Ramayana: An Indian Soap Opera

So, compared to the texts we have read thus far, Ramayana is turning out to be fairly boring. Compared to Beowulf, the Illiad, Oedipus and Gilgamesh, the Ramayana is like a furry bunny compared to a ferocious wolf (so far). What I mean to say is that the conflicts expressed in the Ramayana are more internal and "emotional" than previous works, such as Beowulf where fighting and killing stuff basically represents all of the existing conflicts. I'm guessing that the story becomes more violent and physically involved later on, but so far its a whole lot of complaining, scheming and crying (but not by Rama, remember he's perfect...). So, first of all lets discuss Manthara's apparently inherent evil quality. Much like Mr. Bahlman said in class, Manthara could have been interpreted as a a "good" character had Bharata been favored over Rama. Essentially, this proves the point that morality in terms of "good" or "bad" is ultimately based on perspective. This concept is extremely prevalent in modern day society. Topics such as illegal immigration, gay rights, abortion, etc. all have to deal with this conflict of perspectives to conclude what is "good" or "bad". The fact that the Ramayana actually brings about this critical thinking is a testament to why we even read it in the first place. Ancient texts such as the Ramayana involve concepts and ideas that still appear in the present. Since ideas found in the Ramayana and other ancient texts still occur in our society, this proves that some ancient interpretations of life have evolved into immortal thoughts that reappear throughout all mankind. They have become "meta myths" (I think that's what Mr. Bahlman told us, but I may be confusing the term).  Speaking of the immortality of ideas, lets discuss ideals.

I think its safe to say that in the Ramayana, Rama is synonymous with "The Ideal Indian". He's like the paragon to all Indians and to the culture. So why is this important to know? Because the ideals that are symbolized in literature through characters are ideals that can tell you alot about a culture. For example, if Beowulf had been exiled by Wealhtheow, I highly doubt that Hrothgar would have broken down into tears and passed out. Of course this event doesn't actually occur, but you can assume how the characters would respond to it if it did, after having read the story. Instead of openly expressing his emotions and having a pity party, it is likely that Hrothgar would have kept his deeper emotions to himself. However, Dash (aka Dasharatha) is slightly more transparent...as in fainting and wailing. This hypothetical contrast I have set up reveals that Indian culture and Angelo Saxon culture was very different. Indians believed in showing emotion, and an outward projection of inner thought. They were quote-unquote "more sensitive". It is quite obvious after reading Beowulf that the Angelo Saxon culture revolved around emotional control and outward stability. Their culture was certainly more focused on "manliness" and the discipline of emotional expression. It can be said, however, that Dash's crying is appropriate for the circumstances, so that judgement is up to the reader. The fainting however...

Remember tho, there is a balance to find between the extremes of emotional control. Different cultures, especially ancient ones, simply differ on where this "middle ground" lies. 

Something else I want to talk about is Rama himself. I'm interested in how Rama is going to behave later on as the story progresses. Will we ever find a fault in Rama, or is he truly "prefect". If we fail to uncover a fault or any hint of Hamartia (although this story is not a tragedy) then we will be able to observe what the Indian culture was and is trying to portray as a perfect individual. Rama's character will be tested more and more as the story progresses (I assume) so we will be able to pick apart the figurative anatomy of the "ideal man". 

The last thing I want to talk about, which i talk about in pretty much every blog entry, is symbolism. This story is just begging to be analyzed. A constant number of 14 years is restated and restated, is this number a coincidence . The enemy that Rama eventually faces has 10 heads. Is that symbolic of something related within the Indian culture? Obviously Manthara symbolizes evil, but is it a particular type of evil or disfunction. Greed? Envy? Selfishness? Or perhaps just a general, basic embodiment of evil? I don't know, but as a read it's always a good idea to think critically to try and discern what is what and why it is present. If we, as students, didn't do this, then what is the point of even reading the literature?

WC: 795