KARTINI’S LETTERS IN BOOK, “HABIS GELAP TERBITLAH TERANG”
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan
Eva Evina
112009006
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
ii
KARTINI’S LETTERS IN BOOK, “HABIS GELAP TERBITLAH TERANG”
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan
Eva Evina
112009006
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
iv
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Copyright@2014 Eva Evina and Danielle Donelson-Sims, M.A.
All rights reserved. No part of this thesis may be reproduced by any means without the permission of at least one of the copyright owners or the English Department, Faculty of Language and Literature, Satya Wacana University, Salatiga.
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English Department Readers’ Response Toward Two R. A. Kartini’s Letters In Book, “Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang”
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ENGLISH DEPARTMENT READERS’ RESPONSE TOWARD TWO R. A. KARTINI’S LETTERS IN BOOK, “HABIS GELAP TERBITLAH TERANG”
Eva Evina
Abstract
The influence of Dutch culture on the 19th –century made R. A. Kartini, a Javanese woman from Jepara broke the traditions. She is an Indonesian heroine who wanted to get the same high education as men. This thesis analyzes to find out the people opinions or thoughts about R. A. Kartini from the book, Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang. This book contains two letters of R. A. Kartini that I use to get some perceptions or feeling from the readers. This thesis deals with the struggles of R. A. Kartini as a heroine for Indonesian women to get gender equality and the same rights as men. Based on this idea, Subjective Reader-response theory will be an appropriate tool to analyze the thought of the readers
about R. A. Kartini through her letters. 13 participants ED Students were selected to be the readers‟
response. Subjective reader-response theory is a tool to analyze the response of participants‟ thoughts. Through this study, it reveals that the readers‟ perception toward R. A. Kartini through her two letters is that she had to give a real action for Indonesian women. The real action that shows her struggle for Indonesian women. It is because in her letters, she only shared her own desire to get freedom of her
tradition. She did not mention any other Indonesian women‟s thought or experiences in her two letters.
Keywords: reader-response, subjective reader-response, tradition, culture, women emancipation
INTRODUCTION
“Habis gelap terbitlah terang” is actually a quote from a book by using Dutch
language, “Door Duisternis Tot Licht”. This quote is from a Dutch man for a Javanese woman who fought for Javanese women‟s right to get the same education like men. She is R.
A. Kartini, a Javanese Noble woman who broke the traditions through her thoughts.
breaking the tradition and thinking like a modern people. She wanted Javanese women to get same education as men. She said that if a woman were knowledgeable, she would be a good mother and wife to take care of her children or do the domestic jobs (pane, p. 16). R. A. Kartini showed her struggle toward her letters to her western friends. She shared her ideas to break her Javanese tradition as a woman and get the same education like men. She wanted to go aboard for studying like her friends. Those thoughts through her letters can be seen on the book “Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang” (Indonesian translation) or “Door Duisternis Tot
Licht” (Dutch language).
Based on R. A. Kartini‟s thoughts about changing Javanese women‟s right, she was
known as women‟s emancipation heroine. Then, according to the word of emancipation,
there is some definition about emancipation. Emancipation is the fact or process of being set free from legal, social, or political restriction (Oxford). The popular definition of emancipation, according to Muzlikah, is an effort to demand of similarity of women‟s right toward man‟s right in every sector of life (as qtd. in “Women‟s Emancipation in Islam”). She
stated that “Emancipation is a close word connecting to women, or it is about feminism and
all about women” (n.page). She also stated that Women emancipation mean giving women a
chance to work, study, and make creation like a man (n.page).
Another definition about emancipation is from Mufidah; she said that emancipation is about sameness. She said that the differences happened because men always are related to the society, and then women are in domestic jobs. The domestic jobs are cooking, washing, keeping the house clean, taking care of the children, etc. Women‟s jobs are also related to
reproduction, such as menstruation, getting pregnant, giving birth, and breastfeeding. In the other hand, men don‟t have relation to those kinds of jobs because they are only suitable to be
to get same right with men. It means that women can freely do what men do without being forbidden by society.
Moreover, the emancipation which is allegedly struggled by R. A. Kartini is about differentiation between men and women in their position especially in education. She said that she wanted to learn about other language beside Dutch because she wanted to be able to have conversations with foreign author in their own tongue (p.9). She also said that her dream was able to go to Europe (Pane, p.41).
Based on R. A. Kartini‟s desire to break the tradition for getting the same right in
education as men and an expert‟s perception of R. A. Kartini, I interested to find her struggles
for Javanese women toward her letters. I want to know her efforts to make a change for Javanese women. He said that R. A. Kartini was nothing more than an artificial heroine by Dutch (Bachtiar, p.29). R. A. Kartini refused the existence of polygamy, but she became a victim of her own tradition. It means that she failed to break the tradition. The letters are in a book, titled “Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang”.
