Reading Diary A Week 7: Monkeys, Bears, and Sita

Lots of monkeys and bears fly with Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, and Pushpaka to Rama’s coronation.  What?!  Possible story?  What were they thinking?  They had just been revived?  Some thankful?  Some resentful?  Death can brings peace to some.  One telling a story of this event from many years in the future.  What was Sita thinking?  What was Lakshmana thinking? 

Sita is able to let her hair down.  It is a sign of beauty.  Quote: “he unbound her braid, her sleek dark hair was combed out, free and scented, and her skin was again like warm gold,” (Buck 370).  Very sexual in a very subtle sense, especially her hair.  I love that description of skin as warm gold.  It hints that Sita is looked upon as highly valued like gold, and now that she is in Rama’s presence she is warm and inviting.  This is a great contrast to when she was a prisoner of Ravana.  Sexually inviting?  Possible story topic?  Was she happy with Rama?  Is this his view of Sita?  Sita’s view of herself?  Would she be sexually open to Rama after being a prisoner of Ravana a rapist?  He couldn’t rape her, but I believe that she still would have been highly uncomfortable to be a prisoner of such a creep or a prisoner of anyone.  Was Rama sexually open?  Sita had just done the trial by fire, but was that good enough or is Rama just focused on getting back to Bharata and saving his life.  The narrator just making bland statements to make the story move along in a happy tone? 

Ravana capturing Sita. Source: Wikipedia