As I continue on through Pramodedya Ananta Toer's This Earth of Mankind, I can't help but notice some qualities that this novel embodies that can be equated to some that exist in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. While the obvious trait that both stories share would be the protagonists' coming of age being portrayed, I also tend to think of the hardships that both face. An important factor to think of is the idea that both Minke and Pip come from a lower status and wish to achieve a higher status, as coming of age tales often show. However, an important difference to consider would be any sort of racial implication that is lacking in Great Expectations but is more than prevalent in This Earth of Mankind. Minke has a much larger hurdle to jump over that Pip seemed to have in his own trials, and that is his native ancestry, which renders him at the bottom of the proverbial totem pole of social status in this Dutch-controlled colony.
Despite the social connotations of his race, Minke does not seem to be hindered all that much, as he pursues marriage with Annelies and continues his dream to be a writer. People may criticize and even condemn his background, but that seems to be where the light at the end of this bleak tunnel of colonization seems to lie. Someone who's at the bottom rung of the social ladder like Minke sets out to pursue his dreams, granted one could argue that his dreams could have been set in motion by the colonizers themselves, as he receives an education by way of the Dutch missionaries. With that in mind, the supposed light at the end of the tunnel does have some darkness about it, which to me, speaks to the comparison of Great Expectations in that Pip is motivated to become apart of the very social structure that doesn't care much for his kind. Such is the issue that Minke potentially faces. He's pursuing his dreams, but the system that holds him down is the same that Minke wishes to become apart of. It's a very skewed scenario to me.
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I agree with Mike that the same system that Minke wishes to become a part of is holding him down. What I found especially interesting was the part of the novel when Minke discusses the outfit he is forced to wear when his father is inaugerated. This outfit which we would assume is an authentic Javanese outfit was actually created by the Dutch in the 1600s for the ruling class to wear. From this we see how the Dutch were trying to create a form of Javanese culture which they could understand through a European lens, and also which they could consider inferior. If the Dutch were sincerely trying "civilize" the Javanese royalty why wouldn't they have dressed them in the clothes of European nobility, instead of creating an exotic costume for them to wear that had no relation whatsoever to Javanese culture? It is at times like these that we see how the colonizer creates a representation of the colonized and forces the colonized to conform to it. I wonder to what degree the discourse on a culture shapes a culture? To what degree does "Othering" a people make them become an "Other"?
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree that racism and class distinction are a terrible thing and no one should not have to fight against it if one wants to become part of a higher class status, especially if that person is educated like Minke. But why would anyone want to be a part of something that holds them down or oppresses them?
ReplyDeleteIn any case, Minke so far has proven to be a heroic character in that he represents the natives in a positive way. He is a native that has the intelligence to be a graduate of H.B.S. and yet is comfortable in his own skin. Compared to the previous text we’re read, P. Toer does a wonderful job at creating a character that is not torn between his dreams and what is expected of his (native) society. Minke has been able to find the balance between adapting to the new culture and maintaining his sense of identity unlike Marlow and Okonkwo. Marlow who was torn between his morals or his “hint of kinship” and what was expected of his society, and Okonkwo who was unwilling to give up any part of his culture to adapt to someone else’s. Maybe this balance that Minke represent will secure his success and peace of mind. Who knows, we’ll just have to wait and see.