Week Four Reading Diary Continued: Sita Sings the Blues, Nina Paley

In the second half of Sita Sings the Blues, the characters Nina and Dave start to evolve more.  We see them in the first half as this loving couple that lives in San Francisco who are shown throughout the movie in glimpses.  Dave starts to distance himself from Nina after moving to India for his job.  When Dave is on a long distance call with Nina, he tells her that his job has decided to extend his contract, and Nina wonders where she stands in Dave’s life.  After visiting Dave in India, Nina sees a different side of him. He is no longer affectionate towards her, and he treats her as if she’s a random woman he met off the street.

Nina and Dave in the Airport in India

Their relationship in the movie is symbolic.  It is referenced towards Rama and Sita’s marriage.  After Rama defeats Ravana, Rama feels that Sita’s purity is unknown.  She has lived with Ravana for months, and he doubts her faithfulness since she has lived in another man’s presence.  When Sita proves to Rama that she had not betrayed Rama, he takes her back to Ayodhya where Sita then claims that she is pregnant.  The people began to speak down on Rama and he believes that he cannot properly rule as a king if his people cannot respect his decisions regarding Sita, so he banishes her. 

Sita Banished 

The three narrators of the story (the shadow puppets) began to debate about this.  On one hand Sita is showing her devotion to Rama.  She continues to pray and channel her energy and good thoughts towards him, while she is in exile.  It is argued that Sita is displaying unconditional love, and because of this she’s considered to be dumbfounded.  Moreover, we see Nina who receives an email from Dave, ending their relationship.  Nina later calls Dave and asks for him to take her back.

At the end of the movie, Rama resurfaces back into Sita’s life only in hopes of taking his sons back to the city with him.  Once again Sita must prove her faithfulness to Rama and because of this; she calls on Mother Earth and lives her last days in the heavens; whereas Nina finds comfort in being alone after taking control of her life and happiness.

Nina 

These women displayed throughout their relationships their admiration and content with their partners, and in the end are left alone because of either insecurity or lack of interest.  They took a hold of their destiny to find themselves happy alone without the pressure of finding approval through their men’s eyes.    

 Bibliography: "Sita Sings the Blues" Nina Paley (2008)

                        "The Ramayana" written by R.K. Narayan (1977)