My first impression while reading part B of this week's reading was the part about Hanuman having to use the bridge to get to Lanka, where Sita was being held prisoner. When I was reading this part of the story on the PDE version of the Ramayana, I interpreted the beast as something evil that was trying to kill or eat him. In this version, it was very clearly stated that the serpent was only sent by the gods to test Hanuman's courage, and then let him travel on towards Lanka. The next thing I noticed was that the scene with Sita sitting in the Asoka grove was played out somewhat differently than the PDE version. In this version, instead of Ravana telling Sita that she has two months to decide if she will marry him or be killed, he initially raises a sword as if to kill her but then at the last second decides not to and walks away. Also, in the PDE version the Rakshasis are mocking and harassing Sita while in the grove, but in this story, instead of mocking her they bowed to her out of fear and left quickly after Ravana. That is because in this version (The Noble Archer), one of the Rakshasis has a prophetic dream of Hanuman's attack and of Ravana's fall and Vibishan's rise to power.
Sita sitting in the Asoka grove
Changing the story in that way adds a pretty different effect for the reader while reading through that scene. In the PDE version, I felt sorry for Sita and she comes off as much more lonely and sad about being held captive. In this version, she seems stronger as she even commands Ravana to kill her, and instead of Rakshasis tormenting her, they fear her and leave the grove after bowing down to her! It's very interesting how even when two stories follow the same plot, they can still leave a very different feeling in the minds of the reader just by describing the little details a bit differently. It has been very interesting discovering differences like these as I read the two different versions of the same story.
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