A Devoted Son - Anita Desai

In this short sad story Anita Desai covers the generation gap, identity, the conflict between duty as a son and duty as a doctor, as well as the hypocrisy in perception of the same.

Rakesh’s duties as a son were to study well, score well, work hard, earn well, marry well, settle well and then take care of his family well; Rakesh performed his duties in the superlative degree.

Rakesh is seen as a “perfect” son – dutiful, humble and devoted – but perhaps Desai is commenting on the Indian standards of perfection.

 To begin with, “When the results… golden and glorious.”
· Didn’t even come inside – anxious about results
· “went up the steps” – not ran; calm and composed. No whooping, no leaping into the air
· Duty above self – did not sit down to let it sink in – first went and touched father’s feet
· Father asked, beaming, “A first division, son?” Shows his absolute confidence
· When Rakesh murmurs, “At the top of the list, papa – first in the country,” he is still in shock
· Then Desai narrates whooping, colourful, festive celebration
· After all, with his humble background and glorious results, and all the hard work and sacrifice that went into it, it was a worthy occasion for a grand, extravagant, over-the-top celebration

Themes:

• generation gap
• conflict between good doctor and good son: perception, father and son define it differently
• from Verma's perspective, he has been neglected and wronged as a father and we must sympathize with him
• we were taught the chapter from Rakesh's perspective - how his duties as a son and as a doctor clashed because of what was expected of him: he was expected to be indulgent towards his father who was also his patient
• role of the daughter-in-law: Verma had his misgivings about her - "although the daughter-in-law kept tactfully out of the way, the old man could just see her smirk sliding merrily through the air." 
• different relationship with wife for father and son - father loved his wife and when she died he went to pieces. He especially missed her when he was denied food which his wife, "that generous, indulgent and illiterate cook" readily gave him. Son merely humored his wife. Later we see that upon her discovery of and reporting of his son's dishonesty, he confronts his father, saying things like "I don't allow anyone in my house.." which leads us to the next point:
• issue of transfer of role of "man of the house"
• also, in the end we see that Verma might have died younger, but happier
• father quite petty
• society's take: jealous then accepting then sympathizing
• at one point, forgets that he is the son - not with his usual respectful step but with the contemptuous stride of the famous doctor 

Summary :
Anita Desai’s story is all about duty and devotion. It draws a picture of the life of a son. The son is brought up by his father, starts earning his livelihood and then, dutifully looks after his father. However, crisis develops as his father, whimsical due to age, starts misinterpreting his son’s treatment. The question that the story posse is that how long should a son take care of his father? What should be the extent of his dutifulness and obedience? This is a problem of the modern world caused by the busy life. It becomes difficult to attend to the whims of the elderly people after a days’ hard work. But should the duty and the toleration end? Or should a person remain ever dutiful? Should sacrifices be made on our part or should we continue to be self-centered and move and move our own way. The world has both instances of both but which is more acceptable?
Rakesh was a son born to illiterate parents. He was the first to receive education in his generation and how well he utilized it. Villagers felt proud as Rakesh stood first though the jealousy factor didn’t cease to exist. His education took him to the United States of America but to everyone’s surprise, he returned to his country to marry an Indian removing all doubts to marry a foreigner. His devotion towards his parents was proud when he married an uneducated girl of their choice. The girl too was good natured and they were soon blessed with a son. Rakesh’s rise continued and he soon went to the top of the administrative organization, bought a car and thus it was the beginning of his fortune. However, he did not forget his parents and he did take them out in his brand new car. Rakesh was not only devoted but was also good natured. He obeyed his parents, humored his wife, hosted his friends, and in addition, was an excellent doctor. However, Rakesh’s joyride was short-lived. His mother passed away which also ensured his father’s breakdown. Old age caught up with his father and it was difficult to distinguish between his peevish whims and matters of significance. A birthday party for the youngest son had to be broken up at once, when they discovered that the old man was on the verge of death. The old man, however continued to live much longer thereafter.
Rakesh however, accepted his fate and its’ twist. He brought his father’s morning tea, read the newspapers and visited his father after returning from the clinic. All these couldn’t make the father happy and the situation worsened when Rakesh as a father began to supervise his diet. The supervision which included the cutting down on oily, fried stuff, sweets and beetle nut was seen as a sort of disrespect and mal-treatment by his father. The matter was so serious that the old man even went to the extent of complaining to his neighbors. Rakesh couldn’t help but be sterner. He as a doctor believed that strictness was better where his father’s health was concerned. The old man even tried to bribe his grand children which were met with strong reproach from Rakesh.

