Image of Savitri and Satyavan courtesy Wikipedia
Savitri: Savitri is a young princess who grows up in a time where women are educated and seen as wise, and so she is taken to ashrams and other places as a child, where she learns much, because she is meant to be the heir to her father's throne. She pulls a classic Disney Princess when she sees her literal 'Prince Charming' and falls immediately in love. I find it really interesting that all of the Indian stories I've read so far, there's at some point a couple (or four) falling in love and being exiled, or sent to the forest for some reason. I'm not sure if this is a common theme because it shows patience and generally good values from the rulers, or if it just happens a lot. Either way, Savitri is our protagonist, and eventually her pure love for her prince makes Death let go of him, and Death promises that she will never be a widow.
Damayanti: Alright, I've just about had it with these men doing something ridiculous like gambling their life and wife away and then wondering if she's been pure the whole time. It's a double standard, and I'm not a fan. It's showed up in almost everything I've read so far--the husband and wife get separated, usually due to something silly the husband does, and then when he finally manages to crawl back to her it's suddenly on her! Terrible.
Past that, Damayanti is a solid character. She's pretty lovey-dovey, but I appreciate that she has a brain and is willing to get out of the forest, and to take care of herself, and devise a plot to get her husband back to her. Still, too often are these wives throwing themselves on a funeral pyre or asking gods to take their lives in exchange for proving to the man that they're pure.
Still bitter.
No comments:
Post a Comment