The book “Habis Gelap terbitlah Terang” by Armijn Pane contains many R. A.
Kartini‟s letters. Since I want to find out her efforts and struggles, I have analyzed those
letters because I want to show the readers that R. A. Kartini only struggled for woman emancipation for herself. From those letter, I found out several facts: R. A. Kartini showed her desire to be free just by letters. She talked about her desire to get education in Europe (Pane, p. 31). She did not mention any other Javanese women but she just showed her jealousy feeling to her European friends, who is studying easily without have to be blocked by the tradition as a woman (Armijn Pane, p. 31). She wrote in her letter “But, I can do nothing, less than nothing, on account of Father‟s position among our people‟. Her inaction
proved that she failed to be a heroine. For all women, she couldn‟t struggle for either herself
This book also shows that Javanese tradition is a part of Kartini‟s life. It makes hard for her to break her family‟s traditions. Also, it shows that Kartini did not struggle for Javanese
women but she just did it for herself. She just shared her feeling to her friends in a letter.
Based on Kartini‟s letter in “Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang” and my own analysis about
those letters , I attempt to find out and analyze English Department students‟ perspective
toward R. A. Kartini letters. The reason I choose ED students as a reader response of my study because I want to know and curious with their perspective about Kartini as woman‟s emancipation heroine. I believe they have good background knowledge of R. A. Kartini since they have grown. Then, they also can think the good and bad thing. Moreover, to answer this question, I would like to use Reader-Response Criticism Theory. This study will focus on
English Department students‟ perspective to her letter.
Furthermore R. A. Kartini‟s struggle can be seen from English Department students‟
response after they read two of her letters. The letters were letters on May 25th and August 18th, 1899. I chose those two letters because in the two R. A. Kartini‟s letters, she talked more about her tradition in her family and her desire to break the tradition to get the same rights as men. She was not talking about her attempts to raise the degree of Indonesian women. It was more talking about her effort to raise her degree as an aristocrat Javanese woman. In her letters, she said that “For myself, I could find a way to shake them off, to break them, were it
not that another bond, stronger than any age-old tradition could ever be, binds me to my world1” (Pane, p. 31) and she also said that “In order to give you a faint idea of the oppressiveness of our etiquette, I shall mention a few examples. A younger brother or sister of mine may not pass me without bowing down to the ground and creeping upon hands and knees. If a little sister is sitting on a chair, she must instantly slip to the ground and remain with head bowed until I have passed from her sight2” (Pane, p. 35).
1, 2
It means that she had to give real action to Indonesian women so that she would directly affect all Indonesian women.
Based on this explanation, this study will aim to see the readers‟ perceptions toward
two different R. A. Kartini‟s letters that she just struggled for her self towards her letter to her
European and Dutch friends. In addition, this study is important to make the readers aware that Kartini‟s struggled for herself because she wanted to break her tradition at that time
(1879). Then if the readers are aware of Raden Ajeng Kartini‟s struggle, they will know that the heroine who struggled for education was not Kartini but also other women like Dewi Sartika. Dewi Sartika is a heroine from Jepara who also fought for Javanese women‟s
education.
LITERATURE REVIEW
As stated in the introduction, this study will use Reader-response criticism theory to analyze the film. That theory functions as a tool to analyze the responses from some readers
toward R. A. Kartini‟s letters. Moreover, this theory is functioned a clear direction for the
topics that I will explain in this study. Reader-response criticism theory is a big theory base, so I will explain what Reader-response criticism theory is and then I will explain one of the types. From this theory, I will totally focus on the readers‟ reactions toward R. A. Kartini‟s letters.
Reader-response Criticism Theory
Reader-response criticism is a theory coined by Lois Tyson, a Professor of English at Grand Valley state University, author of Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide,
author of Learning for a Diverse World: Using Critical Theory to Read and Write about
become focus of literary interpretation (p.169). According to Tyson, the definition of Reader-response criticism is “a board, exciting, evolving domain of literary studies that can help us
learn about our own reading process and how they relate to, among other, specific elements in the texts we read, our experiences, and the intellectual community of which we are a member” (p.169). This means that the importance of this theory is the readers.
Moreover, based on Tyson‟s perspective, reader-response theory criticism focuses on
reader‟s reaction to literary texts. This explanation is also supported by Davis and Womack
who said that Reader-response criticism give more attention to the act of the reading in as a response to literary texts (p. 51). They stated that reader-response criticism gives some model for understanding the reading process to the readers.
