INDIVIDUAL CHOICE AS A WAY TO SHOW THE
FREEDOM ON HUMAN EXISTENCE SEEN IN GRAHAM
GREENE’S
A BURNT-OUT CASE
AND IWAN SIMATUPANG’S
ZIARAH
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
BERNADUS PURNAWAN
Student Number: 014214141
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
Then you’ll find the strength
That will guide your way
If you will learn to begin
To trust the voice within
This undergraduate thesis is dedicated to
My beloved Mom and Dad
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all I would like to say my deepest gratitude to Jesus Christ who always gives the light on my way that I can finish my thesis.
With million of loves and kisses my gratitude goes to my Mom and Dad who never say “tired” for the patient and never ending love they give to me. I thank also to my dearest brother Limpat for his uncountable support and care.
I would like to thank my advisor Paulus Sarwoto, S.S., M.A. and co advisor Gabriel Fajar Sasmita Aji S.S., M.Hum who always give me help and guidance during my undergraduate thesis writing. I also thank my academic advisor Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd, M.Hum. and Maria Ananta, S.S. who have given me many worthy upbringings for years during my study in this university.
My special gratitude to all of my hectic and chaotic friends in English Letters Sanata Dharma University Fariz ‘Gadibol”, Imbi “Genjik’, Oseph ‘Pukon’, Garry ‘Garong’, Sandi ‘Sendel’, Fredi ‘Kong-Kong’, Iksan’Kotos’, Deny ‘Item’, Petrus ‘Sepep’, Sigit ‘Kuntet’, Bertus, Vava, Ian, Endra, Obed, Yongki, Tito, Wisnu, Bimo,John, Jimmy,Tommy (thanks guys for coloring my days, I won’t forget you all) And the girls; Ayu, Sinda, Erna, Dita, Dian, Olin, Farah, Mila, Amanda, Iwul, Voni, Lia, Jutek, vanny (you are still and always the best). Last but not least, I thank all English Letters’ Lectures and USD staffs, friends, relatives, and all people that I cannot mention one by one who have helped me in writing this undergraduate thesis.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
5 Theories on Literature and Existential Philosophy………….... 22
ABSTRACT
BERNADUS PURNAWAN. Individual Choice as a Way to Show the Freedom on Human Existence Seen in Graham Greene’s A Burnt-Out Case and Iwan
Simatupang’s Ziarah. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2007.
Truth is subjective, and every man is free to make a choice in his life according to his belief. A Burnt-Out Case and Ziarah try to reveal this kind of idea, which the characters make individual choices to show that they can live by their own selves independently without the help from others to find their freedom. More important in the choices, is that each character must be conscious and responsible with them.
This thesis discusses two problems. Firstly the writer analyzes the individual choices made by the characters in both novel A Burnt-Out Case and
Ziarah. Secondly the writer analyzes how those individual choices show the freedom of human existence.
In analyzing this study the writer used library research method, in which the writer searched many books and articles related to the study. From the research the writer found that philosophy of existentialism is the most suitable approach applied in the study.
ABSTRAK
BERNADUS PURNAWAN. Individual Choice as a Way to Show the Freedom on Human Existence Seen in Graham Greene’s A Burnt-Out Case and Iwan
Simatupang’s Ziarah. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2007.
Kebenaran bersifat subyektif, setiap manusia bebas untuk membuat pilihan menurut pendapatnya masing-masing. Novel A Burnt-Out Case and Ziarah
mencoba untuk mengungkap ide ini dimana tokoh-tokoh yang ada di novel-novel tersebut mengambil pilihan pribadi untuk menunjukkan bahwa mereka dapat hidup mandiri tanpa bantuan dari orang lain dalam meraih kebebasannya. Lebih penting lagi, yaitu bahwa masing-masing karakter membuat pilihan itu dengan secara sadar dan bertanggung jawab terhadapnya.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
It is a human nature that everybody wants to make a change in this life, a change that can bring each individual to find the truth of life. In undergoing this life each individual has an aim to reach a freedom in the future days, because of that a man must have courage to choose in this life. Life itself is a choice for every human being, and it is taken to determine what life he wants to be. Every step of human life is always faced with choices. Every human being has his own goal in this life. Everyone decides his own life, whatever it is. In his book entitled
Existentialism Mary Warnock says that;
It is, in fact, to choose it as a goal, to set it up as an ideal to be aimed at. There is therefore no question at all, in Sartre’s view, of discovering any
absolute values in the world. There just are no such things. If a man says that something is good or that it is bad, he is choosing it as a goal; he is not describing a property that it has(pg: 123).
The existence of human beings is inseparable with their will to be free. Man exists in this world to seek freedom, and every man has his own way to find the freedom in his existence. Graham Greene and Iwan Simatupang try to explain through their novels A Burnt-out Case and Ziarah that freedom can be found in every individual choice, because each man has his own ability to think and to choose how to live his life. Man is free when he himself individually free, meaning that if a man wants to be free, he should be dare to use his individual choice to find the truth of his life. Each individual has his own idea about the truth. It depends on the individual perspective. As Kierkegaard notes in Makers of the Modern Theological Mind: SOREN KIERKEGAARD written by Elmer H. Duncan;
When the question of the truth is raised subjectively, reflection is directed subjectively to the nature of the individual’s relationship; if only the mode of this relationship is the truth, the individual is the truth, even if he should happen to be thus related to what is not true (pg. 87-88).
Graham Greene’s A Burnt-out Case and Iwan Simatupang’s Ziarah are nationally and linguistically different but they reveal the same idea of individual choice, of which the main characters are trying to use their own choices to find what they mean by freedom in their existence. Every choice made by human being is a symbol that he is free, because in making a choice he makes it for himself, he knows what is good and bad for him, all the truth is only in himself. By making a choice a man also proves in his existence that he can stand by his own and does not depends to other people. Man makes his own destiny and is free to the life he has. And for the choices he made, a man should be responsible with them.
privacy, so he runs away from it and chooses to live in Africa. In making this decision Querry is not interfered by other people around him, it is pure his own choice because he had been already bored with the life he went through. He wants to find another life to find freedom and truth that he could not find in his past life.
