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By Pramoedya Ananta Toer - W. Morrow (1993) - Hardback - 352 pages - ISBN 0688127266




 
This book is the second sequel of Buru quartet. This book describes the sorrow of Javanese people under Dutch colonialism. First, Pramoedya describes the sorrow of Annelies Mellema. When she went to the Netherlands Annelies was so depressed that she did not want to do anything. On board she was sick. In the Netherlands she was neglected and before long she died in sorrow.

Then Pramoedya describes the evil of capitalism and colonialism. His character to portrait a cruel person is the boss of sugar factory, Frits Homerus Vlekkenbaaij, pronounced pejoratively as Plikemboh in Javanese language. He was a drunk, ferocious and a womanizer. He saw he saw Surati, the daughter of his subordinate. Then he had an evil idea. One day the factory's money was lost. Plikemboh was ready to help on one condition that Sastro (the one who is responsible) must give Surati to him. At first Surati and her mother refused but they were too powerless to resist. Then she set a plan to retaliate. At night she went to a village that was quarantined due to plague. She managed to get in eventhough it was heavily guarded. There she met a dying baby with his parents passed away nearby. Shortly after that the baby died in her hands. The next morning she went to see Plikemboh. Soon he was infected. A few days later they both died.

Pramoedya also describes farmers' sorrow. Pramoedya describes a farmer named Trunodongso. At the time he was intimidated by a group of people who threatened him to give up his land to sugar factory. He had five bau of land and the factory had hired three bau for eighteen months but in reality two years except he agreed to prolong the contract for the next season. In addition, he never received the money in full. The agreed price was eleven picis but he received three talen so he lost thirty five cents. Minke promised to report this case in newspaper. Then Minke gave his article to his editor. But Nijman, his editor, rejected his report.

.......

In short in this book Pramoedya focused his opinion negative sides of capitalism and colonialism. No wonder that during the new order era, under Suharto, this book was banned. The government at the time was very concerned that this book is the promotion of communism. -- http://www.squidoo.com/child-of-all-nations



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