A Devoted Son by Anita Desai
Pre-Reading
Questions: What
are the three key attributes of a good doctor? Is it possible for a parent
to act too proud of a son or daughter? Why or why not? What are some
problems that may arise when adults and their families live with their parents
or grandparents?
Author’s
Bio:
Original Name: Anita Mazumdar
Date of Birth:24 June 1937
Well-known as: An Indian
novelist and Professor of Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT)
Expertise in Writing: Children’s
books, Short stories, Novels. Her writing has looked at how traditional
civilization has clashed with modernity and how the East and West have
influenced one another.
Her Works: Voices in the
City, The Peacock Garden, Games at Twilight, In Custody
Awards
Received: The
Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize, the Sahitya Academy Award, the Neil Gunn Prize,
and many others are among them. Her novel "In Custody" was made into
a film in 1993 and was nominated for the Booker Prize for Fiction.
Point
of View: The
story is written in 3rd personal narrative.
Characters:
The
Main Character - is Rakesh, Rakesh’s Father-Varma, Rakesh’s Mother, Rakesh’s Wife,
Rakesh’s son and daughter, and the neighbor, Bhatia
Theme:
The
theme is power and control, as well as the desire for success, which leads to
obsession. Rakesh is driven by success and quickly loses sight of what truly
matters in his life. Rakesh, a young boy, lives with his parents in the story,
which is set in India. His parents worked their entire lives to ensure that he
received an education. He excelled in his studies, earning him a scholarship to
the United States. He rose to prominence as a well-known doctor before
returning home to share his fortune with the community. Following tradition, he
married an Indian woman whom his mother desired. In India, he had children and
established his own clinic. Rakesh's mother died later, and when his father
becomes ill, he inherits all of the responsibilities. He eventually stopped
caring for him as a father and began treating him as a patient. His father
spent his final months feeling betrayed; the story, told in the third person,
reflects contemporary urban life in India (which can be applied to Nepal as
well), and the characters come from all walks of life.
Tradition vs. Modern Culture: Men
are the sole breadwinners for their families. Women and men collaborate to
support their families; in some cases, women are the sole providers.
Gratitude: Children must
be thankful for their parents' sacrifices for them. Similarly, when the time
comes, this applies not only to parents, but also to friends, supporters, and
others.
Responsibility: Parents are
responsible for caring for their children while they are still dependent, and
children must care for their parents when the time comes and they are capable
of doing so.
Freedom: The loss of
independence of elderly people due to deteriorating health, as well as the
precautions that must be taken.
Loyalty: Even in the
darkest of times, one must always be loyal to one's family.
The
conflict between a good son and a good doctor demonstrates how the generation
gap affects thinking. The strong marriage between husband and wife is depicted.
Varma had a happy life while his wife was alive, but everything went downhill
after she died. Varma had reservations about her - the daughter-in-law stayed
out of the way tactfully, and the old man could just see her smirk sliding
merrily through the air.
Irony:
Since
his parents pushed him so hard to succeed and be the ideal son, he ultimately
pushed them closer to their deaths, proving that success doesn't necessarily
equal happiness.
Setting:
A
little yellow house at the end of the road in a run-down colony serves as the
focal point of the story's Indian village.
Exposition:
Rakesh
received a perfect score, and the results were published in the newspaper.
Rising
Action: Rakesh
eventually settles down, gets married, has kids, and becomes the best doctor in
the area.
Climax:
Varma's
health begins to deteriorate after the death of his wife, and he begins to
experience limitations in his everyday activities.
Falling
Action: Varma
becomes irritated with his limited freedom and begins to whine.
Resolution:
Both
sides of the conversation between Varma and Rakesh convey their opinions on the
current circumstance.
Criticism:
Rakesh's
success was foreshadowed in this statement. "No one could grasp how one
man-and a man who was born to illiterate parents, his father having worked for
a kerosene trader & his mother having spent her life in a kitchen-had
achieved combined & conducted such a melody of values, but we all appreciated
his talent and Skills."
Symbolism:
When
his father became ill, they changed the name of the gate, and he assumed
ownership of the house as a man. As he desired all of the traditional foods and
the culture he was a part of, food serves as a representation of culture. He
grew overconfident because the degree was prominently displayed, losing focus
on what was truly important. He lost his innocence as a result of his career.
Medicine: When the father tosses the medicine on the ground at the end, he is
trying to convey to his son that his father should be more important than that
and that what is important is not what is important.
Summary:
The
morning newspaper carried the long-awaited results of the medical examination,
and Rakesh was first in the nation and at the top of the list. There were
several whoops and joyful family dances in response to the news. The entire
day, the house was crowded with guests, congratulations, and happiness. Rakesh
touches his father's feet first instead of getting caught up in the most
coveted achievement, a simple gesture that has significant value for both
Rakesh and Varma. Rakesh then obtained a scholarship and followed his work in a
renowned hospital in the United States. Even after all he had accomplished, he
returned to the same yellow house and made the decision to stay. He wed a fat,
ignorant lady from his village that his mother had chosen for him. She was a
childhood friend's daughter. Their first child was a son, and Rakesh spent some
time working in the city hospital before opening his own clinic. His reputation
as the town's greatest and wealthiest doctor quickly spread. At this point, his
mother had already passed away and his father had retired as an elderly man.
Rakesh had cared for his mother during her final illness.
Varma's
wails, weeps, and frequent false death alarms began to annoy everyone around
him, and gradually people cared less about him except for Rakesh because
Rakesh was the one who brought him his tea in the morning and read out the
morning newspaper. His father, struck by old age, started to fall ill more
frequently with mysterious diseases, and he was unable to stay as active as
before. This inactivity and the burden of having to stay extra cautious about
his health started to Rakesh also maintained his father's stringent diet,
limiting all foods that might be dangerous. Varma was particularly annoyed by
this. After all, it was unheard of for a son to deny his father the dinner he
really wanted. Varma
became so desperate that he even paid his grandchildren to buy him
Jalebis. This, however, was discovered by Rakesh, who was furious, and slowly,
the care provided to him by his son was considered a threat to Varma. His only
joy was when his neighbor Bhatia visited, and he used to complain to Bhatia
about everything he had to put up with, including the strict diet and the lack
of his freedom. The love of his son soon turned out to be the point. Rakesh tried to
encourage Varma to eat his medications, but Varma told Rakesh to let him die.
The story concludes with Varma groaning, "God is calling me - now let me
go." At one point, Rakesh's concern for Varma's health and his control
over Varma's life became too much for him, and he ended up lashing out.
Critical
Thinking: When
Rakesh learns of his achievement at the beginning of the story, he bows down to
touch his father's feet. This represents his regard for his parents and
demonstrates that he is aware of and appreciative of the sacrifices his parents
made on his behalf. He went to the USA (that is what his father learned to say
and taught the rest of the family to say—not America, which is what the
uninformed neighbors called it, but, with a grand familiarity, "the
USA"): This represents how a family member's education affects the entire
family—the influence of a family member and the pride parents hold in their
children's accomplishments. Desai is attempting to make the point that no matter
how successful we get, we must never disrespect or forget where we came from
and the people we owe our success to. In addition, when he came back, he went
back to that little yellow house.
Introspection:
Now
that as the story is completed, consider the following: Do we appreciate
everything our parents have done for us? Do we express our appreciation to our
family, friends, and supporters?