Iwan Simatupang’s Ziarah is just another novel which explains what individual freedom is. In this novel there are two central characters, they are the cemetery supervisor and ex-artist. Before being the supervisor in cemetery, he was a student of doctoral degree in final semester. And he was the one of the smartest students in the class. He is also the one and only heir of his parents’ wealth. His choice as a supervisor in cemetery has made his parents and the people who love him shock. According to him money and academic title are not special for him, his choice to work in the cemetery is just merely a choice that he must take to find individual freedom. He wants to exist in his own life, in which he can appreciate his own life.
living as a cemetery wall painter. He does not care what people are thinking about him. Truth is very subjective and personal, so he makes his choice based on what he means by truth. The most important in his life is he himself. Whatever his decision is, as long as it is his individual choice he will undergo it with full of consciousness and responsibility.
Existentialism is very close with individual choice and freedom. As truth is subjective, so every individual choice made by human being is also truth. And in this life a man must make a choice to complete his existence as full human being who is able to think for himself independently. In his existence as individual being, a man cannot be separated with his will to find freedom, including in his choice. Others may say anything, but in the end the decision is always in the man himself. Because there will be no collective truth in existentialism, the only truth is individual. In this study I try to explain this idea through Graham Greene’s A Burnt-out Case and Iwan Simatupang’s Ziarah related with theories of existentialism.
B. Problem Formulation
Referring to the explanation above this study attempts to answer the following two interrelated questions:
1. How do the characters in Graham Greene’s A Burnt-out Case and Iwan Simatupang’s Ziarah make their individual choices in their lives? 2. How do the individual choices show the freedom on human existence
C. Objectives of Study
There are two objectives of study in this thesis, the first is to know the choice made by each character in both novel Graham Greene’s A Burnt-out case
and Iwan Simatupang’s Ziarah. Secondly, the objective is to know how the individual choices made by the characters show the freedom in their existence.
D. Definition of Terms
To avoid misunderstanding for some terms used in this study, it is necessary to explain them so that the readers comprehend what the writer wants to say. Those terms are:
1. Exist
Warnock notes that exist is “able to think for themselves” (1979: 12). It is the idea that makes human being is different from the others being. Man has ability to think to make an action and find freedom in his existence.
2. Existence
Macquarrie in his book Existentialism says a man makes his life as his own awareness to be different from others. His centre attention lies on the idea that the existence of human being is his existence as a unique being to become an individual person that is distinct from everyone else;
3. Being
According to Gabriel Marcel in his book The Philosophy of Existentialism explains that a man who is able to think and the source of knowledge he should make an action according to what he believes in and independently.
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
1. On Graham Greene’s A Burnt Out case
It is only a little who said that Greene’s works especially A Burnt Out case
Besides psychological themes, Greene often raises catholic issues in his novels. Greene who grew up in a catholic environment has made him as a well known catholic writer. Kevin McGowin in his article entitled Graham Greene, The Major Novels: A Centenary explains that Graham Greene's most esteemed novels today are generally those known as his "Catholic" novels, in which that religion plays a large part in character and plot <http://www.eclectica. org/v8n4/mcgowin_greene.html>. Catholic idea has influenced Greene in writing his novels, and A Burnt-Out Case is one of the examples. The characters that appear in his novels are always related with catholic issue. The same with McGowin, Carol Fewster also agrees that A Burnt-Out Case is a catholic novel <http://www.newint.org/issue238/reviews.htm>. Fewster gives comment that this is the last catholic novel he has made. This novel is so down to earth in which Greene tries to tell to the reader to concern with worth of living.
Although Greene was a catholic writer, he tried to encounter Catholicism in his novels, and it can be seen in A Burnt-Out Case and his other works. Greene is aware that one can still live with or without religion.
“A Burnt-Out Case therefore affords an audacious (but valid) claim that is possible for a man of intelligence, modesty, honesty, and remorse to make his life without a god. The claim adumbrates a borderline existentialist tenet, which believes in an individualism that is free from any social and external influence in order to achieve autonomous decision-making in life and ultimately giving a tight grip on one's fate” <http://mattviews. blogspot.com/2006/01/9-burnt-out-case-grahamgreene.html#links/>
Graham Greene was a souvenir from twentieth century, many people adore his incredible works which often raise unique and different themes. Greene’s chief concern is the moral and spiritual struggles within individuals <http://www.exampleessays.com/viewpaper/52026.html>. It is true that Greene often brings the idea of individualism and how a man must struggle to defend his individual choice. Existentialism is an idea Greene wants to have in his novel A Burn-out Case. The most attention in this novel is that Greene tries to raise individual power, especially on the character of Querry.
However, there is a critic also who tries to encounter graham Greene’s existentialism, it is stated that the description of Querry in "A Burnt-Out Case" is surely intended to reflect on Greene: selfish, vain, deceptive, coldly, irresponsible <http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/02/20/specials/greeneshelden.html?_r=2&ore f=slogin&oref=login>. It seems that the quotation above does not mirror the whole content of the novel. It is hard to believe that Querry is irresponsible person, his choice to go to Congo in a leproserie is symbol of his responsibility towards his own life. He really knows what is good for him and for the others.
Moreover Jeffrey Meyers gives comment in his book “Greene’s Travel Books.” Graham Greene: A Revaluation: New Essays that “Greene explores the themes of failure and seediness, misery and sordidness, humiliation and disaster” (1990: 51). However, Greene tries to use the “unhappiness” for a specific purpose.
2. On Iwan Simatupang’s Ziarah
Unlike Graham Greene’s A Burnt-Out Case, Ziarah is a novel that most of its critics believe that this is a novel which raises theme of existential philosophy, in a book entitled Inspirasi? Nonsense! Novel-novel Iwan Simatupang Kurnia says that Ziarah is a novel which has been influenced by philosopher from France, especially in the idea of Existentialism;
“Kutipan-kutipan itu mengindikasikan semacam konsep dasar Iwan dalam penulisan Ziarah (demikian pula untuk novel-novelnya yang lain, yakni Merahnya merah, Kering, dan Kooong). Petikan kalimat-kalimat filsuf itu berpusat pada upaya mendefinisikan manusia secara mendasar dengan tema-tema “eksistensi sejati”, “pertanggungjawaban atas hidup”, “kebebasan manusia”, “sikap pandang semestinya seorang penulis”, dan “bagaimana manusia itu”. Konsep-konsep itu, sedikit banyak terjabarkan dalam keseluruhan Ziarah maupun tiga novel lainnya. Dari sumber konsepnya, dari tiga filsuf yang dikutipnya sebagai landasan proses kreatifnya, memang memberi pesan kuat bahwa Iwan tercekam pesona gaya filsafat eksistensialisme dan fenomenologi, yang khususnya dia ambil dari Prancis” (1999: 4)
[“The passages indicate a kind of main concept for Iwan in writing Ziarah
(and also the other novels, such as Merahnya Merah, Kering, and
Kosong). The center of the philosophical passages lies on how to define basic human with ‘real existentialism’, “living responsibility”, “human freedom”, “attitude as a writer”, and “how human beings should be”.
