essay Belenggu

THE MAIN CHARACTER OF WOMAN IN ARMIJN PANE NOVELS

BELENGGU

BY RianyMartien

NIM: 1211503111

           

            Almost in every literary workslove to be the main topic is always interesting for discuss. Love can not be separated from the female figure which makes her the center of the attentions. They are interesting with all problems relating to men, both in terms of romance, violence, or anything that degrades women compared with men.Talking about any problems of woman is inseparable from feminist issues. Feminist Theory is discussed of the rights of women or the position of women in society, both in terms of politics, economy and etc. the purpose of feminist for a woman is going to get freedoms and women's rights as human being son this earth without any constraint of rights.

            The ideas of feminist are born from Mary Wollstonecraft’s as first modern feminists. She had already published her book the title is A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792). The book becomes a foundation for a woman; in this book Mary explains many things about woman and she tells about distinction woman and man. In her book she wants to tell what the differences between woman and man in personal right, educations, power and ideas. And the book becomes basic theory of feminist.

            In Belengu’s novel by Armijn Pane the delineation of woman character as a woman who want to be herself and establish life herself. The novels can’t be separated with feminist theory that reveal by Mary Wollstonecraft. The story of the novels describing the problems of husband and wife (Kartono and Sumartini)and we can see the topic of the story is love and feminist this is interesting to discuss. In the novel there are two character of women, the first is Sumartini or Kartono’s wife and the second is Rohayah( Yah, nyonyaEni, SitiHaryati) or Kartono’s girl friend, from the both of the character  has a same characteristic and behavior of woman in reality. The one wants to live freely without any restraint and that one wants to live better with someone she loved ones and the both of the character wish to deter mine their own lives. Sumartinii as modern woman  who has amid pastas free associating. He was always feel lonely because her husband busyness with his patience and forget and leave her at home alone.While Siti Rohayah is a woman who should run the forced marriage. He felt frustrated, so it fell into disgrace valley. She is  Sukartono’s friend, or Sukartono’s ex girl friend.

            In this novel displays women's issues related to public view in the 1940s that indirectly hurts women. The views are from people who assume powers understood fully in the hands of men. To refute the above understanding, the feminist theory that d stretcher by Mary Wollstonecraft which will solve the problems.

            Actually the story of the novel are not telling about an inequity of gender, but the character of woman in the novel is who want to be a normal human being like a man, and they rights of woman without definite anything. Nonetheless the problem in which comes when the Tono hurt his wife (Tini) by has an affair with another girl or Rohayah (his ex girl friend). In this case that thought woman has superiority to man that she still has particular weakness. Base on experience the weaknesses come from woman feeling, so woman easy to be hurt by man.

            The concept of Mary Wollstonecraft is a term of rake. Wollstonecraft use that word to relate a woman and she describe that the man treat the woman like a rake, that opinion she put in pope’s essay “..that every woman is at heart a rake” (Nurrachman’s, 2013:88). For proves this concept I found some dialog in Belengu that show a man just exploited a woman “perempuan sekarang hanya meminta haknya saja pandai. Kalau suaminya pulang dari kerja, benar dia suka menyambutnya, tapi ia lupa mengajak suaminya duduk, biar ditanggap kansepatunya(Pane, 2010:16)”. We can saw that the dialog is rake from man to women because in our opinion that the dialog is exploited of woman. Mary Wollstonecraft assumes that woman can have a right like, education and the other rights like a man in herself. The woman who has a high education want to same with a man that she want to work and didn’t just housewife, in BelennguI found the part that explain Tini want to be work and out of house everywhere without asking to her husband “bukankah laki kujuga pergi sendirian? Mengapa aku tidak boleh?Apakahbedanya (Pane, 2010:53)”. The part saw that Tini want to same with her husband, she can go everywhere she want without asking her husband.

            One of the concepts of Mary Wollstonecraft is woman expect, she describe that woman can be reasonable than a man which put in Nurrachman’s “…. To expect women to be more reasonable than a man in their likings” (Nurrahman, 2013:88). For proves that concept we can saw this part “tono engkau heran? Mengapaperempuansepertiakumempunyaipikiran yang sedalamitu (Pane. 2010:39)”. In this part saw that woman has knowledge more than man, because the woman in this novel has a modern like Tini the main character of woman in the novels is has high education and Rohayah always read the books form the man who life with her before.

