School of Languages and Literature/Humanities

Semester: II Name: Indah Lestari

A STUDY OF THE NOVEL "BUMI MANUSIA (THIS EARTH OF MINDKIND)"

Abstract
This paper aims to explore the novel of Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mindkind) by
Pramoedya Ananta Toer. A novel is a fictional narrative, an imagination with scenes that are a
representation of real life. Novels that evolved in the past and present are still portrayed in a
complex plot. However much the representation of real life is debated by linguistic scholars, the
similarities to real life still make the characteristics stand out and distinguish one genre of novel
from another. As with the genres of epic and romance novels, the similarities between the real
and imagined worlds are evident in historical novels.
Literature, as many people recognize, is a form of communication that is expressed in a
unique way and rejects everything that is "routine" by giving the author the freedom to express
the creativity of the imagination.
Such a reality can also be found in one of Indonesia's literary works, namely in the novel
Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mankind) by Pramoedya Ananta Toer, which is a type of prose
literary work that was basically written as a reaction to circumstances. In sociological terms, the
people and events in the novel Bumi Manusia are reflections of reality reflected by the author of
a situation in a particular society and place. Bumi Manusia was chosen because of the social
discrimination and the struggle of the natives against injustice.
This novel by Pram takes place against the background and beginnings of Indonesian
nationalism in the end of the 19th century. In this novel, Pram plays with the imagination as if to
be captured in the colonial era where social discrimination was practiced everywhere. In that era
Pram describes that a native is only a slave. The novel Bumi Manusia brings the reader to
imagine being in that century, feeling the cruelty of discrimination during that century where at
that time an immigrant nation was more powerful in Indonesia.

Keywords: Novel, Bumi Manusia, Pramoedya Ananta Toer

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A. PRAMOEDYA ANANTA TOER

Pramoedya Ananta Toer was born on February 6, 1925 in Blora, Central Java,

Indonesia. He was the first of eight children. His father was named Mastoer while his

mother Siti Saidah. Pram's father was a descendant of Javanese priyayi who came from

Kediri, East Java. While his mother Saidah came from a santri family, in Rembang,

Central Java.

His interest in literature began to show when he often bought and rented books

while studying at Taman Siswa School but had to stop in the 3rd grade because the

school later closed by the Japanese. In 1945, Pram joined the Siliwangi (Military) army

along with many other young men in Cikampek. While joining the People's Security

Agency (BKR), Pram was also active in fighting the Dutch army who wanted to return to

Indonesia after Indonesia's independence. His career in the military led him to the

position of second lieutenant. However, Pram felt that it were not his world so he decided

to leave the military on January 1, 1947. Pram returned to the literary world after

resigning. In January 1947 Pram was promoted to editor of Sadar Magazine. The

newspaper environment met him with H.B. Jassin, who was a writer and journalist

expert.

On July 21, 1947, Pram was thrown into prison by Dutch marines in Bukitduri

Jatinegara, Jakarta for distributing resistance pamphlets and magazines. At his young age

at that time on 22 years old, prison life frustrated him. There was a time when Pram had

suicidal thoughts. He finally abandoned his suicidal intentions after getting pleasure from

writing. Bukitduri jail facilities made him feel at home, because it was offered books and

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tools for writing. Prison did not restrain Pram at all. He had even produced a work

"Perburuan" which won a writing competition by Balai Pustaka in 1949.

In 1960, Pram was again imprisoned for his work on the Chinese minority

community entitled "Hao Kiau in Indonesia" which was published in 1960. With a sense

of humanity, Pram continued to defend Chinese foreigners. In line with the fall of the Old

Era, Pram was finally free at the international community's insistence.

On October 13, 1965 Pram was accused of being a communist during the New

Order era, but his claims were not processed in court. Pram was immediately thrown into

Salemba and Tanggerang jail until 1969, then moved again to Buru Island until

November 12, 1979. On Buru Island, Pram spent the longest period of imprisonment and

completed the Buru Island tetralogy, namely Bumi Manusia, Anak Semua Bangsa, Jejak

Langkah and Rumah Kaca. After his freedom from prison, being a normal citizen of

Indonesia was not the same as before. His freedom of speech was restricted and his works

continued to be banned.

Internationally, Pram became a symbol of the struggle for human rights because

the New Order government did not pay attention to human rights. In Indonesia itself,

Pram was a symbol of resistance and a victim of violence at the time. However, this

treatment did not make Pram demonize Indonesia in his works. \ Many of Pram's works

were banned and even taken and burned because most of his works were based on

oppression, injustice and also taught about resistance.

