One major theme within this text that I cannot seem to get a good read on is the exact nature of the voices of women and whether they are deemed important or not within the story. We have many examples of women making major political moves or filling very important roles, but it is hard to determine whether they have the freedom to be their own character or not within the narrative if you know what I mean by that. When comparing the gender roles within this text to Christian Scriptures, on the surface, there seems to be much more freedom and importance put upon women in the context of the story. However, when I really look deeply at it, they do seem to be filling the same old roles: either a reward for the hero or an obstacle to be defeated. These two roles seem to apply to all women within the story, and that is a bit disappointing.
Collin, this is something I have questioned as well. Women, such as Sita, are passive roles in the Ramayana. Sita, a character devoted to Rama, was abducted. As you mentioned, women are "either a reward for the hero or an obstacle to be defeated." Sita is definitely the former. Rama ("the hero") must save Sita (his "reward"). Again, I visualize Sita as a puppet, living in Rama's world. She is plotted in the story to make Rama look good.
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I thought the same exact thing! You could replace most, if not all, of the women in the Rāmāyana with objects and it would not change the story at all. It's heartbreaking to see these sweet women be tossed around like footballs or something. These women have been through just as much grief as the men in this story, but their feelings are often pushed aside and they are belittled. I wonder if this is due to the culture or the time that this story was written, but I am not certain!
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Collin,
I struggled with this, too. There are moments when Sita's anger gives her a power and fire that is really impressive, but it is always fleeting. I wish we were given more insight into the inner lives of the women in the text. Unfortunately, all of these women are spoken of in the context of a relation to a man, not as individuals. I wonder what the story would look like if the women were given a loud, participating voice. How do you think that would have changed the narrative?
I struggled with this, too. There are moments when Sita's anger gives her a power and fire that is really impressive, but it is always fleeting. I wish we were given more insight into the inner lives of the women in the text. Unfortunately, all of these women are spoken of in the context of a relation to a man, not as individuals. I wonder what the story would look like if the women were given a loud, participating voice. How do you think that would have changed the narrative?
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Collin, I completely agree. I don't feel like there's enough information about the women to figure out how they are viewed. Sīta at times feels like she's playing the role of a princess being trapped in a tower which follows the "reward" philosophy you're supporting.
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Collin, I agree. I can't figure out of Sita is a powerful woman or a passive woman. Different parts of the spic seem to portray her in different ways. She also seems loyal to a fault. In some cases, I think this is good, but she's also being put through a lot by her husband when he clearly doesn't have the same regraded for her. It's all just very confusing.
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This is something I haven't even realized I was struggling with until you just brought it to my attention. I'm realizing now that I'm subconsciously trying to place Sita in an environment where she is respected and strong but then Rama turns around and treats her as an inferior. The female roles do jump around a lot and it does scramble my head. You make a very good point that there are only two roles the women in the story fit into. It is quite disheartening and shows how outdated these gender roles are.
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