Ziarah and the other his three novels describe this kind of concept. From the sources that Iwan took from the three philosophers for his basic creative process, they give a strong message that Iwan was influenced by existential philosophy and phenomenology, especially those which he took from France” (1999: 4)]
Toda in his book entitled Novel Baru Iwan Simatupang also agrees that Ziarah is an existential novel, he notes that;
“Iwan memilih imaji “gelandangan” sebagai “wadah” pembiasan terbaik dari posisi dan status tokoh dalam kesadaran antinomy eksistensil tersebut di atas. Manusia gelandangan, menurut hemat Iwan (surat, 21/10/1968) memiliki posisi dan status “manusia terbuka”, mengujuk ke sekian arah/penjuru, “fatum” mereka tidak mengenal determinisime-determinisme” (1980: 71)
[“Iwan chooses “drifter” imagination as a “place” for best description of the position and character status in existential antinomy consciousness. According to Iwan (letter, 21-10-1968 ) drifter has position and status as “open man” that can go anywhere he like to, he is free from the determinisms around him”(1980: 71)]
In Ziarah, Simatupang gives a character of “drifter” as a symbol of freedom. It is different from the Character of the major whose all of his decisions must be concerned with the public, while a drifter is free. He should not discuss his choice to the other because he is free for anything he decides in his existence.
Another critique on this novel made by Yulia I. Suryakusuma, which is put in a book consisting collection of critiques on Iwan Simatupang’s works entitled
Iwan Simatupang: Pembaharu sastra Indonesia, she says that
“Ziarah yang menokohkan manusia-manusia yang sangat aneh, mengambil sebagai tema bahwa sebagai makhluk spiritual adalah kebebasan, sedang sebagai makhluk alamiah, menghayati keharusan-keharusan. (1985:145)
[“Ziarah, of which the characters are very weird, brings a theme that as a spiritual being, man is free. While as a nature being, man should be obedient to order” (1985: 145)]
of the cemetery supervisor and the ex-artist in the novel are dealing with. They often face the disagreement in their choices towards the collective truth, but they keep defending their choices, as long as those are their own choices and do not break the order, so they will be responsible with those choices.
The same idea also raised by Sihar Ramses Simatupang in his essay Iwan Simatupang: Musafir di Lorong Kelam Jiwa Manusia responding Ziarah;
“Iwan Maratua Dongan Simatupang dikenal juga sebagai sastrawan yang tidak hanya menghasilkan karya sastra, hampir seluruh karyanya nyaris merupakan sebuah eksperimentasinya pada dunia filsafat yang dia gauli: eksistensialisme. Seakan seorang Albert Camus-nya Indonesia, dia sisipkan beberapa rangkai filsafat dalam karyanya sendiri” <http://cybersastra.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=66> .
[“Iwan Maratua Dongan Simatupang is well known as a writer who does not only write a literary works, but almost his works are experiments in philosophical realm that is; existentialism. As if he is the Albert Camus from Indonesia, he puts philosophical passages in his works” <http://cybersastra.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=66>] Many of philosophical lessons can be got from Ziarah. Samatupang was a talented writer, he uses existentialism as the centre idea in his novel.
In this undergraduate thesis the writer wants to develop other studies that already analyzed those works before, especially those which study about existentialism for these works. But in this case the writer will focus in the idea of individual choice which the works share in finding the freedom of human existence. This study will be different from the others because the writer tries to compare between Graham Greene’s A Burnt-Out Case and Iwan Simatupang’s
B. Review of Related Theories 1. Theories on Character
Since this study tries to analyze on the characters in the novel how they reveal the idea that the writer wants to raise, the theories of character and characterization are needed. According to Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction, character has two meanings. It can mean the individuals who appear in the story, and it also refers to the mixture of interests, desire, emotions and moral principles that shape each of these individuals (1965:17).
Abrams, in A Glossary of Literature terms, states that character is the person who appears in dramatic or narrative work that has both moral and dispositional qualities. Those kinds of qualities can be seen through his action and speech constitutes his motivation (1981: 20). Moreover Abrams adds that character is “the person presented in a dramatic work, which is interpreted by readers as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional of qualities that are expressed in what they say—the dialogue—and do—action” (1981: 23)
the protagonist or the hero (Van de Laar and Schoonderwoerd, 1963: 164). All the events in the story will focus on the major character. It makes this character static and develops as the story goes. It is why major character is important in a fiction.
2. Theories on Characterization
In Reading And Writing About Literature Rohrberger and Woods say that the process by which an author creates a character is called characterization. There are two principal ways an author can characterize his characters. First, he can use direct means to describe physical appearance, intellectual, moral attributes, and the degree of sensitivity of the characters. Second, he can use dramatic means and place of the character in situation to show what the character is by the way he behaves or speaks (1971: 20).
Not quite different from the critic before, but here Holman and Harmon give three methods of characterization; firstly, by the explicit presentation from the author of the character through direct exposition; secondly, by the presentation of the character in action; and thirdly, by the representation from within a character (1986: 81). They also believe the important in lifelike characterization in fictions such as drama, novel, short story, or narrative poem.
background. Characterization is meant to help the reader in understanding the character’s reason for doing such thing. Moreover, the readers will be emotionally involved when they read the story (Yellend, 1953:30). If the characters in a fiction are lifelike, it will make the readers gets easy to understand the story.
3. Theories on Individualism
Individualism often refers to the idea that emphasizes the important of the individual power. Fairchild says that “Basically, individualism is an attitude which stresses the supremacy or the importance of the individual person or personality” (1962: 92). Individualism is quite the same with selfish but in positive meaning. By trying to be selfish man can decide what the best for him.
