Sita as the Hidden Hero of the RamayanaValmiki's Ramayana was written around 300 BCE (Carrier 207). Generally, the character of Rama is considered as the hero and the character of Sita is considered as the wife of the hero. In this essay, I will compare Sita's journey of capture and inner growth with Rama's "saving the kingdom" journey, show how the two correlate, and ultimately connect in the influential scene of chastity. I will also prove that Sita is the "hidden hero" of this epic even though she is seen as playing a secondary role to Rama and show how this reflects the secondary roles of women in today's society. To begin our comparisons, we must first examine each character and recognize their separate journeys. Through the summary of the characters and their story, we will begin to see the role of Rama and that of Sita. Through this process, I will demonstrate how they correlate, differ and combine to form the Ramayana. Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, is a god known as Vishnu who was reincarnated and sent to earth in mortal form. Rama must undertake an archetypal journey known as a “quest.” During the quest, a hero must overcome obstacles to save the kingdom (Guérin et.al.154). Rama's obstacle is Ravana, an evil monster who is slowly taking over heaven and earth. Because Ravana never sought the protection of a human being, he can only be destroyed by a human being, which makes Rama's need for success particularly important (Narayan 5). At the beginning of the story, Rama is forced into exile from his kingdom in the forest for 14 years. This exile begins his quest. Sita, the wife of Rama, is the reincarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, the celestial wife of Vishnu. Sita accompanies Rama into the forest on his “quest” and is captured by Ravana. The...... middle of paper......of the company. If women want to take control of their own lives and are tired of "proving" their worth to others, they must first find a voice and then act on their beliefs, otherwise these gender roles will never change. Guide to world literature. Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English, 1980.Guerin, Wilfred L., et.al. A handbook of critical approaches to literature. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. O'Flaherty, Wendy Doniger. Hindu myths. London: Penguin Books, 1975. Singh, Khushwant. India: an introduction. New Delhi: Vision Books, 1990. Valmiki. The Ramayana. Trans. Aubrey Menen. New York: The Sons of Charles Scribe, 1954.---. The Ramayana. Trans. RK Narayan. New York: Penguin Books, 1972.---. The Ramayana. Trans. Elizabeth Seeger. New York: William R. Scott, Inc..., 1969.