A Devoted Son - summary

Introduction

            Anita Desai is a famous Indian writer.  She has written many novels in English.  Almost all her stories talks about ordinary Indian life and characters.  A Devoted Son is a short story about the relationship between a father and a son.

Rakesh’s Achievements

            Rakesh is the protagonist of the story.  His father’s name is Varma.  The story opens announcing Rakesh’s achievement as the first rank holder in medical studies at national level.  His father feels proud of his son.  He shares with others the fact that Rakesh touched his feet as soon as he saw the results in the paper.  The neighbours celebrate this occasion.  Rakesh moves to U.S. and does his higher education there.  He gets back to India to the same old house, situated in a dirty locality.  He comes to India and falls in his father’s feet.  This surprises the father and the neighbours.  Rakesh’s mother feels happy because Rakesh does not come with a white girl.  Rakesh then worked in a city hospital, grew well in the administrative organization and he left the hospital as a director and built his own hospital.  He took his parents to his clinic in a blue ambassador.  His name spread all over the place and he became famous and rich.

Rakesh’s Old Father

            Rakesh’s mother dies peacefully when her son does her an operation.  After her death, Varma becomes lonely and sick.  He acts strangely.  Sometimes he sits erect, sometimes he lays flat without any movements, and suddenly he rises up and spits beetle juice.  In spite of all indifferent activities, Rakesh read newspaper to his father in all mornings took him to the garden in the evenings and made him sleep in the lawn during summer nights.

Treatment Given by Dr. Rakesh

            Varma becomes old and Dr. Rakesh prescribes him more medicines.  He asks his father not to eat halwa and other sweets.  He orders his wife to give him tasteless food.  He wishes his father to live a long life with him.  He takes care of his father.  He is devoted to his father and his health.  He behaves strict to his father in diet.  He cuts almost all food items.  The father becomes much older and then medicines become his only food.  Rakesh takes care of his father to the best possible.

The Reactions of the Old Man

            Varma hates to see his devoted son as a doctor.  He does not like Rakesh ordering and restricting his diet.  He wishes to eat lots or at least eat the food that he loves most.  He persuades his daughter-in-law and his grand children to get him some sweet but Rakesh objects that.  This heightens his anger.  He complains about his son’s behavior of not providing food to his father to his neighbour friends.  Varma feels totally upset with his son’s attitudes towards his diet.  By the end of the story, he dies with a sad soul.  He does not part Rakesh happily as his mother does.