Could anyone please help me find out and understand what does "Son" by Updike say about loss, love, and "a contact barely reached"?

Answer 1

Are some of my following thoughts relate to the question I asked at beginning:

In “Son” the father doesn’t get along with his son, even though they share some similarities. It is mainly due to the generation gap between them. In short, one line that says it all about the conflicts is follows: “He takes an interest in the newspaper now, the front page as well as the sports, in this tiring year of 1973.”

In “Son”, we realize a father’s desire of loving his son but he hides it: “I love touching him, but don’t often dare. The other day, he had the flu, and a fever, and I gave him a back rub, marveling at the symmetrical knit of muscle, the organic tension. He is high-strung.”
Thanks for helping.