Tyson also argued that there were two beliefs of reader-response theory. The first is that the role of the reader could not be separated from the texts as readers‟ understanding of
literature. The second is that they have to be actively making their own meaning in literature (p. 170). The idea of those two beliefs of reader-response will lead to how the readers react to the texts through their feeling. In that way, Reader-response theory will be utilized in this study to analyze the feeling on Kartini‟s letter.
Subjective Reader-response Theory
Subjective reader-response theory does not call for the analysis of textual cues. This theory is led by the work of Bleich. Subjective reader-response theory is a theory based on the belief of knowledge, feelings, associations, and memories that occur as we react subjectively to literary texts (Tyson, p. 178). This theory focuses on the mind of the reader. The theory can help the students produce knowledge about the experiences of reading. Tyson
stated that “subjective reader-response is a coherent, purposeful methodology for helping our
points out those students are using the subjective approach probably focused on the same elements of the text that they selected (cited in Tyson, p. 180). Tyson also said that there were three ways that the readers have to do when they respond a text toward literary text. They are
“(1) characterize his or her response to the text as a whole; (2) identify the various responses
prompted by different aspects of the text, which, of course, ultimately lead to the student‟s
response to the text as a whole; and (3) determine why these responses occur” (p.180). Those
ways make the readers respond to the texts easily.
In this study, the participants (the readers) focus on their opinion and feeling of the two of Kartini‟s letters. They will use their feeling to respond to how far R. A. Kartini‟s
women emancipation influences their mind set. They use their feeling when they give their opinions based on the questions. Then, the participants will be given two questions consisting of before and after reading the letters. Based on the response of the participants, this study is aimed to see the readers‟ perceptions toward two different R. A. Kartini‟s letters.
Background Knowledge of Kartini to the Readers Response
R. A. Kartini is known as a Javanese Heroine. R. A. Kartini is declared as a National Independence heroine at May 2nd, 1964 (Soeroto: 1986, p. 448). Therefore, April 21st is always commemorated as a National Day.
Based on the declaration to make her as a National Independence heroine, she became a famous woman who struggled for women‟s emancipation especially to get the same education with men among students in Elementary School, Junior or Senior High School. Every April 21st, Indonesian students will celebrate R. A. Kartini‟s day. It is called as “Hari Ibu Kita Kartini” (Our Mother‟s R. A. Kartini Day). The students will demonstrate by green
Furthermore, most of the participants get the background knowledge of R. A.
Kartini‟s history when they were in Elementary School. They said that they had to sing
Kartini‟s song when they were celebrating Kartini‟s day and they had to wear kebaya
(traditional Javanese dress). They said that celebrating Kartini‟s day is a must as it is the
government‟s rule. It is also shown at the calendar by coloring 21st with red color. Even
though the date uses red color, the students do not get their holiday because they have to
celebrate Kartini‟s day at school. However, after they were in junior and senior high school,
some said that they couldn‟t get Kartini‟s history.
“Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang” SUMMARY
The book of “Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang” by Armijn Pane was about a story before and after Kartini was born. Raden Ajeng Kartini was born on April 21, 1879 in Jepara. She was the second daughter of Regen Jepara, Raden Mas Duke Ario Sastraningrat. In an age where Kartini was alive in Indonesia, women had a duty to work for only the domestic job and to carry their children. The girls were taught to be submissive to her husband.
break her sticky tradition on her family. Her dream was to change the women‟s position to be
the same with men. Then, when she was 16 years old, she got married to a stranger. Her husband was Raden Ario Joyodiningrat. After she gave birth to her son, Raden Singgih, she died. She died on 17 September 1904.
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
R. A. Kartini Javanese Tradition about woman and the influence of Dutch
The conditions of R. A. Kartini‟s society were influenced by Dutch culture. It is
because they saw that the Dutch people could get an education for both women and men easily without bound by the tradition. Then, it made many problems appear on the society itself. The people of R. A. Kartini‟s society thought that the Javanese tradition had many rules to be followed especially by women. Women were forbidden to get an education and work outside her house. Next, they were forbidden to occupy positions within a society. Then, a woman should be subject and a woman should not have a will. A woman also should
be ready to be mated by her parents‟ choice (Pane, p. 12). However, not all women were
forbidden to get an education. They who were from a noble family could get the education in a Dutch school.
Based on the influence of Dutch culture, there was a thought to change the tradition. There was also a thought to imitate the Dutch so that they could get a better future (Pane, p.12). Then, the children who had been taught by Dutch education tried not to believe with their own Javanese traditions. It is because the traditions on their life could not make them to feel satisfied to reach their dreams.
