Lesson: 3
A Devoted Son by Anita Desai
Anita Desai is an Indian novelist, short story writer and the writer of children’s books. As a biracial child born to a German mother and Indian father, Desai was exposed to German, Hindi and English language from her childhood. ‘A Devoted Son’ is taken from her collection of stories, 'The Complete Short Stories'.
‘A Devoted Son’ is a realistic story set in a middle-class Indian family in an Indian village. The story shows how parents cherish their ambition towards their children and how a son should fulfill his duty towards the parents.
Characters:
Rakesh: He is a son born to illiterate parents, and becomes a doctor . He is still respectful and humble towards his parents, even after all his success.
Varma: He is Rakesh’s father.
Veena: She is Rakesh’s wife.
Themes:
gratitude, generation gap, conflict between duty as a son and duty as a doctor, changing relationship between father and son, role of the daughter-in-law, society's take
Summary
Rakesh is a son born to illiterate parents. He is the first person in his family to receive a formal education. When he finishes his medical examination with top marks in the country, this is a cause for celebration. In due time, he completes his MD and gets a scholarship to study in the USA. He acquires professional skills and expertise in his field there. In all these years, what amuses everyone is not his achievement alone but his respect and humility to his parents.
To everyone’s surprise, Rakesh returns to his country and marries an uneducated Indian girl of his mother’s choice. He works in the city hospital for some years, and quickly rises to the top of the administrative organization. He leaves his job in the hospital to set up his own clinic. He becomes the best and the richest doctor in the town.
Rakesh is not only a devoted son but also a good- natured man. He obeys his parents, humors his wife, hosts his friends, and in addition, is an excellent doctor. However, his joyride is short-lived. His mother dies. This ensures his father’s breakdown. The old man falls ill so frequently and with such a mysterious disease that even his son can no longer make out. A birthday party for Rakesh’s youngest son has to be abandoned immediately when they discover that the old man loses his pulse.
Rakesh spends his time to take care of his father after work. The situation worsens when Rakesh supervises his diet personally. The restriction of all the sweets, oily and all the savory but unhealthy food, is seen as a sort of disrespect by the old man. He starts to complain about his misery to his friends. He also tries to sneak some sweets with the help of his grandchildren. He is accused of spoiling the children and stops the supply.
Rakesh does the things all with affection and care for his old father, but he is not ready to believe it. He reacts sharply to his son's advice. He begins to woo death. He makes it clear to his son that he has no intention to live. He refuses his tonic and says that he does not want to survive on medicines. He closes his eyes and groans that God is calling him. Indeed, Rakesh is a devoted son, but his father refuses to recognize it.
Understanding the text
Answer the following questions.
a. How did the morning papers bring ambiance of celebration in the Varma family?
The morning papers brought ambiance of celebration in the Varma family as Rakesh finished his medical examination with top marks in the country.
b. How did the community celebrate Rakesh’s success?
Villagers came to Varma house to congratulate the family, and patted Rakesh on his back. The house and the garden were filled with the sounds and colors of a festival. Visitors brought gifts for the family. In this way, the community celebrated Rakesh’s success.
c. Why was Rakesh’s success a special matter of discussion in the neighbourhood?
Rakesh’s success was a special matter of discussion in the neighbourhood because Rakesh was the first son in the family to receive an education.
d. How does the author make fun with the words ‘America’ and ‘the USA’?
The author makes fun of the words "America" and "the USA" by associating them with Verma's nature of dealing with the words as he considered "the USA" as more prestigious than "America". He said that America is the term to be called by his ignorant neighbours.
e. How does the author characterize Rakesh’s wife?
Rakesh’ wife is the daughter of his mother’s childhood friend, with no education. She is described as an old-fashioned, good-natured and complaisant woman. She is lazy but supports Rakesh to work independently. Her beauty in a plump is adorable.
f. Describe how Rakesh rises in his career.
Rakesh works in the city hospital for some years, and quickly rises to the top of the administrative organization. He leaves his job in the hospital to set up his own clinic. He becomes the best and the richest doctor in the town.
g. How does the author describe Rakesh’s family background?
Rakesh was born to illiterate parents. His father worked for a kerosene dealer and his mother spent her life in a kitchen.
h. What is the impact of Rakesh’s mother’s death on his father?
Having lost his wife, Rakesh’s father becomes completely helpless. He develops so many complaints and falls ill so frequently and with such mysterious diseases that even his son can't not cure him.
i. What did Rakesh do to make his father’s old age more comfortable?
It was Rakesh who brought him his morning tea in the old man’s favorite brass tumbler, and sat at the edge of his bed, comfortable and relaxed, and discussed or read out the morning news to his father.
j. Why did the old man try to bribe his grandchildren?
The old man tried to bribe his grandchildren to buy him thirty paisa worth of jalebis.
k. Are Mr. Varma’s complaints about his diets reasonable? How?
From Mr. Varma’s point of view, the complaints about his diets are reasonable as on limited diet he finds himself slipping, weakening and soon becoming a genuinely sick man.
Reference to the context
a. How did Varma couple make sacrifices for their son’s higher education?
Rakesh was the first son in the family to receive an education. Mr. Verma worked for a kerosene dealer and his wife spent her life in a kitchen. The couple sacrificed so much in order to send him to school and then medical college. At last, they got the fruits of their sacrifice golden and glorious.
b. Mr. Varma suffers from diseases one after another after his wife’s death. Would he have enjoyed better health if she had not died before him? Give reasons.
People in their old age become dependable. The elderly needs more love and care. They found themselves helpless, and think that others don’t respect their feelings. For them, love of husband and wife is more valuable than anything else as a gap between them and their children is created. Mr. Varma was disheartened when his wife died. He developed so many complaints and fell ill so frequently and with such mysterious diseases that even his son could no longer make out. He missed his wife who was generous, indulgent and wonderful cook though she was illiterate. In this case, I think if his wife had been alive, he would have enjoyed better health for a couple of months.
c. Dr. Rakesh is divided between a doctor and a son.................... what else could Rakesh have done to make his father’s final years more comfortable?
Dr. Rakesh is divided between a doctor and a son. Rakesh spends his time to take care of his father after work. The situation worsens when Rakesh supervises his diet personally. The restriction of all the sweets, oily and all the savory but unhealthy food, is seen as a sort of disrespect by his father. He starts to complain about his misery to his friends.
To make old man’s final years more comfortable, Rakesh and his wife could have been more friendly and polite with him. Rakesh couldn’t have been sensibly strict while controlling his father’s diet. He wouldn’t have appeared as a doctor while treating his father.
d. What does the story say about the relationship between grandfather and grand children?
Grandfather and grandchildren had a loving relationship. In the family, the children were the only members whom their grandfather could trust. When he tried to bribe his grandchildren into buying him jalebis, he was caught and scolded by Rakesh and his wife. Rakesh’s wife blamed that he turned their son into a liar. He was also blamed to be spoiling his stomach as well as his grandson.
e. Do you call Rakesh a devoted son? Give reasons.
Rakesh does the things all with affection and care for his old father, but he is not ready to believe it. He reacts sharply to his son's advice. He begins to woo death. He makes it clear to his son that he has no intention to live. He refuses his tonic and says that he does not want to survive on medicines. He closes his eyes and groans that God is calling him. Indeed, Rakesh is a devoted son, but his father refuses to recognize it.
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