Book Review : Struggle for Independence
Ranked #41,624 in Books, Poetry & Writing, #2,585,869 overall
Pram's description of Indonesia's struggle for independence
This is another novel by Pramoedya Ananta Toer. He is one of Indonesian top novelist. He focused on colonialism. This novel describes Indonesian struggle for independence from Dutch colonialism.
FOOTSTEPS
CHILD OF ALL NATIONS
Book Title : Child of All Nations.
Author : Pramoedya Ananta Toer.
This book is the second sequel of Buru quartet. This book describes the sorrow of Javanese people under Dutch colonialism. First, Pramoedya describes the sorrow of Annelies Mellema. When she went to the Netherlands Annelies was so depressed that she did not want to do anything. On board she was sick. In the Netherlands she was neglected and before long she died in sorrow.
Then Pramoedya describes the evil of capitalism and colonialism. His character to portrait a cruel person is the boss of sugar factory, Frits Homerus Vlekkenbaaij, pronounced pejoratively as Plikemboh in Javanese language. He was a drunk, ferocious and a womanizer. He saw he saw Surati, the daughter of his subordinate. Then he had an evil idea. One day the factory's money was lost. Plikemboh was ready to help on one condition that Sastro (the one who is responsible) must give Surati to him. At first Surati and her mother refused but they were too powerless to resist. Then she set a plan to retaliate. At night she went to a village that was quarantined due to plague. She managed to get in eventhough it was heavily guarded. There she met a dying baby with his parents passed away nearby. Shortly after that the baby died in her hands. The next morning she went to see Plikemboh. Soon he was infected. A few days later they both died.
Pramoedya also describes farmers' sorrow. Pramoedya describes a farmer named Trunodongso. At the time he was intimidated by a group of people who threatened him to give up his land to sugar factory. He had five bau of land and the factory had hired three bau for eighteen months but in reality two years except he agreed to prolong the contract for the next season. In addition, he never received the money in full. The agreed price was eleven picis but he received three talen so he lost thirty five cents. Minke promised to report this case in newspaper. Then Minke gave his article to his editor. But Nijman, his editor, rejected his report.
Pramoedya also described the dirty practices of colonialism in a murder case. Herman Mellema was in conflict with a local official. The local official then disappeared. Ontosoroh was surprised when people found a dead body. Rumours said he was the local official who was attacked by a buffalo. She was sure it was Mellema's dirty action.
The influence of European liberalism is described by his meeting with Ter Harr who was on his way to Semarang to work for De Locomotief newspaper. He told Minke the evil of colonialism. Van Deventer and van den Berg disclosed a case of corruption on Javanese farmers' money by the Dutch royal family. The amount was 951 million guilders. Modern time is a victorious time for capital. They controlled agriculture, forestry, transportation and mining. Those who stand on their way will be destroyed. Sugar factory became monster and their victims were countless. An example was Van de Putte. When he was minister of colony, he passed a law on sugar. Later on people realized he owned the largest sugar cane plantation in Besuki -Bondowoso. The farmers of Priangan were also easy prey. Once they had many buffaloes that roamed free. They were poisoned to death in great number. Soon plague followed. Then farmers were easily forced to give up their lands. Tea plantations flourished while people's cattle gone.
The evil of colonialism is completed with the character of Maurits Mellema, son of Herman Mellema with his first wife. He was the one who would take over Ontosoroh's company because Amsterdam's trial passed a verdict that he was the legal inheritor of Herman Mellema.
In short in this book Pramoedya focused his opinion negative sides of capitalism and colonialism. No wonder that during the new order era, under Suharto, this book was banned. The government at the time was very concerned that this book is the promotion of communism.
*
Book Title : Child of All Nations.
Author : Pramoedya Ananta Toer.
This book is the second sequel of Buru quartet. This book describes the sorrow of Javanese people under Dutch colonialism. First, Pramoedya describes the sorrow of Annelies Mellema. When she went to the Netherlands Annelies was so depressed that she did not want to do anything. On board she was sick. In the Netherlands she was neglected and before long she died in sorrow.
Then Pramoedya describes the evil of capitalism and colonialism. His character to portrait a cruel person is the boss of sugar factory, Frits Homerus Vlekkenbaaij, pronounced pejoratively as Plikemboh in Javanese language. He was a drunk, ferocious and a womanizer. He saw he saw Surati, the daughter of his subordinate. Then he had an evil idea. One day the factory's money was lost. Plikemboh was ready to help on one condition that Sastro (the one who is responsible) must give Surati to him. At first Surati and her mother refused but they were too powerless to resist. Then she set a plan to retaliate. At night she went to a village that was quarantined due to plague. She managed to get in eventhough it was heavily guarded. There she met a dying baby with his parents passed away nearby. Shortly after that the baby died in her hands. The next morning she went to see Plikemboh. Soon he was infected. A few days later they both died.
Pramoedya also describes farmers' sorrow. Pramoedya describes a farmer named Trunodongso. At the time he was intimidated by a group of people who threatened him to give up his land to sugar factory. He had five bau of land and the factory had hired three bau for eighteen months but in reality two years except he agreed to prolong the contract for the next season. In addition, he never received the money in full. The agreed price was eleven picis but he received three talen so he lost thirty five cents. Minke promised to report this case in newspaper. Then Minke gave his article to his editor. But Nijman, his editor, rejected his report.
Pramoedya also described the dirty practices of colonialism in a murder case. Herman Mellema was in conflict with a local official. The local official then disappeared. Ontosoroh was surprised when people found a dead body. Rumours said he was the local official who was attacked by a buffalo. She was sure it was Mellema's dirty action.
The influence of European liberalism is described by his meeting with Ter Harr who was on his way to Semarang to work for De Locomotief newspaper. He told Minke the evil of colonialism. Van Deventer and van den Berg disclosed a case of corruption on Javanese farmers' money by the Dutch royal family. The amount was 951 million guilders. Modern time is a victorious time for capital. They controlled agriculture, forestry, transportation and mining. Those who stand on their way will be destroyed. Sugar factory became monster and their victims were countless. An example was Van de Putte. When he was minister of colony, he passed a law on sugar. Later on people realized he owned the largest sugar cane plantation in Besuki -Bondowoso. The farmers of Priangan were also easy prey. Once they had many buffaloes that roamed free. They were poisoned to death in great number. Soon plague followed. Then farmers were easily forced to give up their lands. Tea plantations flourished while people's cattle gone.
The evil of colonialism is completed with the character of Maurits Mellema, son of Herman Mellema with his first wife. He was the one who would take over Ontosoroh's company because Amsterdam's trial passed a verdict that he was the legal inheritor of Herman Mellema.
In short in this book Pramoedya focused his opinion negative sides of capitalism and colonialism. No wonder that during the new order era, under Suharto, this book was banned. The government at the time was very concerned that this book is the promotion of communism.
*
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