Ramayana Being An American Woman

People all across the world have different ideas of what it means to be a divine or perfect women. These ideas can be inspired by society, media, and even books. In America we often think that the ideal woman is someone with an outgoing personality, a good sense of humor and of course the perfect body. In India the Ramayana provides society with what it means to be the perfect women. Both men and women look up to Sita as someone that they want to be or be with. Sita has been a role model to Indian women, by displaying what it means to be the perfect woman through her characteristics of integrity, beauty, and courage. In the Ramayana Sita is the beautiful wife to Rama. Being as beautiful and breath taking as she is, Sita had immediately gotten

One of her most notable examples of bravery is when she has her last stand moment with Rama. In the last scene when Rama asks her to come back to Ayodhaya after he banished her to the forest, she turns down his invitation. She tells him “I do not wish to be queen. I have been doubted once, twice, and I do not care to be doubted again” (Arni & Chitrakar 145). I find this courageous because she is denying a man that she once loved. She does not care to be questioned by him anymore, she just wants to live out her life in peace. As analyzed in the Sita then goes back into the forest where she is enveloped by the earth and is never to be seen again. This is also a notable moment because as we talked about in class this was her decision to make. Most of the events that happened to her were out of her control, but in this moment she is able to take a hold of her life and make the final decision of how the final part of her life will be lived. This shows women today that they are in control of their own destiny, and that they can stand up for themselves and how they should be

This can be seen when Rama is telling her that he wants her to stay in Ayodhaya during his banishment years. She responds to him living without him like this, “What would be the meaning of my existence? I could as well be dead” (Narayan 53). Where many people see this as Rama being her only reason for living, I view it as her extreme devotion. She is so devoted to her husband that she is willing to leave behind what she knows in order to be there with him and support him in all he does. Throughout Sita’s Ramayana it pictures her as crying and waiting for Rama to come and rescue her, which is seen as weak. I view this as an over play into the thought that women cannot control their emotions. She was a scared woman that was waiting for her husband to come and rescue her from the island of demons. She had dealt with a lot and had to wait patiently for a long while before she was rescued and brought back to her husband. She is also a human that makes mistakes, like all of us. Although she is a role model for many I think that people tend to forget that she is human and hold her at a godly