First-Person Point of View: Nameless Narrator Cortazar makes a strategic decision when he writes ‘‘End of the Game’’ in the first-person point of view. A first-person narrator tells no more than he or she knows—and in fact, in this story there are many things the reader never learns, such as what Letitia writes in her…
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End of the Game – Themes
Envy and Guilt The nameless Narrator in ‘‘End of the Game’’ is envious of Letitia and, at the same time feels terribly guilty for her envy. She envies Letitia’s special privileges: The Narrator also is envious when it becomes clear that Ariel prefers Letitia. This envy is complicated because the Narrator envies a disabled girl…
End of the Game – Characters
Ariel Ariel, a young man who attends an Industrial High School, passes on the 2:08 train every afternoon. He sees the three girls each day in their poses and begins to throw them notes from the train. Ariel says that he likes the Statues. Soon he lets them know that he is transfixed by Letitia….
End of the Game – Summary
‘‘End of the Game’’ is the story of three adolescent girls and a fantasy game they play in a field behind their house in full view of the Argentine Central Train Track. The girls, Letitia, Holanda, and the Narrator, live with Mama and Aunt Ruth, two disciplinarians who seem always to be disapproving of the…
A Devoted Son – Analysis – Essay
In a review of Anita Desai’s short story collection Diamond Dust and Other Stories novel Fasting, Feasting , Edward Hower comments, ‘‘In Anita Desai’s fiction, home is both a prison and a refuge. Those who escape face isolation from their families and society, but those who stay risk suffocation. Family tensions make her characters’ attempts…
A Devoted Son – Setting
Population Trends After India was granted its independence from Great Britain in 1947, the country became a republic in 1948. While India became a democracy at that time, certain aspects of society remained relatively unchanged underwent limited changes by the late 1970s. For example, a majority of the population lived in rural communities. Most rural…
A Devoted Son – Literary Devices
Climax The climax is the point in the action of a story when the conflict reaches its peak. In ‘‘A Devoted Son,’’ the conflict between Varma and Rakesh builds through Varma’s illness as he desires to eat what he wants and to be allowed to die but is kept alive by his son and his…
A Devoted Son – Themes
Respect and Devotion One of the primary concepts explored in ‘‘A Devoted Son’’ is the often complicated nature traditional Indian family relationships. Varma works for forty years, and he and his wife make sacrifices to ensure their son Rakesh can receive the education they did not. Rakesh rewards them by excelling at school, becoming a…
A Devoted Son – Characters
Bhatia Bhatia is Varma’s next door neighbor. Although he is old, Bhatia is still somewhat mobile, unlike most of Varma’s other neighbors. Bhatia visits Varma and is sympathetic to his complaints about how Rakesh treats him. Bhatia is horrified that Rakesh refuses his father food, saying it is disrespectful. Rakesh Rakesh is the dutiful son…
A Devoted Son – Summary
As ‘‘A Devoted Son’’ opens, Rakesh’s family is celebrating his academic triumph. The morning papers report that he has earned high entrance exam scores for medical school, among the best in India. Rakesh comes from a humble background—he was ‘‘the first son in the family to receive an education’’— and his family and his neighborhood…