to depart this world. She didn’t want to waste time conversing with anyone. She went to bed, praying and turning the beads until her lips stopped moving and her lifeless fingers dropped the rosary. Thousands of sparrows flocked in to grieve her death and sat scattered around her body. When the old lady’s body was brought away for the final rites, all the sparrows fluttered away without making a noise.
‘The Portrait of a Lady’ Analysis, Theme, and Explanation
The themes of innocence, friendship, love, connection, compassion, selflessness, respect, and acceptance run through Khushwant Singh’s ‘The Portrait of a Lady. The story is told in the first person by an unnamed narrator. After reading it, the reader realizes that Singh may be exploring the theme of innocence by showcasing how the changes in his life shaped his relationship with his Grandmother. The narrator found it difficult to imagine that his Grandmother was once young and beautiful. Instead, the narrator saw his Grandmother as always being old. This might be important since it suggests that the narrator saw his Grandmother through the eyes of the child that he was. He didn’t believe his Grandmother might have been someone else because all he knows is that she was old.
It is also noticeable that the narrator loves his Grandmother and that they have a close and loving relationship. The Grandmother is always there for the narrator when he needs her. This is important as it shows the strong bond between the narrator and his Grandmother. The Grandmother was also patient, as one could expect from someone her age. While the narrator was in school, she waited for him at the temple. The Grandmother was not just present for the narrator when he needed her but had dedicated her life to him in many ways. The Grandmother has a spiritual connection with God, just as she does with the narrator. The Grandmother’s relationship with the local dogs and the sparrows she feeds is significant. It highlights the Grandmother’s personality, of how giving and loving she is as a person, not just to her grandson but to everyone and all creatures around her. She is selfless.
The fact that the narrator thinks his Grandmother is beautiful is especially interesting since it shows that he sees beyond a person’s outward appearance. Rather than seeing his Grandmother as an old relative who lives with him, he gives her depth and affection. In reality, the narrator’s Grandmother is a vital part of his life that he does not take for granted. It might also be symbolic that the Grandmother is always dressed in white, as white is frequently used in literature to represent purity. If anything, the narrator may have the impression that his Grandmother is not only beautiful but also pure. The reader can see that the narrator truly loves his Grandmother. The narrator never criticizes his Grandmother throughout the story.
Singh looks to be exploring the theme of acceptance at the end of the story, which is interesting. The narrator appears to be fast to accept that his Grandmother is no longer alive, something that may have been made easier by the Grandmother’s awareness and appreciation of the fact that she was going to pass away. It might be that the narrator isn’t sad that his Grandmother has passed away. He knows she’s lived a good life, even if it’s one he can’t fully imagine. If anything, it’s likely that the narrator is left with happy memories of his time with his Grandmother rather than sadness at her passing.
Conclusion
The narrator’s Grandmother has, as a result, had the biggest impact on his life compared to his parents or anything he may have learned in school. She has always been there for him, from when he was a small child to when he was an adult.
To summarise, ‘In the Portrait of a Lady, the writer and his Grandmother shared a special bond and a deep love for one another. The story depicts how lovely a relationship between a grandson and his Grandmother can become.
