How does Anita Desai’s multicultural heritage of a German mother and Indian father come through in the story and the experiences that Rakesh undergoes?

The narrator’s tone often seems cynical. To whom do you think that cynicism is directed and why? What evidence from the story lets the reader know that the narrator looks down on certain characters and not others?

Rakesh remains devoted to his father even when his father is unlikable. How do these actions play into his role as a son and as a doctor?