"My Grandmother's House," an autobiographical poem by Indian writer Kamala Das, tells a story of nostalgia and sorrow. The poem's speaker longs to return to her grandmother's house, where she once felt loved and secure—especially now that she lives a lonely adult life, mourning the safety and comfort of her childhood. This poem was published in Das's 1965 collection Summer in Calcutta.

• Read the full text of “My Grandmother's House”

• “My Grandmother's House” Summary

• “My Grandmother's House” Themes

  • 

    Longing and Nostalgia

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-12
  • 

    Loneliness and the Desire for Love

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 12-16

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “My Grandmother's House”

  • Lines 1-2

    There is a ...
    ... That woman died,

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 3-5

    The house withdrew ...
    ... like the moon

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 6-12

    How often I ...
    ... Dog...

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 12-16

    you cannot believe, ...
    ... in small change?

    

    

    

    

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• “My Grandmother's House” Symbols

  • 

    The House

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “There is a house now far away where once / I received love...”
    • Line 3: “The house withdrew into silence,”
    • Lines 7-8: “to peer through blind eyes of windows or / Just listen to the frozen air,”
    • Lines 12-14: “you cannot believe, darling, / Can you, that I lived in such a house and / Was proud, and loved...”
  • 

    Darkness

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 9-10: “pick an armful of / Darkness”

• “My Grandmother's House” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Caesura

    

    

    

    

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    Where caesura appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “love... That”
    • Line 3: “silence, snakes”
    • Line 4: “books, I”
    • Line 5: “read, and”
    • Line 7: “There, to”
    • Line 9: “despair, pick”
    • Line 12: “Dog... you,” “believe, darling”
    • Line 13: “you, that”
    • Line 14: “proud, and,” “loved... I”
    • Line 16: “love, at”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “once / I”
    • Lines 3-4: “moved / Among”
    • Lines 4-5: “young / To”
    • Lines 6-7: “going / There”
    • Lines 7-8: “or / Just”
    • Lines 9-10: “of / Darkness”
    • Lines 10-11: “lie / Behind”
    • Lines 11-12: “brooding / Dog”
    • Lines 13-14: “and / Was”
    • Lines 14-15: “lost / My”
    • Lines 15-16: “to / Receive”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Line 3: “The house withdrew into silence”
    • Line 7: “to peer through blind eyes of windows”
    • Lines 7-8: “ or / Just listen to the frozen air”
    • Lines 9-10: “pick an armful of / Darkness”
    • Lines 15-16: “beg now at strangers' doors to / Receive love, at least in small change?”

  • Rhetorical Question

    

    

    

    

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    Where rhetorical question appears in the poem:

    • Lines 12-16: “ you cannot believe, darling, / Can you, that I lived in such a house and / Was proud, and loved... I who have lost / My way and beg now at strangers' doors to / Receive love, at least in small change?”

  • Simile

    

    

    

    

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    Where simile appears in the poem:

    • Line 5: “my blood turned cold like the moon”
    • Lines 10-12: “lie / Behind my bedroom door like a brooding / Dog...”

• “My Grandmother's House” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Withdrew
  • Peer
  • Brooding
  • In small change
  • (Location in poem: Line 3: “The house withdrew into silence,”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “My Grandmother's House”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “My Grandmother's House” Speaker

• “My Grandmother's House” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “My Grandmother's House”

• More “My Grandmother's House” Resources

  • External Resources

    • An Introduction to Das — Watch a short video that discusses Das's feminist legacy.

    • A Brief Biography — Learn more about Das's life and work.

    • Das's Legacy — Read an article honoring Das on the tenth anniversary of her death. 

    • Das's Obituary — Read Das's obituary to learn more about her influence on the literary world.

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