Pram's works got a lot of appreciation from the public, not only domestically but

also abroad. This is proven by the various awards Pram received from abroad. One of

them was when Pram received the Ramon Magsaysay Award from the Philippines in

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 1995. He received this award for the category, Journalism, Literature and Creative

Communication Art (JLCCA). Ramon Magsaysay is an award established in April 1957,

by the trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) based in New York City, United

States.

On April 30, 2006 he passed away at the age of 81 years old. His passion for

writing did not stop Pram in his old age. Pram emerged as a legendary figure for his

courage, tragic and dramatic writing. That is what makes him remembered by the next

generation.

B. THE NOVEL BUMI MANUSIA (THIS EARTH OF MINDKIND)

The novel Bumi Manusia by Prameodya Ananta Toer is the first book of the Buru

Island tetralogy that he made in 1975 which covers the period of 1898-1918, which at

that time discrimination was occurring between natives and migrants. The theme of the

novel is about the love story of a young man of Javanese descent with a girl of Dutch

descent and his struggle in the middle of the Indonesian movement. The novel tells the

story of European and native laws that divide the upper class (bourgeois) and the lower

class (proletariat). History records that the natives were in the lower class, even below the

Chinese race in the history of European power. Dutch law is not in the side of the natives,

even though the educated people are still not the same as the educated people of

European descent.

The main character in the novel is Minke, who is documented by someone Pram

considers a pioneer of Indonesian journalism, R. M. Tirto Adhisoerjo. Minke is a young

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man from the small Javanese aristocracy who is portrayed as a revolutionary, he dares to

fight against the injustices that occur in his nation.

Minke, the main character, is a native student who attends HBS (Hoogere

Burgerschool). Minke is very good at writing, his works have been published by Dutch

newspapers at the time which impressed many people. Minke met a beautiful Dutch

Indonesian woman, Annelise who eventually became his wife. Annelise was the daughter

of a Nyai who was called Nyai Ontosoroh.

Nyai in the Dutch East Indies colonial era was a woman who did not have norms

of morality because of her status as a mistress. Even though a nyai had given birth to a

child from a European, the Dutch government never considered the marriage legal. Nyai

Ontosoroh is a mistress of Mr. Mellema. Although she was a mistress, she was admired

by many people, beautiful, young, and in control of a large agricultural company called

Buitenzorg. Nyai Ontosoroh is a woman who makes people look at women differently,

she makes no difference between men and women because women can also do what men

do.

The main conflict of the novel occurs when Nyai Ontosoroh's husband is

murdered. Her status as the master of the factory is shaken, she realizes that she is a

mistress who does not have the slightest right to own the company including her own

child. She does not want to give up so easily, then rises to fight to defend her rights with

her son-in-law Minke. But no matter how hard she fights, Nyai Ontosoroh is only a Nyai.

She was completely helpless under Dutch colonial law. As a final result, Annelies was

victimized and she had to be sent back to Europe, leaving Minke and Nyai Ontosoroh

behind. Minke and Nyai Ontosoroh have tried their best to defend Annelies, but

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 European law still does not stand for native people like them. With the conflicts that

occurred, finally Annelies was forced to sail to the Netherlands without being

accompanied by Minke or Nyai Ontosoroh.

The writer chooses Bumi Manusia because it was the first novel written by Pram

during his period of imprisonment on Buru Island and then during the new era, the

government issued a restriction on distribution because it was considered contain the

doctrine of communism, but in fact it was the opposite. In Bumi Manusia, he describes

the very poor condition of the Indonesian natives in the colonial period, where at that

time there was oppression everywhere, sexual harassment, and social discrimination that

put the natives in the lowest position.

C. CRITICISM OF THE NOVEL BUMI MANUSIA (THIS EARTH OF MINDKIND)

This novel clearly describes how colonial events took place in the native land,

because it shows the human dimension in the era of colonialism. Pram wrote the novel by

raising the main issue that discusses differences in race, nation (west and east), colonizer

and colonized, European and native, and white people.

Through Pramoedya Ananta Toer's depiction above, Bumi Manusia through the

figure of Nyai Ontosoroh is one of the novels that successfully convey a combination of

ideological issues towards women who fight for their rights in the fields of economy, law,

politics and social life in the impact of colonialism.

Each story written is very complex, there seems to be an affirmation from Pram as

the author that is inserted in an extraordinary way, which is related to humanity and the

struggle of the native people in fighting the oppression of the colonialists.

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 Not only that, there is also the elimination of the conservative Javanese culture by

the natives. In addition, there is the struggle of women who are discriminated against by

the colonizers, even their own nation, then the struggle to get a proper education, as well

as the introduction of the nation's culture which is very meaningful. These things show

that the story in this novel is not just about the two lovers between Minke and Annelies as

the main characters who are in love.

