Reading Notes Reading B, The Grand Tormentor

Notes over part of The Grand Tormentor Chapter of the Ramayana by R.K. Narayan 

The favor from Mareecha

Sita pleading for the golden deer

Ravana had realized that in order to gain the hand of Sita he was going to need some backup. He sought out the help of his uncle Mareecha, who had already faced the fearsome Rama on two occasions previously. 

• I feel like this could have been enumerated more, I was left wanting for Ravana to make more of a statement, or for the text to indicate, that he was calling upon his uncle Mareecha because of his experience with Rama on the two prior occasions he confronted and narrowly escaped Rama with his life. I think that there was potential for development in that direction.

Ravana is advised against the pursuit of stealing away Sita from Rama, because Mareecha knows the terror that is likely to be inflicted as punishment for stealing his beloved wife. Mareecha is intimidated by Ravana into agreeing to help him.

• I think that the characterization of Ravana up to this point and later after it shows him as a showy and rash character, that he does not hold back his emotions and comes off as a bit hysterical at points. His intimidation of Mareena is somewhat subtle in this passage. If I was to rewrite the passage I would draw out this scene and make it a lot more of a journey for Ravana and then once turned down initially by Mareecha I would let him have a greater show of strength and fearsomeness towards him. I think that a grand temper tantrum would be fitting and would make it more intense that he scares Mareecha into helping him.

Mareecha perishes helping Ravana on his quest to lure Rama and Lakshmana away from Sita, and is killed during his mission.

• Mareecha dies a small death, he is shot and cries out once or twice before dying. I would like to have seen a grand drawn out death, and i think that the drama of the whole situation and the drama of the other two demons would befit a dramatic and prolonged death scene for Mareecha, he is a very powerful being supposedly- he should be granted a powerful death scene.