The main question I have with the Ramayana is with regard to the role and portrayal of gender. Why is the way Rama treats and talks about women, especially Sita, considered honorable? When Sita is saved from Ravana, she is humiliated by the way Rama treats her (38). Rama does not welcome back his wife but chastises her and publicly questions her “purity” in the face of abduction. What is the implication for women in cultures where this story is honored? Much like the Bible, the Ramayana contains scenes where men belittle women and center their worth around their virtue. Furthermore, Sita’s main purpose in the first half of this story seems to be being used as a pawn in the power struggle between Ravana and Rama. Ravana declares that he abducts Sita as a way of attacking Rama (224). Sita is simply used in this story instead of having agency in her own life. Does the relationship between Rama and Sita truly depict the ideal relationship between a man and a woman seeking to fulfill their dharma?
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I completely agree with you on all points you made. However, think about the time this story was developed. Back then women were viewed in a whole different way. Is something like this acceptable in todays world? Absolutely not, but it was normal back in that time. So I guess to answer your question about dharma, yes that is the model they followed because it's what was taught to be right back then. However, that ideology has changed in today's world.
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