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A Devoted Son by Anita Desai
MAIN SUMMARY
A Devoted Son by Anita Desai
The short story "A Devoted Son" was written by a famous Indian writer named Anita Desai. This story is about a devoted Indian son who has devoted himself to the service of his family members. At first, this story appeared in Anita Desai's story collection "Games at Twilight and Other Stories', which was first published in 1978 by Vintage. This story has presented contemporary urban Indian people and their lives. In the story, we find various themes such as devotion, gratitude, desire, change, longing, choice, freedom, defiance, loyalty, powerlessness, and reliance.
The narration of the story has been narrated by a third-person narrator. This story is based on the life of a doctor whose name is Dr. Rakesh, who is the main character of the story.
Rakesh's family background was not so good. He came from a very poor family background. His grandparents were vegetable vendors. His father worked so hard for forty years in a kerosene depot as a kerosene seller. His father never stepped inside the school's grounds, but his dream was to have an educated son.
The story begins in the morning with the morning newspaper in Rakesh's hand. The morning newspaper brought an atmosphere of celebration to the entire Varma family. In the newspaper, there was news of Rakesh's progressive top-pass marks in the whole country. The very result of Rakesh in the newspaper made all the members of the Varma family happy. They enjoyed themselves a lot. The neighbours in the community arrived and congratulated them. All people celebrated the occasion with sound and colours like a festival. Rakesh got gifts and blessings.
Rakesh's top grade in his exam was a matter of pride for the whole community. Rakesh's academic success was the result of his father's lifelong sacrifices. The next happiness in the Varma family was Rakesh's achievement of getting the scholarship. He wrote a thesis for his MD and won a scholarship. He got a chance for further studies in the USA.
Varma never preferred to call the country's name America. He only learned to say 'The USA'. He didn't like people who said the country's name was America. He also prohibited his family members from saying the word 'America'. According to him, only ignorant neighbours say America. He asked all his family members to say the country's name as 'The USA'. Varma was so happy about his son's grades as well as his academic trip to America for his medical education. Some of the neighbours were even worried about Rakesh. For them, the achievement of Rakesh would make Rakesh feel proud and forget his motherland.
In America too, Rakesh passed his medical degree with fine marks and got a reputed job in an American hospital. He sent his awards to his home time and again. He established his fine identity over there in America through his aptitude. But for Rakesh, his family was his top priority. He loved his family members more than anything else in the world.
He gained much experience and money in America and returned to his homeland without his family members' permission. He hoped to work in his motherland.
Varma's family members didn't feel happy to find Rakesh back home. They were surprised by his arrival in India. The next surprise for Varma's family members was Rakesh's decision to marry a village girl with no education.
Rakesh married Veena, a local girl. She was such a pretty, fat woman who was uneducated and old-fashioned. She seemed quite lazy, but she was a placid and pleasant woman. She mostly tried her best to please others through her household services.
Rakesh started his job first, working in the city hospital after marriage. Due to his hard work and dutifulness, he got a promotion sooner and got the position of director in the hospital. Rakesh became quite happy at the birth of his first son. He quit his job at a city hospital and started his clinic. Due to his hard work in his private clinic, he became the richest doctor in town.
Varma grew old and got retirement from his kerosene dealer's depot, where he had worked for more than forty years.
Later, the Varma family faced a tragic event. The death of Rakesh's mother brought tragedy to the family. Rakesh himself was content because, at least, he was able to make her mother proud before her death.
Varma suffered a lot after his wife's death. Rakesh tried his best to support his father with every essential need. Varma's health began reacting mysteriously. He fell ill frequently.
At the birthday party of Rakesh's youngest son, all the people became fearful about Varma's death. He postponed the party, saved his father, and provided him with good medical treatment and care. Later, Rakesh showed his devotion to his father and kept on doing his tasks of caring and being very attentive.
Every morning, he used to read the morning newspaper for his father. He used to provide his father with morning tea in a brass tumbler. He advised his father most of the time to come out of his room and take fresh air in the garden outside.
Later, Varma seemed disappointed to find his diet plan provided by Rakesh and his wife, Veena. Once Varma ordered Sujihalwa for his daughter-in-law, Veena, she ate. He fell quite ill. After that incident, Varma was only provided with boiled foodstuffs due to his health condition.
The prevention of diets made Varma unhappy. He got irritated with his son and his daughter-in-law. He preferred to spend his remaining days enjoying and eating the things he liked most. Rakesh also got irritated to find out about his father's activities. His father, Varma, used to give bribes to his grandsons for jalebis. Rakesh blamed and scolded his father for making his son a liar. Varma remained like a corpse. He kept on hearing his son's angry lectures. In this way, tension between father and son arises. Varma started complaining about their acts of banning different things to his friend Bhatiya most of the time. He blamed both of them for being his haters. Both Rakesh and Veena served him boiled items to eat and the rest delicious items to smell only. For Varma, in his old age, Rakesh seemed like a cruel and tyrannical son.