The father-son relationship began to go haywire. The old man began to hate his son and his daughter-in-law. The wife of Rakesh stayed out of trouble tactfully and Rakesh, able to feel every pulse, neglected nothing about his father. He made constant and repeated attempts to make improvement in his father’s mental and physical health. His efforts went in vain. This is the poignant question that we face to continue or discontinue service of a son to his father.
This is a matter of both culture and tradition. Old age is also called the second childhood. We are always tender to a child in spite of his naughtiness and undue demands. Similarly, we should treat elderly people the same way. We don’t discard children because they disturb us. In case of old people, we become biased, as we have seen them wise and matured before our own eyes. The grey cells become disfuntioning in old age and so elderly people behave in a childish way. Life is hard and difficult and all of us have our own share of problems. However, the rise above limitation will only make us better human beings. Patience and sacrifice shaped our hallmark. We should understand our own maturity and wisdom are not lost and this would help us to be kinder to them. Old age is cyclic and all of us would step into its shoes one day. The remembrance of this fact can wake us up to the reality of this life. Rakesh, in spite of everything else understood this, which made him stand apart and above from the rest.

Points:

• Rakesh scored the highest rank in the country for his Medical Examination.
• Instead of getting lost in the most envied success, Rakesh bent down and touched his father’s feet. This cooled the father for it was another reason for the vegetable vender to be proud of being Rakesh’s father.
• For an uneducated family like Rakesh’s, this success brought cheers. Getting Rakesh educated was Varmaji’s greatest dream.
• Neighbors came to congratulate the winner, his father Varmaji and his mother.
• Presents flowed into Varmaji’s house as garlands, halwa, party clothes and fountain pens to last years, even a watch or two.
• To his neighbors Vermaji told about his son’s touching his feet even after becoming a doctor with a first rank.
• Some of the good neighbors appreciated this son and this father while others, envious as neighbors are, felt that Varmaji was giving himself airs.
• Soon Rakesh cleared his MD course with flying colors.
• Having won a scholarship, Rakesh went to the USA. (Varmaji didn’t know the difference between USA and America)
• Rakesh worked in some most prestigious hospitals in the USA and won encomiums from his American colleagues which were relayed to his admiring and glowing family.
• Finally Rakesh returned to his native village. His brothers and sisters came to embrace him but the great son of all times (you will see why) bent down and touched his father’s feet.
• Rakesh married a girl that his mother wanted him to marry and set up his own clinic. She was a girl of double standards. Will she suit Rakesh? Let’s see.
• For some years Rakesh worked in the city hospital, quickly rising to the top of the administrative organization, and was made a director before he left to set up his own clinic.
• Rakesh bought a new car and unfailingly drove his parents in it to his clinic. Varmaji and his wife were the happiest in the world.
• For a while, Rakesh’s fame seemed to grow just a little dimmer but soon he became the richest doctor in town.
• Varmaji grows very old and number of ailments leave him bed ridden. He retires from his job in the kerosene shope where he had worked for forty years.
• Rakesh’s mother passes away. (She was quite fortunate that her famous doctor-son rubbed her feet during her last days)
• Varmaji was quite helpless and his old age was going to be more miserable.
• Varmaji fell ill so frequently and with such mysterious diseases that even his son could not cure him.
• Even when his other sons and daughters ignored his strange illnesses, Rakesh (the pearl of his father) was always with him.
• Rakesh took great care for his father, brought him morning tea, read him newspaper and reminded him to take medicines.
• After a while Rakesh began to impose certain restriction upon his father. No sweets, not too much food, no fried food, etc.
• When the old man resented or tried to bribe Rakesh’s son and wife for his delicacies, Rakesh scolded his father.
• Rakesh had by this time developed a doctor-patient relation with his father. (That’s how it happen with those who always stand first in exams; they fail in life!)
• Rakesh was only concerned with his father’s health but the old man thought his son was being miserly.
• One day varmaji met his neighbor old Bhatia, next door. He told old Bhatia how his son and daughter-in-law refused him food.
• Varmaji realized that, even with a doctor at home he was not half as happy as old Bhatia. He began to think that his son had crossed all limits.
• Determined, Varmaji announces that he didn’t need his son’s medicines. All that he wished was death.