The central message in Valmiki’s Ramayana is the importance of fulfilling one’s dharma. Throughout the book, Rama had to make decisions and put himself in danger in order to fulfill his dharma. Furthermore, as he learns towards the end of the story, the sole purpose of his life on earth is to fulfill his dharma by killing Ravana (493).
While the Ramayana appears to contain lessons for everyone about the importance of dharma, ultimately, privileged men benefit the most from this story. Women and people in lower castes are highly underrepresented in the Ramayana. Sita’s characterization is bound in her relationship with and reactions to Rama. Rama has many experiences and is not solely focused on Sita, but Sita’s entire worth lies in her loyalty to Rama. She is publicly shamed by Rama and has to walk through fire to prove her purity (490-491). When the gods questions Rama saying “how could you let Sita walk into the fire?” he responds that he didn’t want other people to question her virtue (492-493). Accepting this excuse as wisdom, “the gods praised Rama for his words” (494). This narrative benefits high class men by not developing women as independent characters with their own dharma to fulfill and by continuing the idea that a woman’s worth is found in her purity.