Ruth and the Issue of Sati in Indian Culture

Womanist Reading

Nadar’s reading of Ruth is from a Hindu woman’s perspective, which is to say from a perspective of stigma. Nadar’s first assertion in her article is that Hindu women are viewed in her society with contempt: when a woman’s husband dies, it is believed to be “good form” for a woman to burn herself in immolation on the same funeral pyre as her deceased husband, because a woman is not expected to be able to sustain herself, support herself or think for herself—and without a man or husband there to assist her, she might as well despair. An independent woman is one quite out of the ordinary in Hindu culture. If a mother is widowed, it is expected that a son should take care of her—but what if there is no son? The story of Ruth is thus one that resonates with Nadar and her experiences as an Indian woman. She identifies herself as a womanist rather than as a feminist because, as she states, “issues of color and class are a significant part” of the lives of people like her: to explain, Nadar is actually a South African Indian Christian woman of a low socioeconomic background (159). In her article she conducts a character analysis of Ruth and shows that Ruth is “independent, autonomous, strong-willed and even subversive” (164). These findings are manifested according to various themes that the author highlights for categorical purposes. They emphasize womanhood rather than feminism, and include issues of class and color. The womanist perspective is one in which the story of Ruth is approached from the standpoint of issues related to womanhood, roles, class and race.

The first important point that Nadar makes is that Ruth takes the man’s role when she clings to Naomi to take care of the latter. As is the case in the Indian custom, a widow is not supposed to be self-sufficient but is rather meant to be supported and cared for by another man, such as a son. But Naomi has no son, and Ruth has no husband, so Ruth slips into the role of the “son”—a male role—and supports the mother as a husband might. Thus, as Nadara points out, “in chapter 2, Ruth is presented as the breadwinner who goes out to glean in order to provide food for herself and Naomi” (165). Ruth is one who does not wait for a man to come around to provide the support: she shows that she is able to provide support for herself and for Naomi. This is an important point that Nadar makes because it shows that Indian Christian women do not have to accept the Hindu/cultural concept of sati, which is the need for a widow to self-immolate out of hopelessness and despair. Ruth does not despair. On the contrary, she is the model of hopefulness and vitality.

Nadar notes that in South Africa, sati as a custom was not brought over from India—but the mindset supporting Sati has been carried over from generation to generation; which is to say that widows still feel hopeless and as though they do not have the power to survive on their own. Nadar illustrates this point by referring to her own mother’s situation in South Africa and why Indian women tend to feel stifled by a culture in which women are constantly made to feel as though they are helpless. To help overcome this horrible mindset, Nadar uses the character of Ruth to show that women do not have to accept roles put on them by society; on the contrary, they can rise above the typecasting and become independent and self-sustaining.

Nadar concludes ultimately that for an Indian woman in which there are many opportunities for a Ruth-type of situation to emerge, Ruth can be seen “as a woman who takes control of her destiny and who changes it from hopelessness to happiness. She is a survivor, not a victim of circumstance, waiting for a man to change her fate. Reading Ruth in this way shows that she can be a positive role model for women in similar circumstances” (172). Ruth represents the Bible’s promise of hope: she does not submit to a culture of dread and despair but takes action to overcome women’s typecasting and fill in a role typically reserved by a man. She does not back down to stigmatization, and part of the reason is that she is a hopeful person and one filled with generosity and love. These qualities are what Nadar indicates a woman must possess, particularly an Indian woman living in South Africa.

In some ways, Indian women of South Africa are better off than Indian women in the Hindu country of India because the culture is different. In India, the custom of sati still remains. In South Africa, it is not practiced—all one has to overcome is the mindset behind sati. This can be achieved by viewing the story of Ruth and applying it to one’s own life as an Indian Christian woman. The Indian Christian woman should see Ruth as a survivor, one who does not submit to hopelessness when a husband dies or when there is no man around to help the woman.