Devoted son summary by Anita Desai

SCENE 1: ARRIVAL IN A FOREIGN LAND

This picture shows when the young couple first moved into their new house. They feel uncomfortable and nervous because all their neighbours are from different countries like Macedonia and Poland. The couple stands outside looking worried. Their neighbours are watching them carefully, especially their dog. Everyone seems suspicious of each other. The street looks different from what they're used to - it's full of people from Europe who speak different languages and have different ways of living.

SCENE 2: CULTURAL SHOCK AND MISUNDERSTANDING

The young couple is having a really hard time adjusting to their new neighbourhood. The Macedonian family next door shouts so loudly that the couple thinks they're fighting, but actually they're just talking normally. Early in the morning, they hear strange sounds like spitting, washing, and watering plants. The Polish man keeps hammering nails into wood all day long. The young man watches the neighbour's boy peeing in the street and feels disgusted. The boy's head is shaved, and his blue eyes stare through the fence, making the young man feel nervous and uncomfortable.

SCENE 3: THE GARDEN BRIDGE

Things start to change when the couple decides to plant a vegetable garden in autumn. They plant leeks, onions, cabbage, and beans. The neighbours watch them work and then come to the fence to give them advice about gardening. At first, the young man doesn't like this interference, but he listens carefully. The young woman becomes brave enough to touch the little boy's shaved head. The big Macedonian woman gives them garlic cloves to plant. This is the first time the neighbours are being friendly and helpful instead of just watching suspiciously.

SCENE 4: THE FALLING HENHOUSE AND REBUILT TRUST

The couple tries to build a henhouse for chickens, but it falls down because they don't know how to build properly. The neighbours watch it collapse. Then, without being asked, the Polish man comes through the fence and rebuilds the whole henhouse for them. He does it perfectly. The couple cannot understand anything he says because he speaks only Polish, but they're grateful for his help. This shows that people can help each other and become friends even without speaking the same language. Actions speak louder than words.

SCENE 5: AUTUMN INTO WINTER - ACCEPTANCE AND PRIDE

By winter, the couple and their neighbours have become friends. They give each other gifts - the couple shares vegetables from their garden, and the neighbours give them grappa (a drink) and firewood. The young man works on his university thesis about novels. The young woman works at the hospital and tells him stories. When they walk down the street now, they hold their heads up proudly instead of looking down. When their parents visit and look shocked at the immigrant neighbours, the couple feels superior because they've learned to accept different cultures.

SCENE 6: WINTER DUCKS AND SPRING SLAUGHTER

The couple keeps ducks during winter that grow fat in the rain. In spring, the Macedonian family teaches them how to kill, pluck, and prepare the ducks for eating. Everyone sits together in the backyard - men cutting the meat, women pulling out feathers, just like traditional customs require. They tell stories to each other but can barely understand because of language differences. The young couple feels excited and happy. They even start shouting like their neighbours do. The cat plays with duck heads while the little boy pulls the cat's tail. Everything feels confusing but wonderful at the same time.

SCENE 7: UNEXPECTED PREGNANCY AND NEIGHBOURHOOD KNOWLEDGE

The couple discovers they're going to have a baby much earlier than they planned, and they feel shocked and unprepared. Their friends don't have children yet. The young woman arranges time off from work while the young man continues his university studies. Meanwhile, the Polish man starts building a garage, and the hammering noise annoys them. Soon, somehow the entire neighbourhood knows about the pregnancy. Everyone smiles at them constantly. The deli man gives them gifts. Italian women suggest baby names. Greek women touch her belly in the street and predict it's a boy. The Macedonian woman knits a complete baby outfit. The young woman feels both happy and suffocated by all this attention.

SCENE 8: THE TWO-CAR GARAGE PARADOX

By late summer, the Polish man has almost finished building a huge two-car garage, but he doesn't even own a car. The young man cannot understand why anyone would do this and finds it pointless and annoying because of all the noise. One evening, he's about to complain about it when the Polish man brings him a wheelbarrow full of wood scraps for their fireplace. The young man realizes the old man is being generous and kind. He feels ashamed for wanting to complain. Sometimes things that seem useless or annoying actually have hidden value and come from good intentions.

SCENE 9: LABOUR BEGINS - COMMUNITY WITNESSES

The baby is coming! The young man panics and calls the midwife while his wife calmly cleans the stove. The midwife arrives and helps her finish cleaning while the husband runs around frantically asking confused questions. His wife, despite being in labour, stays in control and tells him what to do. When he goes outside to get more firewood, he sees twelve neighbours' faces looking over both fences. They're all waiting and watching. The Macedonian family waves and calls out encouragement. The couple's most private moment has become a community event because their neighbours care about them deeply.

SCENE 10: THE BIRTH NIGHT

Throughout the night, the wife goes through labour. She walks around, takes a bath, eats ice, and demands liverwurst. The midwife stays calm and sings softly. The husband rubs her back with oil and feeds her ice chips, trying to help. When the pushing starts, he watches in amazement at how powerful and strong his wife is. The floor shakes as she pushes. Her face shows intense effort. He realizes how sophisticated and capable she is. Finally, she breaks through and the baby is about to be born. His university education never taught him anything about this real, raw, powerful experience.

SCENE 11: THE MOMENT OF BIRTH

The baby is born and passed up to the mother's breast. It's a boy. The baby looks at his father with one eye open, which seems strangely aware and intelligent. The mother gasps and covers the baby protectively. For a moment, the baby loses the nipple and starts crying. The young man hears shouting outside and goes to the back door. All the neighbours are still there at dawn, cheering and congratulating him from across the fence. The young man starts crying because he's so overwhelmed. He realizes that all his studying and reading novels never prepared him for this powerful, real-life experience of becoming a father with a whole community celebrating with him.

SCENE 12: COMMUNITY CELEBRATION - DAWN

As the sun rises, the mother rests in bed with the new baby wrapped in the knitted suit the Macedonian woman made. The father sits beside them, still emotional but smiling. Outside, even more neighbours have gathered at the fence to celebrate. They're bringing gifts, baby clothes, and food. Everyone is connected now - the Polish man, the Macedonian family, the Greek and Italian women, all surrounding the couple's house like a big family. The couple no longer feels like strangers in a foreign land. Through sharing gardens, helping each other, and celebrating together, they've found their true home in this community.

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Here is the short summary of Devoted son by Anita Desai.

"Devoted Son" is a short story by Indian author Anita Desai that tells the story of a young man named Varma, who is deeply devoted to his father, Rakesh. Varma idolizes his father and is determined to fulfill his father's wishes of becoming a doctor. After completing his medical studies, Varma becomes a successful doctor in the city.
When Rakesh falls seriously ill, he sends a letter to Varma asking him to come home and perform a medical procedure. Varma returns home and performs the procedure, but he discovers to his shock that his father's illness was caused by his own success and wealth. Rakesh had indulged in rich and fatty foods, which had led to his illness. Rakesh dies shortly after the procedure, leaving Varma to question the meaning of his devotion and the morality of his actions.
The story explores themes such as duty, morality, and the conflict between traditional values and modern ideals in India. It also raises questions about the responsibilities of children towards their parents, and the complex relationship between parents and their offspring in a rapidly changing society.