우마르 까얌의 『스리 수마라』와 『바욱』에 나타난 자바 여성상 연구

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the contemporary images of Javanese women by analyzing the life of Sri Sumarah and Bawuk, the main characters of the two novelettes “Sri Sumarah dan Bawuk” written by a representative Indonesian writer Umar Kayam, from multiple perpectives. Umar Kayam, who has had deep attachment to recasting the reality of Java society as a literary reality, defines the 30 September Movement as a military coup for assuming power, tracing the truth of the horrible event which occurred in Java. Through the life of Sri Sumarah and Bawuk, he also vividly attests his gaze which perceived Soeharto and the military, the two insurgents of the military coup, as the enemy of the people. In the two novelettes, Sri Sumarah and Mrs. Suryo, first generation of Java women, show the image of women obeying their parents and husbands in a traditional patriarchal social order. These women model themselves upon Sembadra and Kunti (the mother of Pandawa brothers) who appear in an Indonesian traditional puppet theatre Wayang Kulit as the symbol of obedience and ideal mother of Java women. On the other hand, Bawuk and Tun, second generation of Java women, show the image of courageous women endeavoring to reform the absurd reality of society by actively participating in the ideological struggle between left and right after the 30 September Movement and the image of women trying to escape the traditional patriarchal society rather than living a life conforming to the social order and reality of Java. Furthermore, they also show the image of women who know their own mind in choosing and deciding their spouses by themselves and the image of women who have responsibility for their husbands to the bitter end. However, the responsibility for their children that corresponds to the attitude to the life of Java women is shown not only in the first generation woman Sri Sumarah but also in the second generation woman Bawuk. To sum up, Umar Kayam literally shows through “Sri Sumarah dan Bawuk” that the consciousness of Java women has been changed by the 30 September Movement from the traditional value, namely the obedience to parents and husbands, to the courage to reform the absurd social reality, to the responsibility for the ideology and struggle of husband that they chose by themselves, and subsequently to the self-sacrifice and responsibility for their children.