Moreover, those tradition‟s rules and the influence of Dutch culture were also
daughter could get a chance to learn modern knowledge and education (Bachtiar, p. 78). Then, her father introduced her to the life of common people of destitution and misery by entering the school. Then, she saw that women who were only from an aristocrat could get the education. This condition made R. A. Kartini be tuned in to the seemingly of ordinary folk.
Based on her fortune to get an education, she showed that she was proud getting the
Dutch education. She said that “I glow with enthusiasm toward the new time which has
come, and can truly say that in my thoughts and sympathies I do not belong to the Indian world, but to that of my pale sisters who are struggling forward in the distant West”
(Symmers, p. 3). She also said that “The European citizen is a citizen that is truly the most
unmatched superior” (Toer, p. 155). R. A. Kartini felt that by studying in Europe, she would
get everything to make a change to her own Javanese tradition. She wanted to overhaul the traditions which were entitled only for men.
According to the R. A. Kartini opinion of being proud of Dutch people, it proves that she was chosen by a Dutch to be shown as a heroine in Indonesia. Bachtiar said that Dutch did not need a hero because the difficulties which were faced by the Dutch in an attempt to spread modern education were regarded to indigenous women (79). Through her Dutch friends and Mr. Abendanon, R. A. Kartini was introduced as an Indonesian heroine. Then, After Kartini died, they published a book containing some collections of R. A. Kartini‟s
R. A. Kartini’s Aspiration
R. A. Kartini admitted that women could not be separated from the traditions. Her opinion means that by the tradition, women had different right and function with men. Based on that belief , R. A. Kartini wanted to change the Javanese women‟s position. She wanted women to get an education so that they could get a job outside of the house. Then, an other aspiration of R. A. Kartini is that she refused her family‟s tradition to be polygamy, but she
became a victim of that tradition (p. 29). She said that “I am happy only when I can throw the burden of Javanese etiquette from my shoulders” (Symmers, p. 12). Based on her confession to her friends in her letters, she showed that she had strong desire to leave her tradition.
Furthermore, R. A. Kartini really wanted to get an education aboard. She said that “To go to Europe! Till my last breath that shall always be my ideal” (Symmers, p. 29)
The Readers’ Response
As stated above, this study uses Subjective Reader-response Theory. There are 13 participants for this study. They are the students of English Department Satya Wacana Christian University which I chose randomly. I chose the college students as my participant because I wanted to know their perspective toward R. A. Kartini after a long time they did not get a lesson about R. A. Kartini as when they were in Primary school. Then, I chose them randomly because by doing that I would find some different opinion and perspective on how Javanese Women should be.
Before I asked them to read the two letters, I gave them questions about their opinions toward Javanese women. Participant 13 said that “Javanese women had to follow the tradition
to do the domestic jobs than they had to go to work”. This opinion was also confirmed by
Participant 2 who said that even though today is a new era, Javanese women had to obey the rule of their tradition. She also said that Javanese women could be out from the tradition because it had been for a long time ago and the society believed in the Javanese tradition. Then, Participant 2 also added that if Javanese women breached the tradition, they would have a negative of view from the society surround them.
Based on the focus of this study, almost all of the participants thought that in the R. A.
Kartini‟s era, Javanese women had to be secluded when they were sixteen. Participant 3 said
that they had to stay at home until they were allowed to go out and married with an unknown man. Then, participant 1 said that “as I know, women who were from aristocrat would be
secluded and the indigene Javanese women would marry to indigene men. It‟s because on the
Kartini‟s era, people were separated into high and low level such as Noble people and
Indigene people (rakyat biasa)”. Moreover, through the participants‟ opinion about R. A.
Kartini‟s era, the participants knew R. A. Kartini when they were on elementary school until
now. They said that R. A. Kartini is an Indonesia heroine and a woman who declared „women
emancipation‟. 7 to 13 participant said that women emancipation was a situation when
women got the same rights as men in both getting the same education or jobs. However, 9 to 13 participants said that they just know her without any further story of her.
I will analyze the students‟ response based on before and after they reading the letters.
First, before I asked them to read two of R. A. Kartini‟s letters, I asked them some questions
about their childhood‟s mind set or thought about R. A. Kartini. It means that before they
read the letters, they have to give some opinion about R. A. Kartini and the influence of her in their life.
Kartini again. Based on the two letters, I want to see if the participants‟ changed their opinion
about R. A. Kartini or not.
Before Reading the Letters
In this section, I will analyze the participant‟s background knowledge about R. A. Kartini. I will analyze their opinion about who R. A. Kartini is in their mind and the influence of her struggle for Indonesian women.