Individualism also concerns in human freedom. As a free individual being, a man is free in making decision which concerns with him, because he lives for himself not for others. Machan in Capitalism and Individualism: Reforming the Argument for the Free Society said that,
Only human beings can help to bring about goodness and badness, of their own initiative or choice. Each human being has the capacity to initiate his or her own qualitative individuation as a matter of what he or she chooses to do. In short, each person has free will. And in the case of human beings, they may choose to act either in accordance or in defiance of their nature, with the standards amount to moral standards. In addition, each person has the responsibility toward every deed in his or her life (1990: 61)
The power of individuality is also represented by Bradley in a book entitled Existentialism written by Mary Warnock, he explains that,
There is no possibility of acts of will themselves being common to more than one person. I cannot exercise your will or make your decision, any more than I can, literally, speak with your voice or walk with your legs. You may advise me or command me, but in the end, even if I do what you tell me, or what anyone would have done, I do it myself. My acts are my own. So it is possible that the value of my act of will may attach to it as mine, whereas if you had done the same thing there would have been no value in your act of will (Warnock, 1970: 5-6)
Though one’s life is being surrounded by people, his decision is his own decision only. People around him can advise or give comment towards him to do what they feel good for them, but all decision is absolutely on him. It is only him who has right to make a choice in his life and others are just part of his choice. Moreover Sartre in Being and Nothingness also notes that we must decide for ourselves how to live, what is good and what is bad, and that this is a purely personal decision, which no one can take on behalf of another (Warnock, 1970: 94)
Macquarrie explains that individualism is to stand in the possibility of becoming at one with oneself, of fulfilling oneself (though this might be by giving up oneself) or of being divided in oneself, separated from what everyone knows how to call his ‘true self’(1973: 75). According to him, in individualism a man is living for himself. And it is what he calls ‘true’self in which a man will find the truth if only he can become one with himself.
him. In a book entitled The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism Ayn Rand says that;
The theory of individualism is a central component of the objectivist philosophy. Individualism is at once and ethical-political one. As an ethical-political concept, individualism upholds the supremacy of individual rights, the principle that man is an end in himself, not a means to the end of others. Individualism holds that man should think and judge independently, valuing nothing higher than the sovereignty of his intellect (1964: 135)
One must believe in himself, and it is the most suitable phrase to describe what Rand has said about individualism. Everyone has a power to act individually, he should not depend to the others because the truth is in himself.
Basically every human being wants to have freedom from any institutions or groups, because it only makes him feel isolated that will make him cannot express what he wants to. In other words a man is independent agent who can live according his own intuition without interference from any institution from outside. It makes each individual tries to fight against anything which is trying to block his will to become an individual with full of self-reliance. A critic says;
“Individualism is a term used to describe a moral, political, or social outlook that stresses human independence and the importance of individual self-reliance and liberty. Individualists promote the unrestricted exercise of individual goals and desires. They oppose most external interference with an individual's choices - whether by society, the state, or any other group or institution. Individualism is therefore opposed to holism, collectivism, communalism, and communitarianism which stress communal, societal or national goals” <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Individualism>
free man and individualist often puts him into the enemy of socialist, because a person who has strong individualism in his mind, he does not care with social issue. He prefers to do an action because it is his desire to do, not because the force or demand from social environment.
Individualism is, however, by no means identical with egoism, though egoism is always individualistic. An individualist may also be a conscientious altruist: he is by no means hostile to or aloof from society (any more than the socialist is necessarily hostile to the individual), but he is opposed to state interference with individual freedom wherever, in his opinion, it can be avoided <http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/ Individualism>
Another critic says that individualism is a way how a man should be responsible with his own life as an independent human being. Conscious or unconscious, a man has own rules for himself how to undergo and fulfill his will. He knows what is good for him because he himself who will value the choices he makes,
Individualism is the doctrine that that each human being is sovereign over his own life – that each individual is autonomous in themselves – and as such, no person can become a means to the ends of others. Nothing may be forced on an autonomous individual against his will; if something is desired of you it may only be obtained by your voluntary consent – which you are fully entitled to withhold… The individualist lives by his mind, and since he claims the right to do that for himself he respects that same right in others. <http://pc.blogspot.com/2005/11/cue-card-libertarianism-individualism.html>
4. Theories on Existentialism
Talking about existentialism, it cannot be separated with action, choice, responsibility and freedom. These kinds of ideas are very essential for a man to show his existence in his life. in a book written by Horton and Edwards, it stated that,
Existentialism is the “philosophy that declares as its first principle that existence is prior to essence. Furthermore, each man is what he makes of himself by taking responsibility in complete freedom of choice for his action that makes up his particular physical and historical context. There is no transcendent absolute of first cause surrounding man’s existence to which he can appeal to give his life form of meaning: thus he makes his own essence totally if his action is taken in perfect freedom of choice” (Horton and Edwards, 1967: 457-458)
Basically, human being does an action to show that he exists among the others. Human being is a unique creature that he is an autonomous in his existence. It is also important for every human being to have consciousness in doing his actions. Christian J. Onof in his essay which explains about Sartre’s idea says that,
Sartre's existentialist understanding of what it is to be human can be summarised in his view that the underlying motivation for action is to be found in the nature of consciousness which is a desire for being. It is up to each agent to exercise his freedom in such a way that he does not lose sight of his existence as a facticity, as well as a free human being. In so doing, he will come to understand more about the original choice which his whole life represents, and thus about the values that are thereby projected. Such an understanding is only obtained through living this particular life and avoiding the pitfalls of strategies of self-deceit such as bad faith. This authentic option for human life represents the realisation of a universal in the singularity of a human life <http://www.iep. utm.edu/s/sartre-ex.htm>
Furthermore Bob Corbett explains existentialism focusing on the idea of subjectivity. According to him there is no absolute value for something which exists in this world, every individual has his own truth for what he believes. Because of that individual is very exclusive in existentialism. Moreover Corbett says that,
Existentialists believe that life is very difficult and that it doesn't have an "objective" or universally known value, but that the individual must create value by affirming it and living it, not by talking about it. Existential choices and values are primarily demonstrated in ACT not in words. Given that one is focusing on individual existence and the "existential" struggles<http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/philosophy/existentialism/wh atis.html>
It is not existentialism if there is no action. Every individual must make an action for something he values. He should not just speak but must struggle for the will he has as the truth for himself.
Subjectivity is also an idea of existentialism that Kneller in his book
Existentialism and Education wants to raise. He states that universe is nothing, while individual is the most important. Because truth lies on each individual, but he also states that it is not on collective of individuals,
the existence of source and substance of knowledge is subjective states in mind, thus the universe as such has no purpose; only a man has purpose, if we seek truth, therefore things we must make notice are our own feeling, situation and soul. But truth is not a collection of subjective impression common to all man. What existential truth represents is what is unique in a particular man’s existence (1963:3).
5. Literature and Existential Philosophy
Many great philosophers are also great fiction writers. Take examples such as Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, and also Dostoevsky, they are all philosophers who had written magnificent literary works for their philosophical ideas. Macquarrie says that existentialism can come to expression perhaps more tellingly in plays and novels than in philosophical treaties. Some of the leaders of the school have been well aware of this and have distinguished themselves as much in the capacity of creative writers as in that of philosophers. (1973: 262). Those philosophers prefer to devote their ideas trough novels, because it seems more expressive and tellingly that makes the readers can easy to understand for his complicated ideas he wants to share.