However, Bumi Manusia uses a language selection that is quite advanced and

highly poetic. This is marked by many terms or language rules that are unfamiliar to the

thoughts or lives of readers in the present.

Overall, Pramn succeeded in presenting the struggle of the Indonesian people

against the oppression of colonialism, family, friendship, humanity, and religious and

cultural values in the society of his time as the outline of this story. Pram tried to explore

the history of Indonesia in the late 19th century by not ignoring the social classes that

existed in Indonesian society with a very interesting storyline and the problems written

clearly almost without any gaps. It can be said that Pram has succeeded in representing

the concept into a good and beautiful work of writing, and is appropriate to be enjoyed by

anyone.

D. CONCLUSION

The values of differences based on race, social class have started to diminish

because access to all sectors can be entered by Indonesians in general. Yet, remnants of

these values still exist. Among other things, the racism that occurred during colonialism

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gave birth to an imperior attitude, inferiority, and the assumption that Westerners are

greater and more advanced.

Bumi Manusia is a novel that shows many things about racism in European

colonialism that is very disadvantageous to the native people. However, this novel also

tells how the perspective of a young man who thinks so critically about Javanese culture

that he deviates from the culture that he should have obeyed. European culture is the

culture chosen by the main character so that he deviates from Javanese culture because he

thinks European culture is not bound like his own culture, namely Javanese culture. In

addition, the figure of Nyai Ontosoroh represents that women can do many things and

have dignity by learning regardless of their social status as a mistress.

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 The novel was published by Lentera Dipantra and reached its 17th printing in

2011. Bumi Manusia has been translated into many languages, that is making it a part of

world literature. In 2019, Bumi Manusia was adapted to the movie screen, which is

directed by the famous director Hanung Bramantyo. In Bumi Manusia, Pramoedya

expressed the importance of the nation's historical memory about the forming of

nationalism during the early period of national awakening.

Pram is one of the authors who felt the anxiety of society directly and wrote down

what he experienced in his works. In addition to expressing the social phenomena that

happened at the time, Pram collected authentic data and tried to write history through his

works. As in creating quality human characters such as Nyai Ontosoroh, a hard-hearted,

disciplined and brave woman.

Literary works are formed on the basis of a reflection of life that is experienced by

humans. Many problems that occurred in people's lives can be used as a reference for

imagination to create literary works. Literature and society have a relationship because literature

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cannot be separated from political, economic and social systems. One form of "literature" as a

creative idea of the author is the novel.

Novels are a form of reflection of the author's mental awareness of the values that exist

and develop in society because novels are never separated from the socio-cultural system that

surrounds them. Novels that developed in the past and present are still described in a complex

plot. The similarity to real life makes the characteristics stand out and differentiate one genre

from another.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A. Literary Works

Literary works are a type of product of society expressed through language, either

oral or written, that contains the beauty. Literary works are created by authors to be

enjoyed, understood, lived, and utilized by the readers. The author is a member of society

and the environment, that cannot simply separate himself from the society in which he

lives. Literary works are a form of communication that is expressed in a unique way and

reject all "routines" by giving the author the freedom to express the creativity of his

imagination.

Literature is an expression of people's feelings and cannot be separated from

society and history because literature is part of culture. Culture is related to the values of

power and politics in society. The mutual relationship between literature and society or

society and literature is very close. Society as an object that is used as a reflection of

imagination to form a literary work.

So literature and society have a relationship because literature cannot be separated

from the system of life in society. Society has an influence on the creation of a work of

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 literature, which presents most of the life that happens in social reality. Literature always

views nature and humans as objects. Literature in the life of society also has a significant

position, what is written today is not only valuable today, but also has value in the future.

This shows that literature has historical value.

B. Novel

Etymologically, the novel comes from the Italian "novella" which means "new",

"news" or "a short story about something new". The existence of novels in the modern

era was supported by the advent of the printing press and the innovation of cheap paper in

the 15th century. A good novel usually offers and contains elements of novelty and

complexity that are different from novels that existed before or contemporarily.

A novel is a long work of prose that tells a series of stories about a person and the

people around him or her, and it also emphasizes the nature and character. Generally, the

story written in the novel begins with an important event or event that has been

experienced by the actor or character of the story, which will later change the fate of his

life. Because the problems or conflicts told in the novel are more than two and complex,

the novel becomes longer than a short story which usually only has one or two conflicts

in the story.

Novels are works of fiction or works of the author's imagination that are not based

on facts or history. Every novel as a literary creation generally contains a certain

meaning. This means that the author tries to activate the reader to accept his ideas about

various aspects of life.

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