Javanese Women Criteria
Most of the participants said that they are Javanese women. They also had different opinions about the reason why they called themselves as a Javanese woman. Participant 1, Participant 3, Participant 8, and Participant 11 said that they are Javanese – Chinese people. They said that it is happened because their parents from Javanese and Chinese generation. It was why they considered that they are Javanese – Chinese people. They also said that they knew Javanese tradition, but it did not give more influence to their life because they had two traditions in their life. It was confirmed by Participant 1 who said that “My mother is a Javanese woman, she proud of her Javanese tradition and my father is a Chinese. He always talks in Chinese language at home. It makes me have two different traditions in my life. Then, they said that I don‟t need to make myself confused to both different traditions. They said that I have to be proud for being a Javanese – Chinese girl”. Moreover, Participant 11
said that “When I am at home, I have to speak using Chinese language. After that, when I am
outside of my house, I use Javanese or Indonesian to speak with my friends or other people except my family. I asked to my parents the reason why I have to do it and their answer is because I am Javanese –Chinese family”.
Island. In addition, they also said that their parents told them that they were Javanese people since childhood. Then, Participant 5 said that “My parents use Javanese language in daily conversation. They also said that I was born in a place that upholds the Javanese tradition, so I have to follow that tradition‟s rule in my life. It is why I said that I am a Javanese woman”.
Not only Participant 5 but also Participant 2 said that “I consider as a Javanese woman
because I was born in Java and my parents and family tell me that I am a Javanese person”.
However, Participant 13 had different opinion about the standard of being a Javanese person. She said that to be a Javanese means not only you were born from a Javanese family, but also it was more on the attitude. She said that nowadays, people must be familiar with the sentence “wong jawa ilang jawane” (Javanese person who lost their own tradition). Participant 13 explained that it was because their attitude was not Javanese anymore and they tend to be proud of others‟ traditions. Based on her perspective about the standard of Javanese people, she stated that to be a Javanese person should be from the heart when you could understand and apply the Javanese culture even though Javanese people had known the westernization and everything had been globalized.
Who is R. A. Kartini?
According to the Participants background knowledge in Elementary School about their perspectives of R. A. Kartini, Participant 1, Participant 2, Participant 3, Participant 5, Participant 7, Participant 9, Participant 10, Participant 11 and Participant 13 believe that Kartini is an Indonesian heroine for women‟s emancipation. This was confirmed by
Participant 1 who said “R. A. Kartini is someone who fought for gender equality”. She also
many possible ways than just to breed, good offspring and she was recognizable by many
other (women) to evoke more innovative minds and enrich the country”. Based on her
perspective toward R. A. Kartini, Participant 1 saw R. A. Kartini as a woman who brought the better life to Indonesian women to get the same rights as men. Then, she thought that R. A. Kartini was a woman who struggled for Indonesian women to get an education as men so that Indonesian women could be smart and they can bring Indonesia to be better in the world.
Furthermore, Participant 2 and Participant 13 said that R. A. Kartini was an Indonesian heroine who came from the era when the Dutch occupied Indonesia. It was confirmed by Participant 2 who said that because Dutch occupied Indonesia, it made R. A. Kartini influenced by the Dutch so that she was a kind of woman who wanted to struggle to reach dignity and equality among men and women like her European friends who can freely get education as high as men. The opinion of Participant 1 also strongly agreed by Participant 13 who said that the influenced of Dutch culture made R. A. Kartini has a thought to change Indonesian women to get better education like Western people.
Based on those participants, R. A. Kartini was seen as a woman who was influenced by Dutch culture, so it made her have a thought to be like a Dutch people. It means that R. A. Kartini wanted to have freedom like her friends to get a high education as possible. However, the tradition on her family was a thing that blocked her action to reach her goal to be like her Dutch friends. It means that it had many rules to be a Javanese woman. It was because the traditions. Then, it made R. A. Kartini want to break the tradition as a Javanese woman.
make women having the same rights as men in education” and also confirmed by Participant 5 who said that “R. A. Kartini is a National heroine who brave to break her own tradition to
change a better future for Indonesian women”. Then, not only Participant 3 and 5 who said
that R. A. Kartini is an Indonesian heroine who broke the tradition, Participant 10 also said that R. A. Kartini is an Indonesian heroine who broke the tradition so that people in the future could have freedom to share their desire without bound by the tradition.
According to R. A. Kartini‟s struggle, she is a feminist who sacrificed herself so that Indonesian women could get freedom in anything that they wanted (Participant 7). She fought for equality so she was very influence for women in her gender (Participant 9). Based on the
Participants‟ opinion about R. A. Kartini, she was an activist-thinker who was struggling to
escape from the traditions that bound her as a Javanese Noble woman. She opened the way of thinking for Indonesian women to be aware about the importance of getting an education. Then, because of the emancipation, she is known as an Indonesia heroine because she was the one who stood up for Indonesian women, especially Javanese, in which they used to be marginalized.
