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Nune Zakaryan
Professor Amarnath Ravva
Human 115
23 January 2026
Midterm Exam
Myths have always been and continue to be eternal mirrors that reflect our positive and
negative emotions, deep inner thoughts, values and ideals. They can shape one’s morals,
integrity and perspective. Not only that, but they can also change to fit specific narratives, people
can highlight different aspects of it that serve a specific purpose for them to carry a message
across. All the different versions of Ramayana that I had the pleasure to learn are a prime
example of it. They evidently show the adaptability of myths and how they are transformed to
reflect cultural nuances and personal perspectives.
*Through the contrasting lenses of the three versions, we can clearly see the
everchanging nature of myths: R. K. Narayan’s Ramayana focuses on dharma with all the duty
and authority that come with it, Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues emphasizes the misogyny and
hierarchy, Sanjay Patel’s Divine Loophole focuses on individuality and emotional authenticity.
R. K. Narayan’s Ramayana focuses on moral duty known as dharma and explores values
such as social duty, purity and loyalty. Rama is the perfect leader and son, his duty outweighs his
personal desires and it’s shown multiple times throughout the story. Even his exile was not
questioned, he accepted it without disobeying. “I will carry out his wishes without question.
Mother, be assured that I will not shrink” (Narayan 64). Rama didn’t even need his father to tell
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him directly since his stepmother derived her authority from the King, making her word absolute.
Purity and loyalty are values that we see through Sita’s character, she left everything behind to
stand next to Rama, her entire existence depended on him so in a way Sita’s moral duty was to
be loyal to Rama. Even after her devotion, Sita still had to prove her innocence to keep her value.
It’s not seen as cruelty, it’s shown as a demonstration of her virtues. “Rama explained that he
had to adopt this trial in order to demonstrate Sita’s purity beyond a shadow of doubt to the
whole world” (Narayan 154). This shows how much their individuality was stripped away,
leaving behind shells who had to prove their worth to everyone else, while abandoning their
desires. “The gods, who had watched this in suspense, were now profoundly relieved but also
had an uneasy feeling that Rama had, perhaps, lost sight of his own identity” (Narayan 154).
These words cement the fact that identities can’t exist alongside duty, since the latter will always
be more important than the former. This version of the myth reflects a culture based on
hierarchy, one that glorifies self-sacrifice, especially for women and reinforces the idea that
social order and harmony are more crucial than everything combined.
Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues approaches the myth from a different angle. The author
highlights misogyny, the harmful nature of hierarchy and points out the negative sides of society
without painting them in an idealized light. Paley focuses on Sita who has her own emotional
world and who is more aware of her unfair treatment and expectations. Despite all of that, she
still loves Rama immensely and tries to justify his ice-cold treatment. “I’ll never leave him alone,
I’ll make his troubles my own” (20:48). Sita is devoted, willing to prove herself despite being
wounded and openly mentions how hurt she is by Rama’s cruel words. “I have done my duty in
rescuing you from the enemy and avenging the insult to myself” (38:32). Rama is depicted as
someone selfish, mean and apathetic towards Sita, his moral duty is not seen as something grand
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or divine, it’s seen as injustice and unfairness. Combined with the modern narrative, Paley
dissects all the issues and criticizes the unbalanced dynamic, as well as the unjustified
expectations of silent endurance. This version of the myth paints the flawed picture of today’s
society while making crystal clear that emotional authenticity, gender equality and fair treatment
are extremely important values.
Sanjay Patel’s Divine Loophole feels like the middle ground between the other two
versions. It combines important cultural values and modern beliefs to create a story that’s easy to
understand for everyone. The tone is lighter and more playful, it’s easier to pick up the nuances
that way. Even the gods, divine and all-powerful beings, accidentally neglected to consider all
the possibilities and shortcomings when creating a demon. “In what was perhaps one of the
bigger cosmic blunders of all time, the honorable Brahma granted this wish” (Patel 14). This
shows that gods are not perfect, they are flawed and sometimes even they can make mistakes,
albeit on a cosmic level. This narrative also makes them feel more human since mistakes are a
part of human nature. This version is more relatable and open to interpretation in comparison.
The storytelling is creative, witty and very similar to modern day action stories.
All three versions depict seemingly different yet similar worlds, built on values that relate
to their time and audience. Narayan is more traditional and rigid, with stoic views and
unquestionable duties. Paley is more radical and outspoken, with clear boundaries and
importance of emotional expression and authenticity. Patel is modern and globalized, with clear
yet subtle parallels that reflect the world around us. Each work shows that myths are not set in
stone. They’re constantly shaped and polished by people and adjust to what is appropriate at that
time.
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Ultimately, the beauty of myths is their flexibility and timeless nature. They come and
go, change and shift but at no point do they completely disappear. People change, cultures move
on, new emotions are born. Myths are here to guide us through these changes and to give
meaning to feelings that are hard to put into words.
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Works Cited
Narayan, R. K. The Ramayana. Penguin Books, 2006.
Paley, Nina, director. Sita Sings the Blues, 2008.
Patel, Sanjay. Ramayana: Divine Loophole. Chronicle Books, 2010.