Sita didn’t understand what she had done wrong. She and Rama
had been dating since their freshman year of high school. Their relationship
was perfect; she didn’t know it was possible to be so in love. Sure, they had
gone through hard times. Rama’s parents went through a painful separation and
then his dad died shortly after, but Sita stayed with him through it all. Then
there was the situation with Sita’s stalker. Ravana started following Sita home
after school when they were juniors. Rama couldn’t stand Ravana, and he tried
to protect Sita as best as he could. Ravana wouldn’t mess with her when Rama
was around, but Rama couldn’t be around her constantly. One afternoon, Ravana
grabbed Sita and took her home with him. Nobody could find Sita for two days, but
the police finally found her passed out at Ravana’s house after Rama continued
to insist that they get a search warrant.
Sita couldn’t remember what had happened to her in those two
days, but people at school started to guess what he could have done to her.
Some of the rumors that were spread were graphic and embarrassing for Sita. At
least she knew Rama was always by her side… or so she thought so. Rama was also
embarrassed by the rumors, and didn’t act the same around Sita anymore. He
treated her like she had been contaminated. He couldn’t bear the thought of
that freak touching her. He also became paranoid that she might have been
impregnated. He asked her one day, “What would I do with that animal’s child?
Raise it as my own? Yeah right!” Sita was already having a hard enough time
coping with those two traumatic days. She thought Rama would make her feel
better, but he only made everything worse. In her eyes, however, this was just
another obstacle they would overcome… she knew it would make their relationship
stronger in the end, just like everything else they had gone through. She loved
Rama with everything she had, and knew she always would. Rama, however, saw it
differently. This had changed everything; he could not see Sita as the same
sweet innocent girl he loved anymore. He needed a way for her to somehow prove
she was the same to him. He obsessed about the status of her purity, and even
convinced himself Sita might have developed feelings for Ravana. Sita wanted to
move forward from the whole mess, but she didn’t know if Rama would allow that
to happen. She felt guilty all of the time, but she couldn’t put her finger on
what she did wrong.
Broken heart symbol,
Author not listed, Source: Wikimedia
Author’s Note:
I watched the movie, Sita
Sings the Blues by Nina Paley this week for my reading assignment. In the
movie, more emphasis is placed on Sita’s purity being questioned. Rama was
obsessed with what other people thought of him, and couldn’t stand other people
questioning the loyalty of his wife. I tried to think about what this might
look like in today’s society, so I told the story as if Rama and Sita were high
school sweethearts.
Bibliography:
"Sita Sings the Blues" by Nina Paley (2008). Source: Youtube
As I was reading, I did wonder if you had also watched Sita Sings the Blues. I really like the film, and so I liked reading your reinterpretation as well. Your story actually struck a really realistic note for me. Often victims of assault and abuse are blamed for what happened to them and made to feel overwhelming guilt, even though nothing was their fault.
ReplyDeleteNicole!
ReplyDeleteI loved how you turned it into a "high school sweetheart" story, because everyone has either experienced one or seen one on television or in a movie. The one thing that I liked the most was how you talked about assault. I agree with Hannah, a lot of the victims tend to get blamed for being assaulted and no one ever looks at the assaulter. So in turn the victim starts to think that it was actually her fault for getting assaulted and starts to blame herself, which is not good. Good job on your story this week!
Nicole, I really liked how you wrote the story in modern terms. After watching sita sings the blues, I also noticed that Rama was concerned about what people thought and the love between Rama and Sita was not enough for him.I feel as if many people today care what people say and think about them. It is human nature to do so, but I truly believe that love prevails against all odds and above all else.
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