Based on those opinions above, R. A. Kartini was a woman who wanted to fight for
gender equality and women‟s rights in Indonesia. She was also from an aristocrat family that
had a very tight tradition especially for Javanese aristocrat women. Then, through her thoughts and opinions to break the tradition in her place, she was known as a heroine of women emancipation.
R. A. Kartini’s Influences
big influence to Indonesian women. This was also confirmed by Participant 3 who said that R. A. Kartini made people to think if there was not R. A. Kartini, the women would not be able to get an education like men. Then, her struggles made women able to study as high as their dreams even higher than men. The opinion of Participant 3 could be added by Participant 10 who said that R. A. Kartini struggled for Indonesian women to get education so that she wanted Indonesian women to be well-educated and Participant 6 said that R. A.
Kartini‟s struggles could motivate Indonesian women to get high education as possible.
Moreover, Participant 4 stated that because of R. A. Kartini‟s struggles, nowadays women could be more expressive because they had the same rights as men. It means that R. A. Kartini had made Indonesian women to be equal with men. It was confirmed by Participant 8 who stated that R. A. Kartini made Indonesian women not to be oppressed and bounded by men. Then, she added that nowadays, women can express their opinion and desire freely in the society.
Based on those opinions, R. A. Kartini had a big influenced to Indonesian women because she had done extraordinary things that were able to change the fate of all Indonesian women to get the same rights as men. It means that through her struggles, Indonesian women can get a better education and jobs as high as men.
However, not all people can accept R. A. Kartini that she had influenced people as an
Indonesian heroine. According to my participants‟ opinion in this study, there were 8 of 13
participants who did not feel that R. A. Kartini had a big influence on them.
by Participant 2 who said that “she is not my big influence because her story can not “shake”
my feeling”. Then she added that R. A. Kartini was only a woman who tried to make women
equal with men and she was not the only woman who fought for gender equality. Then, Participant 1 stated that “I just know Kartini when I was in Primary school and woman who influenced more is just my mother”.
Based on R. A. Kartini‟s struggles, Particpant 11 and 13 had same opinion saying that
she was a heroine who did nothing real. Participant 11 added that “I just hear her story and I
do not know what she does for Indonesian women”. Moreover, participant 13 sated that there
were many heroines who stood up for the women‟s right in Indonesia and R. A. Kartini is not
the only woman who wanted Indonesian women to get the education for a better life like men. Then, there were many heroines who really fought and gave action showing their power to Indonesians.
In contrast to other participants, Participant 7 said that society around her affected her mind to consider R. A. Kartini as an Indonesian heroine while Participant 7 does not see how she fought for women to get the same right as men. Participant 7 also confirmed that nowadays women still follow the traditions even though she can get education as high as men. The opinion of Participant 7 was reinforced by Participant 12 who said that she could not see the connection between her current condition and R. A. Kartini‟s struggles at past
time.
After Reading the Letters
In this section, I will analyze the opinions or thoughts of the participants after they finished reading R. A. Kartini‟s letters. Besides giving the opinions about R. A. Kartini, I will also analyze some of participants who changed their mind about the perception of R. A. Kartini after reading her letters.
Opinions
This study will focus on the participants‟ perspective or opinions to R. A. Kartini .
Participant 1, 2, 7, 11, and 13 said that R. A. Kartini was focusing on the freedom from tradition and culture and not so much on life-advancement of women in Indonesia through proper education and chances to explore their potential. Participant 1 confirmed that R. A.
Kartini‟s story about a man who was astonished to see how simple she was as a princess did
not represent the struggle of most Indonesian women nor show that education surpasses outer appearance. It was her personal matter. Then, R. A. Kartini‟s focus was merely on freedom of self and proving that tradition did not give much advantage to her life. In short, the second letter lacked the passion she once had for emancipation.
Furthermore, Participant 1 said that in the second letter, there was no effort of R. A.
Kartini‟s struggle for Indonesian women. She was focusing on Javanese tradition and herself
as a Javanese princess. Participant 7 confirmed that “this does not represent all Indonesian women, having different background in tradition and cultural upbringing. She was merely showing her annoyance towards her own tradition and her inability to completely break it through”.
