Something outside of the window caught Sita's eye. Upon further examination, Sita could see that somebody was approaching the palace. It was Rama! She knew that he would be there to save her. She watched as Rama fought all the rakshasas and defeated Ravana. She couldn't have been happier.
After she saw that it was safe, she opened the doors of the palace and ran. She wanted so desperately to be in Rama's arms.
"Rama, my love!" Sita yelled as she approached him.
The look in Rama's eyes made her stop. She hesitated to go any closer.
"Rama? What's wrong?" Sita asked.
"I have done my part and saved you. I can't, however, bring you back to be my wife. You have been unfaithful. You have dwelled with another man. I can't bring you back to the kingdom. What would everyone say about me if I were to accept you back after this?" Rama replied, rather harshly.
Sita looked at him with tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe what he just said. Why would he go through all this trouble for her when he didn't want to be with her anymore.
"You know me. You know that I would never be unfaithful to you! I have always been pure and I have remained that way. Ravana wanted me but I refused!" Sita screamed back at him.
Rama made no reply. Sita realized that even though she loved him, she was not going to let anyone treat her this way. She knew the truth and so did Rama.
"I have always loved you Rama. Deep down, you know the truth and you are going to regret this. I have nothing to prove to you so goodbye Rama." Sita replied calmly. She knew that she loved him but her loving him wasn't enough. Rama didn't love her anymore. If he did, he would not treat her this way.
Sita turned from Rama and began to walk away. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew that she had to figure it out. She was all alone but it would be better to be alone than to be with someone who didn't trust her.
Sita continued on. She wanted to turn around and look at Rama one last time but she knew that if she did, she would change her mind. She would beg him to take her back.
"It's better this way," she told herself, hoping that if she says it enough times, that she will believe it.
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| Sita from Sita Sings the Blues |
Author's note: After watching Sita Sings the Blues, I realized that Sita allows Rama to treat her horribly and she keeps taking him back. The majority of the movie shows Sita begging Rama to not leave her. I focused mostly on the part where Rama sees Sita after she has been kidnapped. In the original story, Rama tells Sita that he can't be with her anymore because she has been in the house of another man. He knows that it wasn't by choice but it didn't matter because people will still talk. Sita then begs Rama to stay with her and she even proves her purity by fire. Rama is able to take her back now that she has proven her purity. I think that Sita should have had more self-worth and not let Rama treat her so badly. That is why I changed the story to show Sita being able to stick up for herself. I know that Sita loves Rama still and that is why she is still upset. I wanted her to show that even though she loves Rama, it was best to let him go in the best interest of herself. I wanted Sita to care what happens to herself.
Bibliography: Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley
One of my very favorite things in this class is the slow realization that everyone's coming to that the women in all of the Epics get generally treated like crap, and yet, they always take their man back. This was one of the instances that irritated me the most--Rama won't take Sita back, and so it's obvious at this point he's only saving her to prove a point. Love her confidence in this version, and her sense of self worth. Great job Stevi!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU for writing this story! From the first week we read sections of the Ramayana, I was disappointed to see how little Sita stands up for herself. I thought that they were going to have this grand love story, but I spent the majority of the time angry at Rama for being the worst person ever. Why can't these women have confidence and drive? I'm so glad that you gave Sita her opportunity to shine!
ReplyDeleteStevi, great job on your version of this episode in Sita Sings the Blues! I especially liked that you focused on this part where Rama and Sita finally meet each other after he rescues her from Ravana. Your story was very concise and well written. I liked how the ending turned out to be as Sita stuck up for herself after realizing how terribly Rama was treating her, even though it was a sad ending for their love story.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved Sita Sings the Blues. It was one of my favorite stories in the class and the way you interpreted this story was incredible. I did not like the way that story ended and hoped that Sita would stand up for herself the way she did in your story. The tone in this story was a perfect mix of sadness and strength and I love the way you changed the story. This was wonderful, good job!
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