For literary works which raise the idea of existentialism, “human nature” is the theme they often give to the readers. As what it is called as “human Nature”, the characters in existential fictions always rely on the individual power for the action they make. Drabble and Jenny note that,
An existential fiction emphasizes the unique and particular in human experience. The author places the individual person at the centre of their pictures of the world and is suspicious of philosophical or psychological doctrines this essential individuality by speaking as it were some abstract “Human nature”. Some set of general laws or principles, to which men are determined or required by their common humanity, to conform each man is what he chooses to be or makes himself (Drabble and Jenny (eds), 1990:190)
While Drabble and Jenny say that existential fictions try to explain that individual person is unique being and the centre of universe, Stanton in
satisfactory relationship with others, and the opacity and absurdity of his work (1965: 66). Authors for existential fictions often make their characters are confronted with the outside world of their own. Readers also find that these characters often find difficulties in making relationship with the people around them and it makes them being so selfish who only claim that they are the most exclusive and only consider their own problems.
6. Theories on Comparative literature
Generally speaking, comparative study for literary work is a comparative of two or more of literary works dealing with their themes or ideas that content on the stories. Maries-Francois Guyard in his book entitled La Litterature Comparee,
says that,
Comparative literature is the history of international literary relation. The comparator stands at the frontiers, linguistic or national, and surveys the exchanges of themes, ideas, books, and feeling between two or several literatures. His working method will adapt itself to the diversity of his researches. A certain equipment field is indispensable to him. He must be informed of the literature of several countries. He must read several languages. He must know where to find the indispensable bibliographies (1951: 12-13)
Comparative literature not only examines the background where literary works come from, but it studies the intellectual disciplines such as trends and movement of international literary works. In Comparative Literature: Matters and Method Aldridge explains,
It is now generally agreed that comparative literature does not compare national literature in the sense of setting one against the other. Instead, it provides a method of broadening one’s perspective in the approach to single works of literature – a way of looking beyond the narrow boundaries of national frontiers in order to discern trends and movements in various national cultures and to see the relation between literature and other spheres of human activity….briefly defined, comparative literature can be considered the study of any literary phenomenon from the perspective of more than one national literature or in conjunction with another intellectual discipline or even several (1969: 1).
Literature cannot be separated with human activities, it is a kind of expression of human mind. So in comparing works of literature, comparator should not just analyze the setting background of the works, but it is important for him to understand the idea that contains in them. Moreover, Henry Remak says,
In comparing literary works, it is also important to study what kind of movement or the way of thinking that is dominant during the creating of the works. International literary works often find close relation with the philosophical idea that develops in the period when they are born. Studying comparative study of literature is also studying the background of the international literary works. There is influence for a certain movement in international literary works. John Brandt Corstius in his book Introduction to the Comparative Study of Literature
said that,
The specific character of an international literary movement finds its origin in the existence, during a certain period of time, of a number of ideas prevailing internationally with regard to literature and the writer. These ideas usually prove to be closely connected with the philosophical, religious, and social views that give the period its characteristic features (1968: 164).
C. Theoretical Framework
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
This study is a comparative study in which the writer wants to analyze existentialism related towards individual choice seen in two novels, they are A Burnt-out Case written by a famous writer named Graham Greene and Ziarah, an Indonesian novel written by Iwan Simatupang. A Burnt-out Case is a novel published by Penguin Books Ltd. In this study the writer used the reprinted edition which was made and printed in 1975 in Great Britain by Hazell Watson & Viney Ltd. This novel consists of six parts in which each part has some chapters. While the other novel used by the writer in this study is ziarah of the second edition which is published by Djambatan in the year 1976 and consists of seven chapters. This novel is dedicated by Simatupang to his beloved wife Corry who passed away before he finished this novel. This novel won award from UNESCO in 1968. And in the year 1977, Ziarah won award again as the best novel in Southeast Asia. The novel of Ziarah has been translated into English with title
The Pilgrim by Harry Eveling and published by Heinemann Educational Book. Ltd, Hong Kong.
freedom that he cannot get in his past life. By going in a very remote area he hopes that no one in his past life can find him because he wants to forget his life before and buries it from his memory. He wants to burn it out. Unfortunately, in Congo Querry meets Montagu Parkinson, a journalist who always disturbs Querry’s life. It is a problem for Querry because Parkinson always asks him about his past life. Querry always keeps on silent when he is asked about his past life because he has promised to himself that he does not want to talk about it anymore.
While Ziarah is the unique novel and different from others of which the writer, Iwan Simatupang does not mention any name for the characters that appear in the story, he only mentions the profession each character has, such as cemetery supervisor, ex-artist, major, etc. It is a novel which tells about an individual choice made by a cemetery supervisor and an ex-artist. The story begins when a wife of a famous artist dies. It makes the life of the artist changes 180 degree, he leaves his profession before and chooses to work in cemetery, his job is only painting the fence wall of the cemetery. People cannot understand his decision, he was a very talented painter and had made a lot of magnificent works and was well known all around the world, now he is choosing to work in a cemetery. But the ex-artist does not care what the people say about him, he only concerns about is himself. As long as it is his best choice he will do it and be responsible with it.
parents, his life is already comfortable without working hard. His decision to work in the cemetery is his very conscious choice that he has made in his life. He knows how to value his life and be responsible with it. For him Successfulness cannot be measured with the money or be respected by many people, but a freedom in his own life is what he means real success. Wealth and academic title are not important to him, he just wants to be free for the choice he makes.
B. Approach of the Study
In analyzing Graham Greene’s A Burnt-out Case and Iwan Simatupang’s
Ziarah the writer uses philosophical approach, especially existentialism. Knight in his book Literature Considered as Philosophy wrote that philosophy and literature have some things in common, the first thing is that what philosophy and literature criticize is the issue that occur in society to find the truth and the good” (Knight, 1962: 14). Truth is very subjective, it means that every choice made by individual is a truth. A man makes a choice because he wants to be free in his existence, and a freedom is a symbol of goodness for every man. According to Sartre in a book written by Gabriel Marchel entitled The Philosophy of Existentialism, he said that,
Mary Warnock in his book Existentialism mentions that “ men are free to choose, not only what to do on a specific occasion, but what to value and how to live”1979: 2) this passage explains that human beings are free to choose something that suitable with his will. Men control anything for themselves including his destiny in this life. More explanation Warnock adds that,
A man who is converted is shown that he is free. In the first place he is free to choose whether to move from one stage of enlightenment to another. This is the primary exercise of freedom, and if men were not free they could not be enlightened, since accepting the true state of affair is an act of a concrete individual, which cannot be done on his behalf by anyone but himself (1979: 12).