Being fed up with his life, Varma begged his son Rakesh to let him die. He didn't want to live his life dependent on tablets and medicine bottles alone. Rakesh reached a dilemmatic state of choosing options: whether to stay devoted to his father or leave his father to die in his condition. But Rakesh, being a devoted son, chose to care for his father till the end. Rakesh kept doing his best to keep his father under control. He desired to keep his father fit and away from getting weak and ill.
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SHORT STORIES IMPORTANT QUESTIONS' SOLUTION PACK
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
A Devoted Son by Anita Desai
BEFORE YOU READ
a. Will you be ready to sacrifice your career, status, and economic opportunities for the good of your parents? Why or why not?
Answer:
Yes, I will be ready to sacrifice my career, status, and economic opportunities for the good of my parents because they are similar to the gods to me. They have provided me with a chance to see this beautiful planet.
b. In your view, what are the qualities of a devoted son/daughter?
Answer:
In my view, the following are the qualities of a devoted son or daughter:
▪︎ He or she must be sincere towards his or her parents.
▪︎ He or she must be lovable and caring towards his or her parents.
▪︎ He or she must support his or her parents in every essential need.
▪︎ He or she must have a respectful attitude towards his or her parents.
▪︎ He or she must be obedient and follow his or her parents' guidance.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Answer the following questions.
a. How did the morning papers bring ambiance of celebration in the Varma family?
Answer:
The morning paper brought an ambiance of celebration in the Varma family with the joyous news of Rakesh's achievement in his academic life. It contained the news of Rakesh's highest pass marks in the whole country.
b. How did the community celebrate Rakesh’s success?
Answer:
The community celebrated Rakesh's success in a very splendid way. As the community knew about Rakesh's achievement, they arrived at Rakesh's house and congratulated him as well as his family members. They celebrated the day as a festival with sound and colours. They blessed Rakesh by providing blessings and gifts. People were served delicious halwa. All of them became quite happy and felt pride in Rakesh's achievement.
c. Why was Rakesh’s success a special matter of discussion in the neighbourhood?
Answer:
Rakesh's success was a special matter of discussion in the neighbourhood because he was the first son in Varma's family to pass his higher education with top marks in the whole country. His parents had sacrificed their whole lives doing hard labour to make their son literate. The people of the neighbourhood liked Rakesh and his manners. They felt pride in his achievement.
d. How does the author make fun with the words ‘America’ and ‘the USA’?
Answer:
The author makes fun of the words ‘America’ and ‘the USA’ by presenting the opinions of Varma regarding the words. The author has presented fun through Varma's opinions, saying that he has never called the country's name America. He has only learned to say 'The USA'. For Varma, ignorant neighbours only say America. He asks all his family members to say 'The USA'. The author has even mentioned the prohibition of Varma to his family members in the matter of saying the word 'America'.
e. How does the author characterize Rakesh’s wife?
Answer:
The author characterises Rakesh's wife in quite an ironic tone. According to the author, his wife is the daughter of Varma's old family friend. His wife is such a pretty and fat woman. She is uneducated and old-fashioned. She seems too lazy, but she is quite a placid and pleasant woman. She tries her best to please others through her household tasks.
f. Describe how Rakesh rises in his career.
Answer:
Rakesh has been quite a hardworking and brilliant student since his childhood. He comes from a very poor family background. He has keen love and respect for his family members. Due to his father's hard sacrifices and his labour, he is able to pass his higher education with top marks in the whole country. Later on, he writes a thesis for his MD and wins a scholarship to study further in the USA. He easily passes his medical education over there and gets a chance to work in the best hospitals. He gets experience and earnings there in America. He returns to his homeland and starts his job in the city hospital. Due to his sincerity and dutiful behaviour, he gets promoted. He becomes able to get the rank of director in the hospital. Later on, he leaves the city hospital and starts his clinic. He gets success in his clinic too. He becomes able to earn his name, fame, and money. He becomes the richest doctor in the town.
g. How does the author describe Rakesh’s family background?
Answer:
The author describes Rakesh's family background, showing the miserable condition of his family. Rakesh comes from a very poor and illiterate family background. His grandparents used to do business as vegetable vendors. His father has worked so hard for forty years in a kerosene depot. His mother has spent her life as a housewife, doing household tasks. They have a small yellow house at the end of the road.
h. What is the impact of Rakesh’s mother’s death on his father?
