Volume VI Special Issue V June 2026

Name of Author : Chennam Sai Leela, Dr. Vishnu Vandana Devi V

Title of the paper : Reclaiming Sitas Voice: A Feminist Retelling of the Ramayana in The Forest of Enchantments

Abstract: In particular, feminist retelling of Sita in Chitra Banerjee Divakarunis The Forest of Enchantments constitutes a truly remarkable representation of the Ramayana from the feminine angle of perception. Instead of perpetuating the image of a submissive, subservient and docile Sita, the author reinvents her character by portraying a strong willed and intelligent heroine whose identity and voice have long been suppressed in patriarchal societies. This paper will address how feminist retelling questions patriarchal beliefs according to which a perfect woman is primarily a sacrificial, submissive and obedient creature characterized by a high degree of purity and chastity. Focusing on the main issues associated with gender, oppression, resilience, resistance, identity, and maternal duties, the present analysis aims at demonstrating how Sitas story challenges preconceptions that dominate within mythological texts. The essay applies feminist literary criticism to examine how myth retelling helps in deconstructing the colonial discourse in the realm of literature by giving voice to marginalized women characters in Indian epic poetry. Through the process of making Sita, who was traditionally viewed as a symbol of sacrifice, into the storyteller of her own life, The Forest of Enchantments provides a strong condemnation of patriarchal tradition and brings out the importance of womens perspectives in modern Indian English literature.

Keywords : Feminism, Sita, Patriarchy, Female Agency, Mythological Retelling

DOI :

Page Number : 134-139