“I’m
sorry this is how things have to work out, but I don’t understand why you’re
this mad.”
“Of
course I’m mad! This is infuriating! I threw myself in a fire to prove I was telling you the truth. Why should I have to do
anything more?”
“I
believe you! It’s not me, it’s – ”
“How
can you say it’s not you?! The people should know what I already did. It’s been
recorded in detail! I went through my trial by fire, and the very gods declared
I was pure. I don’t understand why you continue to doubt what I say! Not to
mention I thought you would trust my word – what reason have I ever given you to think that I would lie
– but how can you ignore such proof?”
“It’s
for the good of the land, Sita! I don’t want to banish you, but as a ruler I
simply must!”
“Well
then, I’ll make it even simpler for you. I’ll just leave on my own. If you won’t
trust me, then I don’t need to stay here any longer. We’re done. I can’t
believe I wasted so much of my life on you, just to have you turn away!”
With
that, Sita packed her bags (it didn’t take her long; she’d only just begun
unpacking after her and Rama’s return from exile) and headed into the forest
once again. It was a bittersweet moment. Rama had been so distant since
rescuing her from Ravana, and it felt good to leave his judgmental gaze and
controlling rules. But at the same time, she’d spent so long in Rama’s company.
On first sight, she’d believed them destined to be together forever, as if by
divine fulfillment. Their courtship had been a whirlwind in which she hardly
knew what was going on before they were married. After that, however, they’d
had plenty of time to get to know each other, and she had felt no qualms
following him into the forest for fourteen years. It had been an exciting
adventure, setting off with her husband and brother-in-law for a humble life in
exile. Until she was kidnapped by Ravana, things were going great.
But
now all that was over. Those fourteen years had been like a blissful honeymoon,
and now that Rama was back in Ayodhya, it was clear that his true heart lay
with keeping his kingdom, and his image as ruler, intact. If he thought Sita
got in the way of that, then forget their years of happiness – she simply had
to go. Well, it was time for her to forge her own life, independent of the men,
first her father and then her husband, who had ruled her for so long. She would
be Sita-the-king’s-daughter, Sita-Rama’s-wife no more, but her own person,
making her own decisions, choosing her life’s path, and deciding fate for
herself. She would be in charge of finding her own happiness, living for
herself and for the twins growing within her, and show to the world how strong
a woman could stand by herself.
Sita returns to the earth and her mother
Author's Note: I didn't really like the ending of Sita Sings the Blues, where Sita is cast out once again by Rama, only to have him return to claim his sons but not her. I could most ignore how much I disagreed with the portrayal of women in the rest of the epic, but by the end the injustice was too much. I wanted to write a version of the story where Sita at least stands on her own, without depending on Rama or her pigheaded devotion to him.
Bibliography:
source: Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley (2008)
image: Sita BhumiPravesh, painting by Raja Ravi Varma, 19th cent. (Wikimedia Commons)
Hello Susanna my name is Eaton Baptiste. As I read the Ramayana, I found that it did not sit right with me how Sita was forced to leave the kingdom, to be betrayed in such a manner. I found it a bit out of character for someone who is was often portrayed in such a just and almost perfect image that he should cast out his own wife. I suspect that given your comment in the Author's Note that you may also have some apprehensions about describing Rama's character as perfect given Sita's "pigheaded devotion to him".
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your story because I felt that you empowered a character that I believe deserved more from the conclusion of this epic. Through the tone that you used it is quite evident that you also felt it important for Sita not to be seen as a victim in Rama's world but rather someone who has and will display strength of equal if not greater caliber to Rama himself.
I look forward to your next story.
I really enjoyed this story because you were able to modernize the conflict between Rama and Sita. As I was reading this I could picture the scenes play out like in a romantic film you might see nowadays. This really shows how their relationship was fundamentally normal, even though their situation was other-worldly. I also love the dialogue you included for Sita. It was much different than anything I have or heard from her part. I myself struggle to create dialogue for characters, so I am always looking for good examples.
ReplyDeleteThis was a nice story, Susanna. I feel like you kept with the tone and story of the Ramayana, but made a nice continuation. I liked how you started this story with back and forth dialogue, but I would have liked some dialogue tags. Even though I was pretty sure who was speaking, it's always good to have reassurance, as a reader. But, you did a great job of creating enticing and INTERESTING dialogue, which is not easy to do! It really reeled me in, right at the start!
ReplyDeleteAlso, you may consider breaking up the paragraphs a bit. I am a fan of paragraph variance, and most of the paragraphs are long. Some short paragraphs would tie in nicely with the short staccato dialogue that you have in the beginning (which I really enjoyed!)
Speaking of parenthesis, I liked your use of them in your story! Which is a nice change of pace, and an interesting choice. I always like seeing parenthetical statements in stories!
Oh, and the picture that you choice was so pretty!
Anyways, good job!