I'm starting to really dislike Draupadi. As a complex character, she's up there in development; as a likeable person, she's not so great. Her pride, anger, and whininess get pretty annoying in the last chapters. She makes several mistakes as a queen that will have major consequences, because she can't always control her emotions and inclinations when it's better for the situation for her to behave better. It gets a little confusing for me to see her true character at this point, because in hindsight she recognizes where she should have done things differently and is describing events as they unfold from this retrospective-but-present-tense voice.
I also don't understand her whole thing with Karna. She saw his portrait before her swayamvar and apparently fell in love with him, though she never verbalizes her attraction to him in quite this way. But it's been how many decades since she got married, and she's still bothered by this?? I realize how important the Pandavas' relationships with Karna are (and how these relate to Draupadi and the course of events), but I don't think Draupadi's feeling so drawn to him for no discernible reason is the strongest base for how things play out due to their bungled interactions.
It's interesting, though, to see how Divakaruni portrays Draupadi in exile as different than Sita in exile. The Ramayana pictures Sita as the perfect wife, uncomplainingly going along with her husband in what turns out to be a fairly nice stay in the forest (until Ravana's sister shows up). Draupadi in this book, however, is whiny, trying to goad her husbands on to vengeance (for her own hurt pride's sake) by complaining the whole twelve years they're exiled. This could've been a great time for the family to bind together and build up their relationships, but instead, Draupadi's behavior comes closer to making them all miserable.
the Pandavas brothers and Draupadi go into exile
No comments:
Post a Comment