Then participant 1 stated “I deduct that from the way she talked in her letter, she was
culture as an Indonesian, specifically her inherited tradition and identity as a Javanese. Moreover, participant 1 also added “I do not see this as desirable because you cannot choose
to which nationality and family you would be born, and it is also undesirable to try to free oneself from his/her culture that shapes him/her into what he/she becomes”. Participant 7
thought that R. A. Kartini was constantly whining about her unfortunate condition, being a Javanese princess, she said that “If her sole purpose was to improve the life of the women all
over Indonesia, I think that her complain are irrelevant and it is too personal”.
Moreover, Participant 7 stated that R. A. Kartini she was influenced by the western ideas she got from her education. Every culture has its own positive and negative sides; to try to be the complete other is just impossible, one should only take the good things. Then, Participant 1 said that R. A. Kartini was mesmerized and overwhelmed by the Western people. Her idea of Western people was civilized and enlightened. She said that we have never experienced anything but kindness.
Since Indonesia was still colonized by the Dutch and she was in the honorable position as a princess, Participant 1 thought that R. A. Kartini‟s opinion towards the western people is very much subjective. She said that “so all along the second letter I was waiting for
some concrete action that can make improvements to women‟s life in Indonesia”.
Based on Participant 1, Participant 2 also had the same opinion of R. A. Kartini. She said that R. A. Kartini just wrote what she was experienced as Javanese princess. Then she
emphasized her opinion by saying that R. A. Kartini‟s letters never mentioned about what
other woman (like her mother, sister, cousin or other woman outside their family/house) feel, experienced or do. Kartini just told story from her own experiences and perspectives. She
concluded that “the letter kind of showed that Kartini is just welling around about her life and
did not tell about other woman‟s stories” (Participant 2). She also said that R. A. Kartini just
for woman who‟s not an aristocrat. She doesn‟t even know what the woman outside her
house feel and do.
Furthermore, Participant saw that R. A. Kartini just wanted to show that Javanese traditions made them acted like a robot. They were acting like what was told by the elder. Participant 11 said that “she mentioned that Javanese tradition was really thick and strict”. Moreover, for participant 13, she stated that R. A. Kartini just struggled for herself. Then, she noticed that R. A. Kartini never said the word “we” for Indonesian women. It meant that she was only talking about herself, about how she didn‟t like the culture, about how she didn‟t
want to get married. It is the same with Participant 11 who said that “I think she only showed for women who lived in a restricted place, like palace, because the rules that she mentioned in
the second letter was mostly seen in a palace”. The letters focused more on herself rather than
on other Indonesian women because she only cared about herself, whereas many other girls probably were feeling the same with her.
Based on those opinions, R. A. Kartini can be seen as a woman who struggled for herself. She just shared her own ideas through letters for her European friends. She told that she did not like a Javanese tradition because it was complicated to do. Moreover, she did not mention any words which represent all Indonesian women. It means that she just mention herself and her own family. Then, her letters told the story of her rebellion that she was doing to her father to escape from the Javanese traditions that she inherented in her family.
The readers’ minds
explained by Participant 11 who stated that R. A. Kartini wanted to learn some new languages and also be free to explore another tradition which at that time was the European tradition. She felt burdened for living in a condition like what she lived in.
Moreover, Participant 1 and Participant 2 said the reason they changed their perspective about R. A. Kartini because she was a Javanese woman who little bit of a rebel tried to break the rules in her family. Then, Participant 2 said that “I think that Kartini had been influenced by Dutch culture, it seems like she more appreciate Dutch rather than Indonesia or to be more specific is Javanese culture”. That was confirmed by Participant 1 who said that “I felt like her conversation shifted from criticizing the Javanese tradition to personal complains that is
not particularly directed towards any general society in Indonesia”. Moreover, it turned out
that R. A. Kartini did not speak up for all of woman in Indonesia or even Javanese, she just talked about herself.
Based on the Participant 7 perspective after reading both letters, she said that R. A. Kartini struggled for Indonesian women. Participant 7 also emphasized that R. A. Kartini did not struggle for them. She said that “R. A. Kartini just shared something happened in her era and what she had done”. Participant 7 stated R. A. Kartini was not a heroine like another heroines who struggled by action in a war. Then, not only Participant 7 who changed her perspective about R. A. Kartini, Participant 5 and 11 also did the same thing. Participant 5 emphasized that R. A. Kartini was a descriptive person. She meant that R. A. Kartini just shared her opinion toward letters and she did not do something real as a heroine. Participant 5 had the same opinion with Participant 7, she said that “a hero have to do real action to be
called as a hero”. It was also confirmed by Participant 11 that she also changed her
Furthermore, Participant 3 also said that her perspective about R. A. Kartini was Little bit change. She stated that in the second letter, kartini seems want to get rid of all the Javanese etiquette. Opposite with Kartini‟s thinking, Participant 3 thought that there was
some Javanese etiquette that still needed until now. Based on Participant 3, tradition was an important thing to be identity for Javanese. Moreover, Participant 13 thought that R. A. Kartini only wanted women to be equal, to get education they need. she probably was so sick of her culture, because she wanted to break her tradition only to feel like her European friends who could get education as high as men. Then, it also happened to Participant 8. She stated that R. A. Kartini just spoke out her voice and overthinking and she said that “she should prove and struggle by doing something real for women emancipation. Not only by critics but also by doing a real action”. It was same to Participant 12 who said she did not see the real action of R. A. Kartini to change the right of Indonesian women as men.
