Culture, Identity, and Empowerment in The Sitayan by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Chingshubam Nonimorinda Chanu, Dr. Lalit Kishore Sharma, Dr. Akoijam Rebica

Abstract: The article attempts to analyse and evaluate the female characters and their relation with culture and its impact on them as portrayed in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni?s The Forest of Enchantment. The article traces the image of women shown in the Sitayan, narrated by the female protagonist Sita herself, with the touch of other women characters like Sunaina, Urmila, Kaikeyi, Sumitra, Kaushalya, Mandhodari and Ahalya. These women are caught in the flux of their culture and their inner voices, which make them suffer from the intense psychic turmoil. They try to become aware of their situation through endurance, observation and understanding, suffocation, turmoil, uncertainty and apprehension. Particularly, Sita, when she meets with dilemma, self- doubts, frustration, disappointments, isolation, insecurity, and identity crisis, she never gives in herself but rather fights for the light of her self-awareness. The courage she gets, the wisdom she achieves are the result of her culture and her believes to it. Additionally, the article also attempts to unveil the reasons for identity crisis which is commonly faced by every individual since time immemorial. In the journey of self-quest, Sita has to face several struggles. She has to question the myth or culture sicken society, and has to break all the rules and conventions, in fact she certainly has to ask questions to herself so as to fulfil her quest. Thus, she is able to find her real self, the real identity which leads to the path of empowerment. Moreover, this piece compiles the importance of myth and modernity in the literature and how could it shape the women characters in the Sitayan. Divakaruni has done a remarkable work by using the voice of Sita to impart the importance of self-awareness to the modern world.

Keywords: Culture, identity, myth and modern, empowerment, quasi-autobiography

How to Cite?: Chingshubam Nonimorinda Chanu, Dr. Lalit Kishore Sharma, Dr. Akoijam Rebica, "Culture, Identity, and Empowerment in The Sitayan by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni", Volume 14 Issue 7, July 2025, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1576-1579, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR25725221113, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR25725221113