A Study On The Ideal Society In The Novels Of Indonesian Writer Umar Kayam

Umar Kayam is an active writer in the Indonesian literary secene since the late1960 s.As the winner of the 1987 ASEAN Literary Award,Umar Kayam’s writing is sophisticated and has a knack for creating dramatic storytelling.Born and raised in a Javanese gentry family,Umar Kayam was trained in traditional Javanese culture as well as in the modern Western education system.Umar Kayam’s multiple professional identities have contributed to the uniqueness of his literary works.Para Priyayi and Jalan Menikung are full-length novels based on his observations and studies of Java over the years.In the last decade,studies of these two novels have emerged.From the simple analysis of literary texts,these studies have evolved from a simple analysis of literary texts to an exploration of the connections between the texts and the world.This thesis,however,looks at the three elements: the work,the writer,and the world,and interpret the ideal society presented in the novels.This thesis first analyzes the depiction of Para Priyayi and summarizes the characters of the gentry written by Umar Kayam,who have different views and positions on things due to their different backgrounds and experiences.The ideal character of priyayi created by Umar Kayam is closely related to the moral ethics of the Javanese people and at the same time has a progressive character.Secondly,the thesis analyzes Umar Kayam’s development of the nuclear family of four generations of his family in the novel,in which Umar Kayam expresses his desire for a harmonious family that helps each other.Finally,analyzing Umar Kayam’s writing on Indonesian society,his depiction of political turmoil and social development implies his ideal social form,on the one hand,the desire for democracy and the promotion of an ideal humanitarian system of government,and on the other hand,the importance of traditional Javanese culture and the advocacy of cultural pluralism.Although Umar Kayam’s position is not very clear,through the careful analysis of the above three levels,Umar Kayam actually expresses in his novels the exposure of authoritarian rule,the disgust of military violence,and the sympathy for the political victims.