Question

Whose portrait did the author portray in the lesson “The
Portrait of a Lady?​

Answer 1

The author portrayed his grandmother.

• The question has been asked from the story The Portrait of a Lady.
• Both the grandson and grandmother were very affectionate and close. She even used to go along with him daily to his school.
• She was a religious and kind hearted woman. while in the village she used to feed the dogs, when she came to the city she started feeding the sparrows.
• She was such a noble soul, that when she expired, even the sparrows mourned her death.

Answer 2

The question refers to the write-up by famous author Khushwant Singh. The author has painted the portrait of his grandmother.

Usually, a portrait is a picture painted on canvas, using paints. However, here the author has used words to describe his grandmother in such an effective way that one can almost imagine her.

Expressions like " Her face was a criss-cross of wrinkles", "Her silver locks were scattered untidily over her pale, puckered face" and "an expanse of pure white serenity breathing peace and contentment" help the readers almost visualise the author's grandmother. It is this quality that transforms the written text into a portrait.