Sita's Ramayana: A Woman's Epic

Hello, cyberworld!

I am excited to say that today I will be discussing Sita’s Ramanyana. Before I begin, however, lets first explore the Ramayana. A quick internet search revealed that the Ramayana is one of two major Indian epics, and just like in Sita’s Ramayana, the epic follows the story of Rama’s journey to rescue his wife, Sita, who was kidnapped by Ravana, a King from Lanka. The difference between the traditional epic and the graphic novel is the perspective it is told in. Samhita Arni’s graphic novel explores Sita’s point of view and as such has a different ending in comparison to the original epic. I must admit, I wasn’t crazy about this graphic novel at first. While reading Sita’s Ramanyana, I struggled to focus. As a westerner with no prior knowledge of Indian culture, it was hard for me to understand certain concepts such as demons and gods. I also struggled reading all the battle and war scenes. I just couldn’t connect with it. But, I pushed myself to finish this graphic novel and the ending was phenomenal. I don’t want to give away too much of the ending for you guys, but experiencing this epic from a woman’s perspective was quite rewarding at the end. From a feminist perspective, we see a strong woman challenging the unfair social gender roles women face in Indian culture. By the end, it is clear that the author is trying to convey the irrationality and double standards that exist between men and women in India. In this fashion, I the reader, was able to connect with this story. I was able to bond with Sita’s character and feel furious for how her husband and her people treated her, how she had to prove her chastity, and also I felt proud of her for paving her own path, raising her sons on her own, and refusing to bend to her husband’s will.

Obviously, Samhita Arni was referencing the Indian epic, Ramayana, in her work. She even includes the name of the epic in her own title. But, there are other ways in which Arni incorporates the concept of an epic in her graphic novel. Besides the plotline, the feeling or essence of an epic can be felt while reading Sita’s Ramayana. In Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, McCloud explains the concept of closure in regards to the comic books medium. “Closure allows us to connect… moments and mentally construct a continuous, unified reality” (McCloud 67). An epic is a verbal retelling that moves through both time and location, and through the use of comic book panels, Arni is able to move her epic through both time and location and still connect these scenes in a unified manner. The space between panels, what Scott McCloud likes to refer to as “the gutter,” is a magical place where an unspoken contract occurs between the author and the reader that depends on both art and craft (McCloud 69). Below is a great example of how Arni uses the comic book medium to stay true to the epic and tell stories within a story.

Here, we can see that Vibhishana is telling Sita what her husband, Rama, has been up to while on his mission to save her. The next three panels, we see the ocean, the ocean Sita flew over and the ocean Rama must now cross to rescue her. Just between the first two panels, we moved through both time and place. Next, we’re back with Vibhishana and Sita where he continues his story. In just five panels and six text boxes, we the reader, were transported back and forth between the past and the present and also all across India. Thus, Arni uses the comic books medium and its ability to fluidly move through time and location, to mirror the feeling and structure of epics, all while telling her own version and conveying her message on gender roles.