I think that one could say that Rakesh did remain devoted
to his father and his family until the end. Rakesh never really changes. He is shown
to be a devoted son at the start of the story and this is how he is at the end. He acts
and embodies the reverential son throughout. I think that there are two ways in which
to see this. In one respect, Rakesh fulfills the responsibility of children in the
traditional expectations of Indian society. He does his parents' bidding. They
demanded that he respect their word and be obedient. When Rakesh needed to come back to
India, he did. When he needed to marry a woman not of his own choice, he does. When he
is expected to adhere to what social standards expects of him, he does. Hence, this
makes perfect sense that when he is needed to cure his father, he does not shy from this
and pursues it vigorously and with devotion. In this light, he does represent a
"devoted son."
On the other side of the coin, perhaps the
ferocity and intensity within which he treats his father is a reflection of all that he
has had to sacrifice because of his devotion. Rakesh is not shown to be one who has a
voice at all. He does his parents' bidding. Perhaps, it is for this reason that he
dominates his father with so much zeal in the hopes of curing him. It would simply make
no sense for Rakesh to have given up his life for his parents and his father, in
particular, only to see him die. It is here where Desai might be showing that the
demands placed on children, if they are not monitored to allow some level of voice and
acknowledgement, devotion can be brought out in other ways. The dominating aspect in
which Rakesh relates to his father could be more of a reflection of his own
dissatisfaction with having lived his life for his parents and the inability to accept
the reality of age and death could be his response to such a condition. It is here
where Rakesh's devotion could carry another side to it. Regardless, I do think that
Rakesh's devotion is present in the story.
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