Sorrow of Javanese woman under feudalism.

The Girl from the Coast, 2002. Author : Pramoedya Ananta Toer. This story is a portrayal of the poor fate of a village girl under Javanese feudalism for hundreds of years even up to 20th century. The main character is just called Gadis pantai (the girl from the coast), who represents girls from poor and uneducated families in villages. She came from a poor fisherman village in the regency of Rembang in north coast of Java, Indonesia in early 20th century. At the age of fourteen, a local government official that she did not know married her. What she knew was that she had to obey and respect her husband whom she addressed Bendoro (an honorific title for Javanese nobility). She never had any personal relationship with her husband. In her husband's house there were parts that she never set foot. Even there were rooms where she never saw forever. Her husband had married several women before but he had divorced them. She knew it when she saw several babies who had no mother. Their mothers had been divorced so the maid took care of them. Pramoedya described class discrimination. Mardinah, a new maid, came. She was a daughter of a low rank official. She was arrogant. Her attitude to the girl from the coast was very impolite. Eventually when she accompanied the girl from the coast came home to village, people revealed that she had a mission. She was sent by regent's wife of from Demak to persuade bendoro to marry her daughter. If Mardinah succeeded she would be married as the fifth wife. Besides disappointment, the girl from the coast enjoyed financial and social advancement. she became a respected membr of village society. When she came home to see her parents everybody in the village warmly welcomed her. She held a party and gave presents to the elderly people. Until one day she was pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl. The gender made bendoro disappointed. When her parents came to see them, Bendoro called her father to get in his house. When he got out from the house he was downhearted. His daughter was divorced ! Bondoro gave him some money but he had to take her daughter home immediately, while the baby must stay. Maids would take care of her. As she got home she did not want to stay. She immediately left because she could not bear the humiliation.

Pramudya's top novel.

Title : Bumi manusia (This earth of mandkind) Author : Pramudya Ananta Tour. This novel is the first of the famous Buru Quartet. In this novel Pramoedya told nicely the sorrow of native people under Dutch colonialism in late 19th century and early 20th century Java, Indonesia. The setting is Wonokromo, a small town close to Surabaya, East Java. The main character is Minke a student of HBS, a prestigious Dutch highschool at the time. I believe Minke is the metaphor for young educataed Indonesian native people in the early 20th century. They will become the spearhead in the struggle for independence. His life represents the struggle for independence. He fought against discrimination, injustice and exploitation. Hermann Mellema represents the cruel colonialist. Herman Mellema once was the boss of a sugar factory in Tulangan. Later he ran a ranch in Wonokromo. He married Sanikem. Although she was born in a village, Sanikem was so smart that she could manage her husband's ranch, Boerderij Buitenzorg, to become a prosperous company. I am sure Sanikem is also a symbol of Indonesian nationalist movement. Maybe Pramoedya wanted to describe that there were elements from the Netherlands that helped Indonesian movement. This part is the metaphor. After graduating from HBS, Minke married with Annelies Mellema, the daughter of Hermann Mellema and Sanikem. The injustices is described by Pram when Maurits Mellema came to Java. Maurits is the son of Hermann with his first wife in the Netherlands. He was angry and claimed his rights. He sued Nyai Ontosoroh aka Sanikem. The Amsterdam trial did not admit Nyai Ontosoroh as as Herman Mellema's legal wife and decided to take over Herman Mellema's asset. They also did not admit Minke's marriage to Annelies and ordered Annelies in Maurits Mellema's custody. Annelies Mellema must move to the Netherlands. Those cruelty, injustices, exploitation are evil of colonialism. The consequence is riot. In reality there was a revolution in Indonesia following waorld war II. Pramoedya succesfully described in this novel the evil of colonialism like racial discrimination, injustice and ferocious law, which is blind to social reality, selfish and immoral. Monogamy is not always better than polygamy. Monogamy make Nyai Ontosoroh's rights are oppressed. If they were polygamist, their rights would have been protected. At least Nyai Ontosoroh would be admitted as a wife.