I really enjoyed the character of the monkey-king in Sugriva and Hanuman, especially because the human characters are still present rather
than a story based entirely on animal characters. Likewise, I found the details
in King Sugriva about the high officials of the monkey kingdom, or the
mahamatras, and the vanars very interesting; maybe because it reminded me of a
favorite scene from The Wizard of Oz.
Flying Monkeys. Source: Wikimedia Commons
I love the depiction of Rama in Sugriva and Vali, which reads “To his foes resistless Rama is a lightning from above,
To his friends a tree of shelter, soul of tenderness and love, Dearer than his
love of glory is his love to heal and bless…” I can see where some readers have
a problem with Rama’s controversial tactics of guerrilla warfare in Vali’s Death; many people don’t find the strategies of guerrilla warfare fair or
honest. Especially with Rama’s saint-like portrayal, these sneaky tactics don’t
exactly match up with his character. I was so surprised by Rama’s display of
impatience in The Rainy Season! I feel like this is so out of character for
him, and especially after his display of unfair combat, I feel like this change
in character is leading up to something important. I like the idea of having to
wait until a rainy season is over; I think it creates a really beautiful
picture. I would like to learn more about this rainy season specific to India
and how it affects life there.