CONCLUSION
According to R. A. Kartini‟s letters in “Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang”, the letters do
not show her struggle for Indonesian people. I was interested with the readers‟ responds to R.
A. Kartini‟s letters. So, in this study I tried to explore the readers‟ opinion or feeling through
R. A. Kartini‟s letters. Through those two letters in that book, I attempted to find out the
answer of how ED students responded to these two letters. In analyzing the readers‟ response, I used or applied a theory which is Subjective Reader-response theory. This theory focused on the participants‟ opinions. After I spread the questionnaire and analyzed it, I conclude some points regarding R.A Kartini‟s status as an Indonesian heroine. The conclusion is based
on reader‟s opinion, feeling and perspective toward Kartini. Based on the readers‟ perspective
and feeling to R. A. Kartini, I concluded some points concerning status of R. A. Kartini as an Indonesian heroine.
First, R. A. Kartini was a 19th-century Javanese woman, who distinguished herself in fields where women were traditionally excluded. She is from an aristocrat family which applied the rules and traditions that have been inherited since a long time ago. Then, the existing of the traditions in the aristocrat family made her feel fettered as a woman. Fortunately, her status as an aristocrat daughter made her able to get an education in a school. However, the tradition of secluded made her unable to continue her education. It made her wanted to break her traditions that was considered very curb for her freedom as a human. Based on R. A. Kartini‟s ideas to escape from her tradition, she shared her ideas by sending
letters to her European friends.
Kartini wanted to break her traditions so that Indonesian women in the future could get the same rights and educations as men without bound by the traditions. Moreover, R. A. Kartini was a Javanese woman who sacrificed herself for Indonesian women to get their freedom so that they could choose the ways that they loved in the future. R. A. Kartini was a Javanese
woman who fought for gender equality and women‟s rights in Indonesia. She had been called
as an Indonesian woman emancipation heroine.
Furthermore, in the analysis above, I related to participants‟ opinions about R. A.
Kartini. I found some opinions which said that she was unworthy to be said as an Indonesian heroine. She just shared her desire to get her freedom by sending the letters to her European friends when she was secluded. Moreover, it turned out that Kartini did not speak up for all of woman in Indonesia or even Javanese, she just talked about herself. She just told her sick of her culture which made her not be able to get an education as high as men at that time.
From the discussion, it is explained that R. A. Kartini just mentioned herself in her
letters. She never mentioned Javanese women‟s thought when she shared her feeling to her
friends. Moreover, she spoke much about her desire to get an education in Europe like her Dutch friends. Then, she was sick of her own Javanese culture that made her unable to do anything that she liked.
woman aristocrat. Then, the two R. A. Kartini‟s letters to her friend more accurately described as the outpouring of her heart and desire as an aristocrat Javanese woman who wanted to be free and get the same rights as men. She did not give the real action to be considered as a heroine who fought for Indonesian women for getting the same rights as men.
I conducted this study based on the problem that people questioned R. A. Kartini as an Indonesian heroine. This study is based on the book, so it might not give a thorough text
about R. A. Kartini‟s letter and not yet cover everything about R.A Kartini. Further research
could be about the validity of R. A. Kartini who told as a heroine. If some researchers make inquiries to analyze further about Reader response through R. A. Kartini‟s letters, I would suggest that the future study analyze deeper about R. A. kartini story why she just mentioned her siblings and herself to represent women who wanted get their freedom as a Javanese woman. Through this study, I also hope that there are further studies that analyze other reader-response in other letters beside the letters that I gave to ED students as the participants.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my greatest attitude to Tuhan Yesus Kristus and Bunda Maria for the amazing guidance and power working in my life, so that I can finish my thesis. Also, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my thesis supervisor, Danielle Donelson-Sims, M.A. in giving me her valuable time, support, and guidance in helping me finishing my thesis. I would also show my appreciation to my second reader, Purwanti Kusumaningtyas, M.Hum, for her willingness in reading and examining my thesis.
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