Answer:
There is quite a bad impact of Rakesh's mother's death on his father. His father felt quite sad, and his body started reacting badly. He starts complaining each time. He is frequently seen with mysterious diseases. His son Rakesh isn't even able to find out the real cause of his frequent illness. His acts are quite uncommon. Due to his acts, all his family members have to watch him be fearful and even cry to see his state. He spits his red beetle juice from his mouth anywhere he likes, as if he tries to mock his family members' behaviour.
i. What did Rakesh do to make his father’s old age more comfortable?
Answer:
Rakesh tried his best to comfort his father. To make his father's old age more comfortable, he used to bring morning tea for his father in his favourite brass tumbler. He used to read out the morning news for his father. He used to advise him to move outside to the garden. He helped his father get him down from the bed, taking him outside under the stars during the night. He banned various foodstuffs for his father's good health. He banned sooji-halwa, oily foods, and other unhealthy foodstuffs for him. He provided his father with those items, which were boiled and less oily.
j. Why did the old man try to bribe his grandchildren?
Answer:
The old man tried to bribe his grandchildren to fulfil his desire for sweet items. He was banned from his desirable foodstuffs at home. He wanted to eat jalebis from the shop at the crossroads. He provided his grandchildren with bribes to bring jalebis from the shop and eat them secretly.
k. Are Mr Varma's complaints about his diets reasonable? How?
Answer:
No, Mr. Varma's complaints about his diets aren't reasonable. His son Rakesh had banned some of his unhealthy diets. He hadn't allowed him to have sweets, oily foods, and other unhealthy foodstuffs only to improve his health. He cared for him a lot, just for his healthy life. He wanted his father to be healthy and only have healthy food and drinks.
Being a devoted son, he didn't want to lose his father. As a doctor, he was aware of various diseases that were increasing in the town at a high speed. He knew very well about old people's health risks. He wanted to keep his father from getting weak and ill.
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
a. How did Varma couple make sacrifices for their son's higher education?
Answer:
The Varma couple made sacrifices for their son's higher education by doing hard labour in their entire lifetime. They had a lifelong dream about their son's education. To achieve their dream, Varma had worked hard for forty years in a kerosene depot, whereas his wife had devoted herself honestly to household tasks.
Mr. Varma had never stepped inside the school in his life. As the son of a vegetable vendor, he didn't get a chance to study. But he desired quality education for his son Rakesh. He was able to accomplish his goal and turn his dream into reality. His son Rakesh was the first son in the family to receive a higher education. Varma and his wife finally got the fruits of their sacrifices. The achievement they achieved was quite 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.
Answer:
Yes, he would have enjoyed better health if his wife had not died before him. Mr. Varma suffered from illness mysteriously and fell ill frequently. His body started reacting badly after the death of his wife. Rakesh even didn't get the proper idea behind his father's frequent illnesses. Varma was quite good while his wife was alive. He seemed so happy and satisfied with his mentality. But after his wife's death, he found himself alone and suffered from depression. He started doing unusual activities. He felt broken into pieces.
Due to his health hazards, he was prohibited from eating his preferred foodstuffs. He reacted even more badly after that. He treated himself as if he were disliked and ignored. At last, he preferred dying rather than taking medicines.
c. Dr. Rakesh found himself is divided between a doctor and a son. As a son, he loves his father and worries about his weakening health, but as a doctor, he is strict on his father’s diet and medicine. In your view, what else could Rakesh have done to make his father’s final years more comfortable?
Answer:
In my view, Rakesh could have done the following things to make his father's final year more comfortable:
1. He could have treated his father more friendly instead of shouting at him.
2. He could have tried to understand his father's feelings instead of becoming tense about his health.
3. He could have tried to make his father happy all the time instead of being strict.
4. He could have provided his father with mental support.
5. He could have brought a bit of change within himself instead of changing his father.
d. What does the story say about the relationship between grandfather and grandchildren?
Answer:
In most families, we find bonding relationships between grandparents and grandchildren. This story has also presented a fine relationship between grandfather and grandchildren. Varma has his small friends in the house, who are his grandchildren. He feels mentally sad due to Rakesh's activities. For him, his grandchildren are his best friends, with whom he plays and passes his lonely time. The act of Rakesh banning his desirable foodstuffs makes him do a bad deed in the house. He starts trying to fulfil his demands through his little grandson.He starts providing bribes to his grandchild to get jalebis for him. The act of varma is not good at all. Here, we find him seeking benefits from an innocent child who doesn't know the meaning of a bribe. Grandparents must be good teachers for their grandchildren. But Varma is seen doing just the opposite of this. He is seen teaching his grandson a bad deed.
e. Do you call Rakesh a devoted son? Give reasons.