Truth only can be found in each individual, and man himself who can find this in himself. If he wants to gain it, it is he himself who should make the action.
C. Method of the Study
In analyzing this study the writer used library and internet research. The writer collected sources and references from the books and from the internet. Because it is a comparative study so the writer chose Graham Greene’s A Burnt-out Case and Iwan Simatupang’s Ziarah as the primary sources for this study, while for the secondary sources are taken from the book and references related towards the theories used in the study such as the book of existentialism, character and characterization, individualism, philosophy and also the books of comparative theories.
In doing this study first of all the writer read and re-read until got deep comprehension in the novels. In reading these novels the writer found a unique idea about existentialism in both the novels, so he drew a problem formulation related to the idea the writer wanted to analyze. The next step was collecting the data from books and references both in library and internet, the data including the book entitled Existentialism written by Mary Warnock and John Macquarrie. The writer also used data from internet, one of the examples was from
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
This chapter tries to answer the questions based on the problem formulation in chapter I. To make the analysis easy to understand, it will be divided into two parts in which in the first part the writer tries to explain individual choices made by the characters in the novels, and the next part is an analysis on how those choices can bring freedom on their existences.
A. Individual Choices
1. Graham Greene’s A Burnt-out Case
The centre attention of this analysis is in the character of Querry, the main character in the novel. Querry is described as an individual person and always makes a choice in his life without influence from outside, he is aware that his choice is only for himself, because of that he will make an action by his own self. He makes his choices just to have a freedom in his existence as an individual being. It is proven in the beginning of the story when he is deciding to go to a remote area of Congo by himself, leave his vocation as an architect and all his comfortable lives of Europe.
In this place Querry wants to be independent person. He does not care with his fame anymore. He wants to erase his talent in architect. The fame has made him not free. He often finds disturbances from the people who want to know his life. As if he has no privacy in his own home. Besides, he is bored with the pleasure and luxury of his life. All people in his town give honor and respect to him. They always agree in his decisions. And everyone never makes him suffer, but sometimes it is other people who are suffering. Actually in his deepest heart he just wants to make the people happy, but he cannot fulfill it. He just wants to be an ordinary person who is free for the choice he is taking.
Querry’s selfishness has made misunderstanding in the society. There is an assumption in the society that his decision to go to the leproserie place is just wasting of time, but for Querry, it is different. He has a goal why he goes in this place. Here, he wants to build his own truth for every single action he makes. He spends his life in the leproserie only to find freedom that he could not get in his past life.
‘We were talking about Querry, the Querry,’ Rycker explained. ‘A man in that position burying himself in a leproserie, spending a night praying with a leper in the bush – you must admit, monseigneur, that self-sacrifices like that are rare. What do you think?’ (p. 64)
It is hard to believe for ordinary people like the character of Ryker to accept Querry’s decision living in a leproserie. How come a man in a good position in his career has a desire to spend and bury himself in a bush with the lepers.
(p. 147). He only exists for himself that others cannot disturb on his existence. He makes this action because he is aware that he only makes of himself. Nobody has the right to do with his own choice. He also does not want other people interfere his choice in his life.
‘Here is a white man who is neither a father nor a doctor, he has no beard. He comes from a long way – we do not know from where – and he tells no one to what place he is going nor why. He is a rich man, for he drinks whisky every evening and he smokes all the time. Yet he offers no man a cigarette.’ (p. 11-12)
Querry is a person who only concerns with his own individual business. He only thinks of himself, he does not care what other people say about him. As long as they do not disturb him, he will keep in silence.
For Querry, a remote area of leproserie in Congo is a hoping place where he can escape from public life he had been living. He hopes that people who are from his past life where he was in Europe cannot find him in this place.
‘Are you stopping here?’
‘The boat goes no farther,’ the man answered, as if that were indeed the only explanation. (p. 20)
His choice to stay in a leproserie is an absolute decision that cannot be changed by anyone else. Querry’s decision to forget his talent as an architect is his own choice so that he can give his full attention to the lepers. By making himself busy taking care to the lepers, he can soon forget the life he had been in Europe.
‘Then tell me what your trade is, and I will fit you in.’
‘I have abandoned it,’ Querry said. A sister passed on a bicycle busy about something. ‘Is there nothing simple I can do to earn my keep?’ he asked. ‘Bandaging? I’ve had no training there either, but it can’t be difficult to learn. Surely there has to be someone who washes the bandages. I could release a more valuable worker.’ (p. 28)
He is happy living in the leproserie. He is very eager working in it and will do anything to keep him staying in this place. Querry is a hard worker when he finds happiness in his job. He does not only know what job he wants to, he also can value his life that is good for him.
Querry is a person who is very steady for what he thinks as truth. Living in this leproserie place is a truth for him. He has found his life here and he does not want to go to another place or come back again to Europe. So when his friend named Doctor Colin offers him to work in another place, he directly rejects it.
‘Are you feeling restless? Perhaps next time the boat calls you could go back to the capital. There are plenty of opportunities in Luc.’ ‘I am never going to return’ Querry said. (p.28).
In Graham Greene’s A Burnt-Out case, Querry can symbolize the individuality. Querry is an independent person who has a belief that he can live by his own power. He does not want to make other people in troublesome “I’d rather sleep in the lorry.’ Querry said. ‘I’m not a sociable man.” (p. 29). It is hard to live in a place when one has not recognized the place before. And though it is hard for Querry when he is going to Luc, he prefers to do it by his own self. He is not a sociable man, and prefers to do an action by himself. He has learnt from the life he had when he was in Europe. He rejects the help from Ryker when he will go to Luc. It is proven that Ryker only brings Querry into trouble. He is always curious to Querry, and sometimes Querry becomes bored with his act that always asks him about the reason he comes to this kind of place where he should not had come because luxuries cannot be found here (p. 34).
‘Of course I shall respect you incognito. I will say nothing. You can trust me not to betray a guest. You’ll be far safer at my place than at the hotel. Only myself and my wife. As a matter of fact it was my wife who said to me, “Do you suppose he can possibly be the Querry?”