            Women always wishful happy life with her husband who doted on him at home with fancy clothes and jewelry given her husband and it’s all caused by those who are just reading a novel about a woman who makes the daydream of it, Mary Wollstonecraft assert her opinion in her book that “these are the women who are amused by the reveries of the stupid novel” (Nurrachman, 2013:91). Actually the author is a man who didn’t knows about womanand just tells about stale tales and all of just make a woman going to the folly. So Mary said that the novel is stupid novels.

            Actually, we know that in the novel has two character of woman that focus of attention namely Tini and Rohayah. The both of the character have deferent character. Abrahams put his thought about character in a glossary of a literature, earcmcpeek:

“Characterarepresentedinaliterary workandinterpretedbythe readerregardingmoralvalue​,intellectual, social, andqualityemotionalthe characterthroughwhat he didandhesaid.”(M.H. Abraham, a glossary of a literature, earcmcpeek, 32)

            Depend on that theory we can analyze the character both of woman in the novel. Physically they are so different; from above we know that Tini is beautiful woman, smart, and well education.Tini as a woman who has well education feels honored than Rohayah just as a mistress like is a part in story. “ Berkenalan! Akudatangbukanuntukberkenalan.Manaperempuan yang baik-baiksukaberkenalandenganperempuansepertiengkau?(Pane, 2010:131). Tini feel she better than Rohayah because she get well educations and as a doctor’s wife. Whereas Rohayah is a woman as mistress who always shift about many hotels and always change her names every change hotels. From both of woman we confess that there are women who have difference character in the story. But the both of the character women in the novel had a same mind for establish life herself.

            Furthermore, Mary Wollstonecraft gives her opinion about the usage of reason of female. According to Wollstonecraft in Nurrachman, “in the fact female mind has been so totally neglected, that knowledge was only to be acquired from his muddy source, till from reading novels some woman of superior talents learned to despise them” (Nurrachman, 2013:92). In this quote perhaps the reason why woman are less in used their logic and more use their feeling or heart, seems like in this part “ah barangkalidiacenburu. “barangkali” katanyaberulangdengankerasseolah-olahmulaimengerti, “diacemburu, benarjugaiacintaakandaku.” Tetapiapakahperlunyacemburukepada orang yang sudahmati?Badannya yang matitapiperbuatannyamasihberbekas”(Pane, 2010:55).this quote show that woman just use their feeling, beside that woman has a temperature mind seems in this part “bahaimanarupaperempuanitu, makaTonotertarik. Perasaanmarahdalamhatinyaberccampurnafsuhendaktahu”(Pane, 2010:129). In this quote show that woman always thinks before know the truth. It’s caused by their reason controlled by feeling or heath. Although a woman has an educated and prestige woman, she still has the weakness and the cause of weakness came from their thinks which use their feeling or their heart before knows the truth.

            Actually the both of the character has same mind for determine her life itself. We can see from this part ““akuhendakkesurabayadulu. Waktukongresakuberkenalandenganseorangnyonyadarisana, diamencariperempuanuntukmemimpinrumahpiatuperkumpulannya. Besokakupergi.” “besok” tonoterkejutjugamendengarTiniakanselekasituberangkat. “mengapabesokTini?” “besokataulusasamasaja”(Pane, 2010:139). In this quote show that Tini want to leave her husband for ending relationship with him. And Rohayah has same mind from Tini for to leave her boy friend, we can see in this quote “ditengahnyaberkrlilinglubangnya, adakertasputihbertulisandengantangan: nyanyianselamattinggaloleh Yah untukTono. Diambilnyaplaatitu, adatertulis “dariduluakusudah tau”(Pane, 2010:144). In this quote we can saw that Rohayah leave Tono.

            Those are argument of main character woman in Belengguused theory feminist by Mary Wollstonecraft. And we think that argument is reasonable to solve the problems of feminist in the story of Belenggu that woman should be able get her rights and establish life herself.