Answer:
Yes, I call Rakesh a devoted son. This story has mainly focused on the relationship between a father and son.
Rakesh is a very good son, full of manners. He always respects his family members. He passes his medical education in America and returns to his homeland for the sake of his family members. The act of marrying an uneducated village girl is also for the welfare of his family members. He only thinks about them, though they feel surprised about his decision to marry a village girl. He always remains faithful and honest towards his family members. He only provides them with a sense of pride in his achievements. He never becomes boastful or ungrateful towards his family members. He has tried a lot for his parents in his life. Since the death of his mother, he has experienced a lot of hardship. His father falls ill frequently and mysteriously. He tries his best to keep his father away from illness and weakness. He never steps back in the matter of his father's care. He only gives priority to his father's health. His father becomes angry with him, but he never loses his devotion to him. He remains honest, faithful, and devoted to his father till the end.
REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT
a. Write an essay on The Parents’ Ambition for their Children in Nepali Society. You must give at least five examples.
Answer:
Parents are the foundation of children. They are the main people who are recognised for their lifelong sacrifices and hard labour for their children. They play a vital role in shaping the bright future of their children. They always think about their children's future and happiness, being optimistic.
In the context of Nepali society, we find parents quite careful and ambitious in the matter of shaping their children's bright careers. They serve their children their entire lives with feelings of love and affection for them. They are too ambitious for their children. They give much preference to children's overall activities and take their interests in various factors that help to shape their children's bright future. Following are some of the ambitions of parents in Nepali society.
1. Parents in Nepali society are quite ambitious about their children's good manners. They always try to teach them good manners along with knowledge of cultural and religious aspects.
2. Parents in Nepali society always take care of their children's demands' fulfilment. They are seen fulfilling their children's rightful demands.
3. Nepali parents give much preference to their children's quality education. For them, quality education is the best way to shape their children's bright future.
4. They want to see their children's progress in their lives. They feel quite happy to see their children's achievements.
5. The parents expect a lot from their children. They desire their children's love, care, and support in old age.
b. Medicines replace our diets in old age. What can be done to make old ageless dependent on medicine?
Answer:
Old age refers to a part of life that comes after the prime age. It is the final stage of human life. This age is considered the age of weakness and illness. This age depends on a variety of medicinal supports. At this age, old people suffer a lot because of various health-related problems. Medicines replace diets in old age, and the body starts reacting differently. Due to the use of a variety of medicines, the body becomes weak and causes pain in life.
Following are some of the tips with which we can make our elderly dependent on medicine.
1. Avoiding unhealthy foodstuffs.
2. Sufficient usage of healthy foodstuffs.
3. Fine management in drinking pure water.
4. Avoiding mental stress.
5. Concentrating on daily physical activities.
6. Trying to adopt a hygienic living style.
c. Write an essay on “Care of Elderly Citizens” in about 300 words.
Answer:
Care of Elderly Citizens
Elderly citizens are known as senior citizens who are over sixty. These are the people who are living their lives in homes or old-age homes. These people are considered retired from their jobs as well as their responsibilities. These people suffer a lot due to their unstable health conditions. At this age, they lack various things in their lives. Their old age provides them with only pain. In this old age, they lose their physical as well as mental support. They suffer a lot due to various kinds of diseases. Varieties of health risks are seen within them. Their acts are uncommon sometimes. Most of the elderly citizens are seen complaining about various things. The loneliness in their lives makes them one-sided and irritable. They are seen as monotonous and even depressed.
In this old and painful age, they need proper care and support each time. They have a bundle of expectations in their lives. They want to see conditions in their favour. They always seek a fine company to share their experiences and ideas with. They want to spend their remaining days happily with their close friends. Caring for elderly citizens is one of our moral duties. It only requires paying attention to their needs.
Elderly citizens must be respected, cared for, and loved. Everyone should be aware of their responsibilities towards elderly citizens. The task of caring for senior citizens must be given importance. It is the stage where all humans reach one day and expect a lot from their younger selves. Elderly citizens have been treated well for their lifelong contributions to us.
As humans, we have to follow the concept of humanity in our lives. Human relationships go beyond all aspects. We must not forget elderly people's roles in shaping our lives. We need to be positive all the time about them. We should try our best to fulfil our elders' desires and demands. The task of devoting our lives to their care itself is a great way to get satisfaction in our lives. Our support and care provide them with hope to live longer. We should try to provide them with smiles all the time on their faces. We must think about them and their importance in the family. We should be aware of the fact that nothing is more important than humanity.
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