LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 22:5 May 2022
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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Transfiguration of Sita—Emancipation of Women:
An Elucidation of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Mythic Novel
The Forest of Enchantments

Asmita Kaushik, Ph.D. Research Scholar
Dr. Sunil Kumar Mishra
Dr. Jyoti Jakhar Dahiya


Courtesy: www.amazon.com

Abstract

The dominant ideology of a society is primarily formed by its myths. The feminists maintain that myths of almost all the cultures of the world are androcentric. These myths give importance to the male point of view. The prominent ideology is thus patriarchal that neglects female standpoint and treats women as subordinate. The patriarchal ideology is responsible for discrimination against women. To transform the patriarchal ideology and give significance to female perception, sentiments, pains and experiences the feminist writers began to retell myths. The subversion of the traditional myths and creation of new ones present perspectives that have yet remained ignored. Gynocentric revision of myths for the first time becomes apparent in the writings of second wave western feminist writers. In India the revision of patriarchal myths to present gynocentric alternatives began in 21st century. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni occupies an esteemed position amongst the mythic feminist revisionists who have revised androcentric myths to produce alternatives that are centered on women. In her novel The Forest of Enchantments she has generated her own version of the epic Ramayana to impart new interpretation to Sita’s story. Sita differs from Valmiki’s opinion about herself in his version of Ramayana and therefore, she writes her own Sitayan. The intended article explicates how deftly the author, as a mythic feminist revisionist, revises the traditional image of Sita and delineates her from gynocentric point of view.

Keywords: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Forest of Enchantments, Sita, myth, feminist, revision, gynocentric, androcentric.

Myths are deeply significant in the sense that they are an integral part of a culture. It is through myths that a culture validates its customs, rituals, and beliefs. The socio-cultural structures and ideologies of a community are all rooted in its myths. The myths affect how human beings comprehend the world and act in a society: “Myths are narrative patterns that give significance to our existence” (May 15). Myths are typically understood as conventional stories or narratives about social-natural phenomenon or how the world came into existence. M.H. Abrams avers:

In classical Greek, “mythos” signified any story or plot, whether true or invented. In its central modern significance, however, a myth is one story in a mythology—a system of heredity stories of ancient origin which were once believed to be true by a particular cultural group, and which served to explain (in terms of the intentions and actions of deities and other super-natural beings) why the world is as it is and things happen as they do, to provide a rationale for social customs and observances, and to establish the sanctions for the rules by which people conduct their lives. (230)

They are religious in nature and hold great sacred value. Whether myths are true or not they are considered real by its believers and thus become the integral part of their intellection. Mann justly remarks, “[T]he Myth is the foundation of life…” (374). Myths control every facet of human life.

The feminists around the world claim that myths of all cultures are predominantly androcentric. These myths consign women the position of a subordinate in the society and promote notions about women that aid in the continuation of patriarchy: “Patriarchal religion controls female sexuality in order to control women. This is made possible through myth, which teaches submission” (Brandmaier 58).The myths represent women in a dichotomy. They are either classified as timid, compliant and inefficient or as evil and beguiling. The myths that establish these concepts about women are responsible for their oppression. The literature inspired from these myths too proliferate patriarchal ideology that regard women as inferior.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Asmita Kaushik, Ph.D. Research Scholar
Amity School of Liberal Arts, Amity University
Gurugram, Haryana
kaushikasmita8@gmail.com

Dr. Sunil Kumar Mishra, Associate Professor (English)
Amity School of Liberal Arts
Amity University, Haryana
doctorsunilmishra@gmail.com

Dr. Jyoti Jakhar Dahiya, Associate Professor (English)
Department of English
Motilal Nehru College (Eve)
University of Delhi
jyotijdahiya@gmail.com
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