Summary of 'A Devoted Son' [Story] by Anita Desai

Summary of 'A Devoted Son' [Story] by Anita Desai

Summary of A Devoted Son

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 toward their children and how a son should fulfil his duty towards his parents. This story also shows that children and old are similar in personality. Both cry for something they want if they don’t find it. The story ‘A Devoted Son’ also tells us that children must fulfil the dreams of parents as they sacrifice their life for their children. Parents work hard to fulfil their children’s needs. Last and not least this story shows the relationship between children and parents (Love, affection, respect, caring, etc.). A Devoted Son is a short story by Anita Desai. The Summary appears in the collection, Games at Twilight and Other Stories. Desai’s collection of stories was published in 1978 by Vintage and received widespread popular praise.

The stories, including A Devoted Son, reflect contemporary urban life in India and the characters are from all walks of life. Desai has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times and she served as the Emerita John E. Burchard Professor of Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her daughter, Kiran Desai, is a Booker Prize winner.

A Devoted Son centres around Dr Rakesh. He comes from a poor Indian village. His father, Varma, works as a vegetable vendor and spent many years dreaming of having an educated son. Rakesh is the first in the family to get an education. When Rakesh finishes his medical examinations with top marks—the highest in the country—this is cause for celebration.

Varma tells everyone who’ll listen about Rakesh’s grades and how it means he can go to medical school in America. Neighbours come to pay their respects and wish them well, but some townsfolk worry this will make Rakesh conceited and forget where he comes from. Varma isn’t worried about this, however—he’s proud to have a son known now by everyone.

Rakesh spends a lot of time in America finishing his degree. He completes it with ease and has job offers at prestigious US hospitals. Awards he wins are sent back to his family for them to keep and admire. It’s Rakesh’s way of keeping in touch with them until he can return home.

Although Rakesh loves America and is admired by his colleagues for his aptitude, he loves his family more. He always planned on returning home, and this hasn’t changed. As soon as he has enough experience and money behind him, he returns home with the intention of working in his hometown.

His parents, however, aren’t so happy with his life choices. They don’t understand why he wants to come home and leave all this behind. They also don’t understand why he chooses to marry a village girl with no education—Varma believes he should have bigger dreams. This is the first real sign of conflict within the family unit.

Rakesh refuses to listen to his parents, and he marries the girl. He then starts working at the city hospital, which is quite different from the hospitals he’s used to working in. Rakesh, however, wants to work here and make a difference in his town. He quickly rises to the position of director, to the awe and joy of his entire family. Through all of this, Rakesh never seems conceited or ungrateful.

There’s always a sense that he remembers who he is and that he won’t let this go. When he has a son of his own, his life is complete. Sadly, it’s not long before this that his mother passes away. Varma takes it especially hard. Rakesh is pleased he at least made her proud before she died, but he worries for his father and how he’ll cope.

Now that Rakesh has a family of his own, he doesn’t have as much time to dedicate to Varma, but he does what he can as his father’s health declines. He doesn’t want to lose any time he has left with him, and he puts his medical skills to good use. Rakesh imposes a ban on sweets for Varma, to look after his stomach. However, Varma tries to get them through Rakesh’s son, which enrages Rakesh.

He worries that his father will make his grandson less honourable than Rakesh. Tensions rise between father and son, and Rakesh starts resenting how much time he spends looking after him—although he keeps doing it. For example, when everyone fears Varma is near death, they postpone a birthday party, only for Varma to be entirely fine. Rakesh wonders if he’s doing it deliberately for attention.

However, Rakesh doesn’t give up on his father—instead, he becomes more devoted to him. He wants his son to have a good relationship with Varma, just as he did as a boy. Varma tells Rakesh and his wife that he doesn’t like them, but even then, Rakesh looks out for him. As relationships deteriorate, Rakesh must choose whether to stay devoted to his father or leave him to die on his own.

Rakesh chooses to help his father. Desai’s message here is that we’re all faced with similar choices eventually, and we shouldn’t forget to look after our elders the way they once looked after us. Although Rakesh can’t make his father better, and he’s struggling to keep his own life under control, he doesn’t abandon him. He shows Varma the same faith once shown to him when he wanted to become a doctor. When Rakesh must finally let Varma go, right at the end, he knows he did all he could for him.

Plot and Setting of t ‘A Devoted Son’ 

After 1990, lower-class families in India strive to educate their children so that they may achieve their dreams. This story is also set in the same mentioned scene. 

Main Themes of The Story

The themes of A devoted son story is loyalty and responsibility, patriotism, gratitude, parents’ relationship with their offsprings etc.

Plot Summary of The Story 

About Author of ' A devoted Son'

Anita Desai Anita Desai, original name Anita Mazumdar, is an Indian novelist, short story writer and 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. After completing her B. A. from the University of Delhi, Desai began to publish her stories and novels. Her novels Cry, The Peacock (1963) Where Shall We Go This Summer (1975), Fire on the Mountain (1977), Clear Light of the Day (1980), In Custody (1984) Baumgartner’s Bombay (1988), Journey to Ithaca (1995), Feasting, Feasting (1999) and Zigzag Way (2004) received a mixed response from the readers. She received the Sahitya Academy Award for her novel Fire on the Mountain. Her novel In Custody was adapted into a film in 1993. She published several volumes of short stories including Games at Twilight and Other Stories (1978), and Diamond Dust, and Other Stories (2000). Two of her Children’s Books The Village and the Sea (1982) and The Artist of Disappearance (2011) became popular among Indian children. 'A Devoted Son is extracted from her collection of stories, 'The Complete Short Stories. 

Summary - II

A Devoted Son: Glossary

wunderkind (n.): a person who achieves great success when relatively young

sweetmeat (n.): a small piece of sweet food, made of or covered in sugar 

encomiums (n.): a piece of writing that praises someone or something highly

desolate (adj.): feeling or showing great unhappiness or loneliness 

delicacy (n.): fine food item 

frugal (adj.): simple and plain and costing little 

gastroenteritis (n.): a disease triggered by the infection and inflammation of the digestive system 

supplant (v.): replace 

hypocritical (adj.): characterized by behaviour that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel 

Ambassador (n.): an automobile manufactured by Hindustan Motors of India, in production from 1958 

hubbub (n.): a loud confusing noise 

prophet (n.): a person regarded as an inspired teacher 

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