Introduction: Author Matsuo Basho expresses the love the mother shows on his son and the way he reciprocates it. The story is a drama of how the son fights to thwart the cruel fate that fell upon his mother and the wittiness of his mother that helped save her from the ill fate of all old mothers.
King's decree: "The Story of the Aged Mother", by Matsuo Basho is a story in which a son and his mother’s pain in their battle against the decree of putting aged people to death is portrayed. The story happened at the foot of the mountain where a poor farmer lived in a country called Shining with his aged mother whom he loved. Their place was governed by a tyrannical leader who sent the announcement of killing all aged people which was not common then.
Son set to abandon mother: When the poor farmer heard the decree he felt sorrow in his heart for his aged mother. Just as his labour ended, he prepared food from a portion of unwhitened rice, covered it in a square cloth and knotted it in his neck along with a gourd filled with cool, sweet water. He then carried his mother on his back and started walking towards the summit of Obatsayuma, the mountain of the"abandoning of aged".
Mother’s anxiety: On their way to the top, the helpless mother noticed the perilous path and thought that her son didn’t know the paths and might pass through danger. So she reached for twigs, snapped them to pieces and quietly dropped them until they reached the summit. The poor farmer freed his mother and made a comfortable cushion with pine needles and bid farewell.
Motherly love : Before he left her, she told him about the trail she made with the piles of twigs. His mother’s words clearly portrayed the unconditional love that the mother had for her son, an unselfish love that thumped the heart of the poor child and made him cry Son faces
the verdict : Now, the farmer realized that they need to face the verdict together. So, he again carried his mother on his back and started to walk back to their humble hut in the valley. He hid his mother on a walled closet used for food beneath the kitchen. Time passed and they both felt secure and safe until one day the despotic leader demanded the people of the valley to present him with a rope of ashes.
Farmer seeks mother’s wisdom: The poor farmer was dumbstruck and informed his mother. His mother thought for a while and came upon a wise idea. She told him to make a rope of twisted straw, stretched upon a row of flat stones and bum it on a windless night. The tyrant was pleased of what he had witnessed and asked the poor farmer about his knowledge.
Poor farmer comes out with the truth: The poor farmer told him the truth and stated everything he had done. The tormentor listened and meditated in silence. On hearing the story, he decided to abolish the harsh law and saw the presence of elders to shape the society. Now the despotic leader acknowledged that with the crown of snow, there cometh wisdom
Conclusion: It was a happy ending that has a moral code that a son should never let go of his mother whatsoever the situation may be. The king realised his mistakes and the worth of wise elders. Due to the wisdom of the mother, all the elders were saved