‘You’ve made a mistake.’ (p.34)
Meeting Ryker, a character who represents the public is a mistake for Querry, his effort to escape from the ‘Europeans’ finally known by Rycker. He is a new problem for Querry, so it is better for him to stay away from Ryker who always disturbs him with his unnecessary questions.
the life he had to go to a leproserie place. By retiring his career as an architect he hopes that his life will change. And his choice to go to a remote area of leproserie is a way to end his carrier.
‘I suppose the government - or the church – have commissioned you to do something out here?’
‘No. I’ve retired.’
‘I thought a man of your kind never retired.’
‘Oh, one comes to an end, just as soldiers do and bank managers.’ (p. 38) Although there is a disagreement from other people around him, Querry keeps on his decision retiring from architecture. There is always an end in a career. One can end it by himself or by the institution. And Querry chooses to end his career by his own self, because he does not want other people rule his life, including his vocation. He wants every his action comes from himself. He wants to control his life according to what he believes in.
‘I gathered from that article in Time that you are a Catholic too.’ ‘I’ve retired.’ Querry said for the second time.
‘Oh come now, one hardly retires from that.’ (p. 39)
It is difficult for the people around Querry understanding in what he has done. Because Catholicism has controlled their mind that religion is very important thing in human existence. They think that Catholicism is the most exclusive religion, but Querry has different opinion about religion. His faith is himself, no other thing that is more important than himself. ‘I gave it up a long time ago. Even in the days when I believed, I seldom prayed.’ (p. 45) Prayer will not solve the problem, for Querry he prefers to do an action than praying for something he wishes for. His praying was just a matter of habit that he got from his parents, but now he realizes that action is more important than prayer.
Individualism has controlled Querry’s mind that he must make a choice according to his belief. His journey to a leproserie is just to fulfill his individual will to end everything what he had before, including his vocation and sex desire. He does not accept people’s opinion of his arrival in Congo just to find another girl, precisely he wants to end that. Lavish life was his past time, now he wants something different that can make him forgetting his past life. Spending the time in a leproserie is Querry’s will to find a new life. In this leprosarie place Querry has found his real existence that he could not have in the life he had been living.
‘One never retires from a vocation.’
‘Oh yes, make no mistake, one does. One comes to an end.’
‘What are you here then for then? To make love to a black woman?
Querry has forgotten his life in Europe including his relationship with woman and vocation as an architect. He completely wants to start a new life in a new place of a leproserie. He will do anything busying himself in the midst of lepers in order to forget his past life and keep staying there. He cannot stand to live with the people who disturb his individual choice. He just wants to be free in living his choice.
‘Self-expression is a hard and selfish thing. It eats everything, even the self. At the end you find you haven’t even got a self to express. I have no interest in anything any more, doctor. I don’t want to sleep with a woman nor design a building.’ (p. 46)
It seems that Querry is a selfish person who always thinks of him self, but beyond that selfishness, it shows that the independence on his personality. His choices to stop sleeping with a woman and designing a building are forms of his independence, that without the interference of other people he can undergo his own choices.
Querry is a person who uses his individual interest for the action he wants to take. As long as he likes what he chooses, he will do it. He will follow what his conscience says what to do.
‘She brought two drums of oil and she wants to speak to you.’ ‘Am I worth that much?’
‘Her husband sent her.’
‘Is that the custom here? Tell him I’m not interested.’ (p. 74)
Just like the explanation before that Querry does not like his past life appears again in his new life. He wants to burn it out from his mind. As a different person in different place and time Querry wants everything in his new life will be completely different from the life he had. His rejection towards his past life is really showed in his rejection towards the article in a magazine which put a story of the life he had.
‘There has never such a sale in Luc for Paris-Dimanche, I can tell you that. The bookshop has sent for extra copies. They say the have ordered a hundred of the next issue.’
‘Did it never occur to you how detestable it would be to me?
“I know the paper is not a very high-class one, but the article was highly laudatory. Do you realize that it’s even been reprinted in Italy? (p. 143-144).
As a famous person, a little news about him is very worthy for the people who adore him, but for Querry, this news is worthless. It is just like garbage which he always wants to throw it all away. He really hates with this incident, because it has bothered his personal life to live freely in his own existence.
Querry is a strong people, especially in defending his individual truth of choice. When he has decided to keep staying in the leproserie place is his individual choice that nobody can change this. Querry has found a peace life in this place. ‘I tell you I’m staying here. Why won’t you believe me? For the rest of my life. I shall be buried here.’ (p.177). He is not afraid if this place will give him nothing. The most important for him is his individual will that is freedom. He does not regret for what he has done because he did it from his own choice.
‘If you are so bored, why not be bored in comfort? A little apartment in Brussels or a villa in Capri. After all, you are a rich man, Querry.’
Out of being selfish and individual, Querry is a very responsible person towards the choices he makes. When he makes a journey to the leproserie, it does not mean that he run away from his responsibility to his life in Europe. In fact, his coming in this place shows he is really responsible to all of his life in the past and in the present time. He comes to this place to fix his life in order to get free from his illness in the past life. He wants to be cured and start a new life according to his individual truth. Because of that, in living his choice he is only responsible for his individual choice, out of his world does not belong to him. When Querry was deciding to move to this place he has already known that he would live in a remote area. And it is his goal to avoid the European behavior which often disturbs him. The way he avoids to discus with Rycker, a European who is living near the leproserie place which symbolizes foolishness, proves that he is really responsible with his individual belief. He is responsible with his existence in which freedom only can be found in individual choice.
2. Iwan Simatupang’s Ziarah
Although Ziarah is quite different novel from Greene’s A Burnt-Out Case
There are two major characters in Simatupang’s Ziarah that have important role in developing the idea of subjective truth, they are the artist and the cemetery supervisor. Both characters have similarities in their vision and mission with the character of Querry in Greene’s A Burnt-Out Case, namely to find freedom for their individual choices.
The character of the artist in Ziarah is described as a person who is very individual, he only gives attention to himself. When he is still an artist, Criticisms towards his works are things that the he really hates from the bottom of his heart. He wants his choice in making a painting comes from his individual choice. He does not need any comment from somebody else because he wants freedom in it. He is bored with adorations and criticisms from them.
Dia sendiri tak pernah membaca surat kabar, majalah, buku. Jadi, dia sama sekali tak tahu menahu apa isi kritik-kritik yang ditulis itu tentang dia dan lukisan-lukisannya. Kalau ada orang yang ingin membacakan salah sebuah kritik atau resensi itu baginya, dia menolak dan merasa seolah ingin muntah. (p. 72)
[He himself never read newspaper, magazine, or book. So, he never cared about the criticsim towards him and his paintings. If there was someone who wanted to read a criticism or a book review for him, he rejected it and he felt as if he would throw up. (p. 72)]
For him, criticisms are just garbage that he does not want to smell them or see them. He believes that his own individual choice is the most exclusive thing that he can do it by himself in his life.
evidence that his individual choice cannot be influenced by other, even it is the major who has power in the city. He wants to make an action according to his conscious mind on individual truth.
