Fall of My Mother

“Fall, My Mother”Summary
“Fall, My Mother” written by Ambai tells the story of the coming of age in a particular Indian society. The passage takes the reader on a journey as a young girl realizes that life as she knows it will never be the same. At the same time the story also highlights the realization every female must come to terms with, and how in this society more than just a bodily change occurs, but a cultural one as well.
The story begins with the narrator reminiscing to her younger days. She recalls a time when she sees a sister on a plank with a man before her offering a bunch of leaves at her feet. This memory will serve as a foreshadowing of the events to come later in the passage. After this the narrator begins to take us on a journey of her life. She is thirteen years of age and has reached the point where she is out growing her clothing and is seeing things that are unfamiliar to her. One day she asks her mother, Amma, what is the coming of age. Her mother responds by telling her it is something she should not concern herself with. She assures her daughter that it is nothing to concern herself with, and tells her to not change. The narrator has become use to her mother catering for her every need that she has never had the chance to care for herself. One day while picking flowers from a tree the girl suddenly notices stains on her skirt, she wonders is it from the tree and frantically returns to the house for her sister, Kalyani. Her sister then gets the woman who usually helps her mother to comfort in this life changing moment that has occurred.
The narrator is reluctant to cooperate with either and is curious as to why her mother has not informed her about this change that has occurred. She wonders why her mother never told her about this moment all the times they spent together. Her sister eventually becomes aggravated, and tells her she must learn to do things for herself. She must even start wearing what is the equivalent to a bra. Becoming