Sita as the Hidden Hero of Ramayana

2226 Words5 Pages

Sita as the Hidden Hero of Ramayana

Valmiki's Ramayana was written around 300 B.C.E. (Carrier 207). Typically, the character of Rama is seen as the hero and the character of Sita is seen as the hero's wife. In this essay, I will compare Sita's journey of capture and inner growth with the "save the kingdom" journey of Rama, show how the two correlate, and eventually connect in the influential chastity scene. I will also prove that Sita is the "hidden hero" of this epic even though she is seen as taking a secondary role to Rama and show how this reflects women's secondary roles in society today.

To begin our comparisons, we must first look at each character and recognize their separate journeys. Through summarization of the characters and their story, we will begin to see Rama's role and Sita's role. By this process, I will demonstrate how they correlate, differ and combine to form the Ramayana. Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, is a god known as Vishnu who has been reincarnated and sent to earth in mortal form. Rama must take an archetypal journey known as the "quest." During the quest, a hero must conquer obstacles to save the kingdom (Guerin et.al.154). Rama's obstacle is Ravana, an evil monster who is slowly taking over heaven and earth. Because Ravana never asked for protection from a human being, he can only be destroyed by a human being and this makes Rama's need for success especially important (Narayan 5). a the beginning of the narrative, Rama is forced into exile from his kingdom into the forest for 14 years. This exile begins his quest.

Sita, Rama's wife, is reincarnation of the goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu's spouse in heaven. Sita accompanies Rama into the forest on his "quest" and is captured by Ravana. Th...

... middle of paper ...

...of society. If women want to take control of their own lives and are tired of "proving"themsleves to others, they must first find a voice and then act upon their convictions, otherwise these gender roles will never change.

Works Cited

Carrier, Warren, ed. Guide to World Literature. Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English, 1980.

Guerin, Wilfred L., et.al. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.

O'Flaherty, Wendy Doniger. Hindu Myths. London: Penguin Books, 1975.

Singh, Khushwant. India: an Introduction. New Delhi: Vision Books, 1990.

Valmiki. The Ramayana. Trans. Aubrey Menen. New York: Charles Scriber's Sons, 1954.

---. The Ramayana. Trans. R.K. Narayan. New York: Penguin Books, 1972.

---. The Ramayana. Trans. Elizabeth Seeger. New York: William R. Scott, Inc., 1969.

Show More
Related

  • Epic Heroes Compared: Achilles, Sundiata and Rama

    770 Words  | 2 Pages

    Narayan, R. K., and Kampar. (2006). The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version Of The Indian Epic (suggested by the Tamil version of Kamban). New York: Penguin Books. PDF e-book.

    Read More

  • Woman Character of The Odyssey, Medea, and Thousand and One Arabian Nights

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    Literature is the key to our world or language. Many writers have emerged from this subject such as Homer who wrote The Odyssey and Euripidies who wrote about the evil Medea. Also mentioned in this paper are the Thousand and One Arabian Nights which is a collection of folktales and stories that are compiled into one. Each of these works of literature has a woman character that has many similarities in solving their problems. In The Odyssey the woman character that will be in comparison is Penelope which is Odysseus’s wife. In the story of Medea, Medea is of course the character we will be discussing and Shaharazad is the woman character from the Thousand and One Arabian Nights that will also be in comparison. Each of these women find themselves in a particularly “sticky situation.” However, Penelope, Medea, and Shahrazad are three strong women whose perseverance and cleverness help them to attain their goals.

    Read More

  • The Role of Storytelling in The Things They Carried

    2570 Words  | 6 Pages

    Heberle, Mark. "Contemporary Literary Criticism." O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. Vol. 74. New York, 2001. 312.

    Read More

  • Essay On One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

    2040 Words  | 5 Pages

    Parker, Robert Dale. How to Interpret Literature: Critical Theory for Literary and Cultural Studies. New York: Oxford, 2011. Print.

    Read More

  • A Psychoanalytic Interpretation of Rapunzel

    1098 Words  | 3 Pages

    Guerin, Wilfred L., Earle Labor, Lee Morgan, Jeanne C. Reesman, and John R. Willingham. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. 125-156.

