Week 2 Reading Diary B: Kamavalli

This part of the story was so passionate and violent. I adore the way the author describes unrequited love. Nothing will subdue a person when they are in love and cannot be with the one they want. It is always too hot, as with Ravana. It is never soft enough, as with Sita. It is never quiet enough, as with Kamavalli. She suffered hallucinations in her cave of moping. And the jealousy is there too. She could not be more jealous of Sita. She even tries to steal her away, which is when Rama's brother cuts off her nose, ears, and breasts. I feel as if this has a lot of symbolism. The breasts, other than the vagina, are the one thing that is exclusively feminine about a woman. When he took those away from her, he really reduced her to nothing (in the sexist eyes of the composers of this epic). I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose my breasts, but to me this made her not a woman anymore in this story. She is now only a demon. She then uses this wrath to get her brother killed, and then talks Ravana into falling in love with Sita (there's that jealousy again). I love the passion in this story so far. It is like an ancient soap opera.

P.S.- The description of Ravana's court was also breathtaking

Ravana approaches Sita during her captivity.
Source: Wikipedia