The Siege of Lanka
First and foremost, I know I say this a lot, but I really appreciate Sita being strong and faithful to Rama. It drives me absolutely nuts whenever a woman shows a weakness in her will and then it’s just chalked up to the fact that she’s a woman, like that’s just a thing that only women do. I say all of that because I appreciate that Sita’s character is not like that. If anything she has had to go through worse torcher than Rama and she handles it better. (That’s just my personal opinion, but that’s how I feel.) I also really liked the role that Trigata, one of Ravana’s women, played. I appreciated how even though she was clearly a follower of Ravana, she kind of crossed enemy lines to help comfort Sita and give her the courage to keep going. It also helps to carry out the theme of kindness. I also liked how in this chapter, when Kumbakarna is roused, while he is in support of Ravana, he does not shy away from pointing out that a great deal of this is Ravana’s fault. Many of Ravana’s advisors have done the same and I appreciate how it keeps him accountable for his actions.
Rama and Ravana in Battle
I appreciated that the fight and anticipation between these two was detailed to paint a clear picture in the reader’s mind. I thought Ravana’s vow at the beginning of, “Either that woman Sita, or my wife Mandodari…before this day is done, one of them will be a widow” helped create a feeling of suspense in the reader as it clearly indicated that this was the final battle. On a different note, I thought it was interesting how throughout the battle, it was apparent that the gods helped both sides at one point. It gave an interesting element of free will to all of the characters that I thought added interest to the story.
Interlude
I did not like the harsh way that Rama received Sita after she had been through all that she had been through. I also did not appreciate that this whole time he complained about not being there for his wife and then when the time came for him to finally see her again, he didn’t even go and get her himself. I understand and respect that things had to be a certain way to show the purity of her devotion, but it just seemed a little hypocritical to me.
Epilogue
I like how the story comes to a complete close with Rama and Sita ending up in the heavens. However, I did appreciate Narayan’s inclusion of the alternate ending in order to give the reader a better understanding of how the story could end.
Below is an image of Rama fighting Ravana in their final battle.
Bibliography: R.K. Narayan, The Indian Epics Retold: The Ramayana, pp. 163-188
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