    Read More

  • Monomyths within Ancient Societies

    1320 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Ramayana.” The Language of Literature Ed. Arthur N. Applebee, et al. Boston: McDougal Littell, 1983. 130-140. Print.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Gilgamesh And Rama

    1590 Words  | 4 Pages

    The epic hero’s journeys hold the hopes for future of ordinary people’s lives. The Epic of Gilgamesh was written in approximately 2000 B.C.E which is highly enriched with Ancient Mesopotamian religions, and The Ramayana was written by ancient Indians in around 1800 B.C.E. The stories were written in two different parts of the world. However, these two stories etched great evidence that show people from generation to generation that different cultures and religions are interconnected; they share ideas with each other. Both Gilgamesh and Rama traveled long journeys in these tales. These epic journeys played a role in the creation of different archetypes. We can clearly see that these two tales share similarities between these archetypes. Although

    Read More

  • A True Hero in the Epic of Gigamesh

    1683 Words  | 4 Pages

    In conclusion, there is no indifference against the form we take or the life we lead but what we make of what we have been given. Every story has a hero, no matter how insignificant or secondary they may seem, and any individual does not require any extra powers to make a difference in someone's life than can affect tens, hundreds, even thousands of people. A person is bestowed with the title of a “hero” in the same manner any other person has to earn respect. Our stories shape our character, and lead us to becoming influential people despite our origin. A hero can be anyone, and can come from anywhere. Our literary figures today face their struggles and come out victorious which make them the ideal warriors to role model and aspire to become. A hero's origin is merely the basis for leaving an everlasting impression on the world.

    Read More

  • Archetypes in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible

    1582 Words  | 4 Pages

    Guerin, Wilfred L. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. New York: Harper & Row,

    Read More

  • Sita Sing The Blues And The Ramayana Analysis

    890 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Ramayana is the most famous and well-known of all Indian epics, originally based on an epic poem, it has taken many variations and forms over the centuries. Traditionally the story centers on the hero Prince Rama, who is the embodiment of virtue and perseverance, as he is wrongfully denied his birthright of being crowned king and instead is unjustly exiled into the forest where he encounters his fair share of dilemma. In R. K. Narayan’s condensed, modern version of The Ramayana, the classic conflict of duality is a predominant theme, as Rama faces many instances of uncertainty and trivial chaos which are eventually balanced by order and goodness under the laws of karmic causation and dharma alike which he virtuously strives to uphold. Nina Paley’s animated film “Sita Sings the Blues” takes a lively, musical, and very modern approach to the classical Indian epic The Ramayana.

    Read More

  • Sita Sings The Blues Analysis

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nina Paley 's version had a more modern and comical approach of the film while “Ramayana the Epic” was more serious and followed a constructed storyline. In “Ramayana the Epic,” Lakshmana was portrayed throughout the film as a center of strength to Rama but in “Sita Sings the Blues” he was not perceived as an important character. The way Sita was portrayed in “Sita Sings the Blues” acts as an eye opener to some who aren 't familiar with the entire story of the Ramanya. It shows that although Rama pushed Sita away because of other people 's words and his own disbelief of Sitas purity, Sita continues to love and respect Rama. She doesn 't speak ill of him to their kids that were born. She creates an image that Rama is a perfect human and that he does no wrong. This shows that Sita is an ideal wife because in many Hindu cultures the wifes are suppose to always take the husband 's side and be with him through everything. She does her best and doesn 't hurt his

    Read More

  • Walter Lee and Manhood in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

    744 Words  | 2 Pages

    Forum 19.4 (Winter 1985): 160-162. Rpt. inTwentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Thomas J. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 192. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.

    Read More

  • Northern Ireland

    1475 Words  | 3 Pages

    Diplomacy does not happen overnight, and the true tale of hardship and bickering over Northern Ireland is proof of that. Ireland and England failed to agree on who held the power of Northern Ireland for over 30 years until the Good Friday Agreement, a form of diplomacy between the countries, took place. Before that time, many soldiers and innocent citizens of Northern Ireland lost their lives. Religious fights broke out between Catholic and Protestant residents. Political figures from countries like Wales and the United States came together to help put an end to the bitter relations of the European countries (Delaney). After many years of hard feelings and failed attempts at bringing peace to Ireland and England, the countries came together to try to work things out. Slowly, Northern Ireland created its own identity, and the troubles started to fade away.

    Read More

  • Case Analysis: Predicting Diffusion

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are 4 innovative products that are to be introduced into the market by budding entrepreneurs and small companies.

    Read More

  • Kingship In The Ramayana By R. K. Narayan's Dharna

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rama demonstrates how one should behave within the hierarchy of one’s family. He is unconditionally loyal to his father to the point that he no qualms over remaining in exile for fourteen years in order to preserve the sanctity of his father’s word, thus protecting his father from “damming himself in this and other worlds” (Narayan 45). Protecting the value of his father’s promise takes precedent over Rama’s other duties as a son, like, for example, partaking in his father’s funeral

    Read More

More about Sita as the Hidden Hero of Ramayana

Open Document