Week 3 Reading Diary 1: Monkeying Around

This felt like a little bit of a side mission in Narayan's Ramayana, after the cliffhanger from last week. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving this look into the politics of the monkey kingdom, I just feel like Rama does not have the sense of urgency I would expect. I mean, his wife has just been kidnapped. It seemed like he had a more visceral response upon their first meeting (and subsequent separation) than after this tragedy.

The moral ambiguity of Rama's controversial battle (massacre?) of Vali was strangely compelling. I was not expecting such grey areas in an ancient text. Usually morality is very clear-cut black-and-white in these sorts of things, so this part in particular fascinated me. The author seemed aware of this controversy as well, and I'm sure even his contemporaries questioned this passage, and he included much of those critiques in Vali's final moments. Even still, Rama's justification seems weak to me, and perhaps that is intentional, to be seen as a learning moment, or a low point in the hero's journey, perhaps?

Rama looking on as Vali fights Sugreeva: Source

Regardless, I am all aboard Hanuman's adventure! I wish the story didn't gloss over this as much. Like when he discovered the magnificent subterranean city--I wanted more details! How did he use his powers to escape? Why was the Goddess imprisoned? Who were the prior occupants of the city? So many questions left unanswered . . . I'm definitely considering doing my storytelling assignment over this one . . .