Akhirnya walikota memutuskan, pelukis bersama isterinya selama hari-hari kunjungan tamu-tamu Negara itu diam di rumah dinasnya sendiri saja! Apa boleh buat.
Alangkah kagetnya walikota, ketika kurir yang dikirimkannya kembali menyampaikan pesan pelukis kepadanya, dia tak mau tinggal di rumah dinasnya itu. Keadaan saya, demikian pesannya, bersama isteri saya sekarang ini, merupakan lukisan saya sendiri yang terbaik yang dapat saya pamerkan nanti kepada tamu-tamu terhormat itu. (p. 83)
[Finally the major decided that the artist and his wife could stay in his official house during their visit. Cause he could do nothing else.
The major was surprised when the courier he sent came back telling him the message from the artist that he didn’t want to stay in his official house. He gave a message that his condition with his wife at this moment was a kind of his own best painting that he could show to the guests. (p. 83)] His individual choice to keep staying in the beach is from his heart. He is happy to live with his wife here, and hopes that he can enjoy this moment for the rest of his life.
ex-major’s house. Then he took his paintings and his wife back to the hut which was still intact in the beach. (p. 95)]. His action to burn his house as a matter he wants to make it disappear because it only recalls him into public business. In his life he just wants happiness and freedom for his existence.
Individual business is the only the concern of the artist’s choice. He does not care with the people around him. When his wife dies, he does not appear to see her for the last time. It seems so strange that he does not do something taking care the dead. This fact shows that his individual choice cannot be influenced by situation which happens around him. For him, individual choice is above of all.
Sudah berapa lama dia tak ziarah? Belum pernah. Isterinya telah mati, kata orang. Telah dikubur, kata orang. Tapi, dia sendiri tak mau melihat isterinya yang sudah mayat itu. Dia, suami si mayat, tak tampak. Dia lari tungganglanggang ke kaki lima jalan raya, dan bersama khayalak ramai menonton iring-iringan mayat isterinya lewat situ.
-- Siapa yang mati? Tanya seseorang.
-- Entah, jawabnya, sambil makan kwaci terus. (p. 1-2)
[Has he ever wife’s grave? Never. His wife was already died, people said. She had been buried, people said. But, he himself didn’t want to see his wife who had become a corpse. He, the husband of the corpse, didn’t show up. He ran away to the shop near the street, together with the people watching the people who were accompanying his wife to the cemetery. -- Who is the dead? Somebody asked.
-- I don’t know” at the same time he ate a snack. (p. 1-2)]
His wife’s death has realized him that he cannot fulfill his individual needs in art anymore. This world has brought him into a public problem where he should sacrifice his individual will to fulfill the public desire. Once again he proves that he prefers in his personal choice to the public business. He quits his vocation as an artist to be an ordinary person who is free from public rules. He wants to undergo this life by himself where freedom to make choice will absolutely belongs to him. He is bored being an artist. He wants to have a different world from his life before. Kemudian dikumpulkannya lukisan-lukisannya. Dan disaksikan oleh karangan-karangan bunga, kertas-kertas tilgram, dan langit jingga dari menjelang malam, dia melemparkan lukisan-lukisannya ke dalam laut (p. 131) [Then he collected his paintings. Witnessing by flowers, telegram cards, and orange sky in the evening, he threw all his paintings into the sea. (p. 131)]. It is he himself who wants to quit his vocation, throw his works into the sea, and find another vocation. There is no someone else who has asked him or persuaded him in doing those actions, because he wants freedom in his individual existence.
get involve in it. He wants every his choice is from his belief whatever it is. He does not care with the critics say about him because his only belief is nothing but himself. When he makes a rule for how long he should work in a day shows that he does not want his employer controls him that can disturb his freedom.
His selfishness also appears in his new vocation as a painter of grave’s wall. Although he is working under the supervisor of the grave, the ex-artist does not want to be controlled by the authority. He wants to do it because he himself who wants to, it is not because from the persuasion of others or order from the superior.
Dia tak berusaha sedikit pun mencari kuburan isterinya. Seluruh perhatiannya dicurahkannya kepada pekerjaannya. Petangnya dia turun dari tembok-tembok dan membenahkan alat-alat pekerjaannya, mencuci tangan dan kakinya, kemudian pergi menuju mandor yang sudah menunggu memberikan upahnya itu – uang pribadi opseter. Sambil bersiul-siul, dia pun kemudian pergi. (p. 68-69)
[He never tried to look for his wife’s grave. He devoted his all attention in his vocation. In the evening he got down from the wall and cleaned his equipments, washed his hands and his legs, and then he went to the supervisor who had been waiting to give him salary – money from the supervisor himself. Then he went away while whistling happily (p. 68-69)] He has forgotten his wife, now he only wants to focus in his new vocation without thinking something else. No one can change his choice to paint the cemetery wall. He begins to love this new vocation that seems giving him happiness.
Sebaliknya! Dia telah melemparkan suksesnya ke dasar laut, seperti seorang yang bosan dengan makan bistik setiap hari lalu minta mencicipi pahitnya garam dari ikan asin. Dan dia berhasil menemukan rasa pada garam itu. Sebagaimana dia juga menemukan, bahwa bistik yang bagaimana pun enaknya taklah mewakili lebih dari hanya satu jenis perasaan saja. (p. 134)
[On the contrary! He had thrown away his success into the sea, just like someone who was bored with a beefsteak everyday and wanted to taste the bitter of salt of the fish. And finally he got the taste on that salt. As he also found how delicious a beefsteak was, it never represented more than just one taste only. (p. 134)]
It is really understandable that the artist transforms his vocation, he cannot live in the world which had put him into luxury anymore. He comes to the grave is not merely that he failed in his previous vocation. He is here because he wants to follow his own conscience that he can find another world that will supply him with freedom. Because only by living his individual choice from his conscience he will find his dream. And working in the cemetery is an experience that he wants to live with until the end of his life.
The cemetery supervisor is another Simatupang’s character who is also trying to look for a freedom in his individual choices. Here, he tries to change the public paradigm that human being must exist according to his belief in his individual choices. There are no other people who can control his belief because truth of belief is very individual.
