Week 3 Storytelling - Spiteful Betrayal
A young boy grew up in a village where becoming a warrior is what was
customary of his village. The village had various schools that taught the ways
of the warrior so they could protect their village. His older brother was
always the top of his class. Passing every test with ease. All the fellow
villagers knew his brother as a prodigy, every instructor praised him and he
was always in the top of his class. Soon the older brother began working side
by side with the officials of the village in order to provide elite protection
strategies against neighboring enemies. As the young boy grew up he adored
his older brother. The young boy was always the top of the class however, he
could never compare to his brother. This made the young boy angry. As he became
older his brother’s continued success drove him to extreme measures. The young
boy had grown cold in age with spite in his heart. Although he would protect
the village, his ways were extreme and harsh. When the young boy became of full
age as a warrior he was given the task to help strategize a defense against a
neighboring village with his brother. The young, now spiteful man had devised
an ultimate defense plan however it came with dire costs and risk. When the young spiteful man presented the
plan to his brother and fellow consorts, nobody agreed but his brother. The idea was a suicide mission, however it was the best insurance of victory. The
plan implied that the brother would lose his life in the defense however it was
the most necessary actions to be taken. Nobody agreed, except the young
spiteful man’s brother. The next night when the company would set out for scouting, the older brother was nowhere to be seen. The younger brother knew that his brother had already executed the plan himself without any help. The younger brother knew he could have came up with a better plan however he sent his brother into death without a hesitant thought. The spite had consumed him to make an extremely rash decision, however it was much too late.
Authors
Note: I based this story on the prompt from week 3 about Vali and Sugriva. The
main theme is over the controversial betrayal of Sugriva when he left his
brother in the cave. It was an extremely tough decision but overall was for the
better. I left a lot of the details about older brother’s intentions behind
giving up his own life to open to interpretation. Similar to how I felt when
trying to figure out Sugriva’s justification. Did the younger brother's spite push his brother to give up his own life, or did the older brother do it on behalf of the village?
I think this was an interesting interpretation of the tale between Sugreeva and his brother Vali. It is hard to imagine the instance where the best option at hand would be to take the life of your brother. In the case of Sugreeva and Vali there was no reasoning that could be done. Vali was just to stubborn and after the explanation given by Rama, Vali is actually thankful for his death. Your story takes the same type of theme and makes it a bit more communicable.
ReplyDeleteI love that you chose this story, I really contemplated the situation between Sugriva and Vali. I agree with you that sealing his brother in with the demon seems like the right choice. His brother was an accomplished warrior and should have emerged from the cave if victorious. They could not risk letting a powerful demon capable of defeating Vali back out into the world to cause more evil.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you left the end of the story open to interpretation. What happens to the younger brother? I found that story to be very interesting. What would anyone else have done? Locking Vali in the cave after waiting so long for his return was the only logical response. Sugreeva had the duty to protect his people, he could not risk demons coming from the netherworld and attacking their own. When Vali meets his death, at first he was furious but then he realizes that he made a poor decision in hating his brother and he finds peace in dying. I liked how you made this story more modernized by incorporating education and being smarter than his brother.
ReplyDeleteThose questions at the end really got me thinking. I actually pondered about this story when I read it in the Ramayana as well. I wasn't sure if Sugriva had closed the cave purposely leaving Vali in there or if Vali was right about exiling his brother and stealing his wife. I think both brothers were wrong in a sense. Sugriva should have sent men or some soldiers in to check on Vali and confirm the death before sealing that cave. On the other hand, when Sugriva told Vali why he sealed that cave, Vali should have been more understanding and less rash when making the decision to exile Sugriva and take his wife. Both brothers seem very impatient and rash to me. If even one was willing to compromise, I think that the dynamics of this entire story would be different. Good job on your interpretation and take on this story!
ReplyDeleteOnce again, I truly enjoyed reading your story, Avi. This story really did make me rethink the situation that arose between Vali and Sugriva. Like you said, was it done out of spite or for the good of the village. I feel as though it might have been a combination of the two, though even if it was partially for the good of the village it was a poor decision aiding in the death of your brother. In conclusion, it was a great story and I can't wait to read more in the future. If I were to alter anything, I might add some page breaks but thats it. Keep up the good work.
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