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| Rama and Sita from Social Wits |
"Rama, I'm pregnant with your son!" exclaimed Sita with delight.
Rama looked at Sita with joy and confusion. It had only been a short time since Rama saved Sita from the evil Ravana, and he immediately began to think of the peasants and commoners that had mentioned to Rama their concerns about Sita no longer being a pure queen. Although he may believe that Sita has only been true to him, it is hard to get a thought out of your head once someone has put it there. What if she has not been faithful to him alone? What if there was another? How can his subjects respect him when they do not respect his wife? However, how could Rama send her away? No one has ever loved another as much as Rama loved Sita. Rama recalled the first time he ever saw Sita. He had never seen anything so beautiful. With her delicate hands and her eyes that are so easy to get lost in, no one in this world or another could match her beauty. He knew at that moment that he would have to have her forever as his bride. They have conquered so much together in life. From their wedding, to being banished into the forest together, to facing all of the different monsters that lived in the forest's shadows, and then finally being reunited after defeating Ravana. How could someone throw away all of that history?
In the end, Rama knew what he had to do. He had tried to find another option but there wasn't one to be found. He had to send Sita away in order to continue his rule over the country. For how could he rule when no one respected him because of his love for his wife? With a heavy heart, he went to go tell Sita the news. She took news about as well as you would expect. She tried to fight Rama saying that she would never disrespect their marriage in that way, but Rama sent her away anyway. Rama watched his pregnant bride leave the city from a window. He watched long after she was in the woods knowing that he would never see his lovely wife again. Wiping away his tears, Rama turned and went back to his duties. Unfortunately he could not have a day off of work, even if needed a sick day from a broken heart.
Author's Note: I based this story off of "Sita Sings the Blues" by Nina Paley. More specifically when Rama sent away Sita. I just couldn't imagine Rama being so cold hearted about sending Sita away. They had experienced so much together! I needeed to have him contemplate leaving Sita and have him really be upset about it.
Hi Chelsey!
ReplyDeleteYour story is short and sweet! You did a great job of capturing the emotions from the situation for Rama and Sita. I just loved the cute animated tale. I too have such a hard time seeing Rama so cold hearted about his twin soul and even his unborn child. It seems strange that as humans the struggles we face can be hard and tough moral gray areas. I get that Rama is supposed to be a leader and people respect him. It's a hard call. I like that you used the conflicting part to write about. I love the image. I did not see anything in your writing that was distracting.
Hey Chelsey! I really enjoyed reading your story. The tone of the story was emotional without being too dramatic. I like that you changed up the original piece and made Rama less harsh in his decision to send Sita away. My favorite part was that you ended on a not-so-happy note. Great job! I look forward to reading more from you. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what the Ramayana needs: a baby! You did a good job at portraying Rama’s concerns with your questions in the first paragraph. After Rama’s doubts, your story is clear in showing where Rama’s head is at. Although the story still ends sadly, at least we know why Rama is being so cold-hearted, which was your goal in retelling this story.
ReplyDeleteHey Chelsey,
ReplyDeleteYou did an excellent job bringing out Rama's feelings. In the original readings he didn't really seem too sad about sending Sita away. The image you chose, makes it seem like they will have a happy ending but, in all of the different versions it all ends the same. He let his pride stand in the way. Good luck on finals!