The rights and the position of woman major character reflected in Gadis Pantai by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

ABSTRACT

Women always struggle for the equality in the rights and position throughout the history. The fact shows us that women always get different and unfair treatment and opportunity in any aspects of life. This cultural differences led women to the struggle of the quality in their society. It is unavoidable for literary work to respond this social as the consequence of many experts explanation that literature is the mirror of real world. The study of women in relation to their rights and position cannot be separated from the study of women struggle. That is why the writer is interested in women rights and position reflected in Gadis Pantai by Pramoedya Ananta Toer.

The objectives of this research, in particular, is to give contribution to the literary world in order to develop interpretation on literary work. This research is meant to describe the rights and position women major Character reflected in Gadis Pantai Romance by Pramoedya Ananta Toer.

This study investigates the idea of rights and the position of women. Therefore, the approach that is used is social approach. Each aspects of the Romance such as plot, setting, theme, characters and points of view is investigated to identify the rights and the position is performed by using theories of feminism analysis. Finally the relationship between women’s rights and position in this Romance is examined.

From this research it can state that, women in this Romance never have opportunity to make decision or policy in all aspects in family. They must always follow what husband or men want in their family. The major cha٢acter of this Romance never get the chance to make policy in her life and activity, so, she has to follow Bendoro will. Gadis Pantai as a wife has limited time to manage her decision and to be subordinated by being the object of men’s decision. She is not the decision maker for herself. Unfair relation between women and men (wife and husband) in family us shown in this Romance. As mother, women have right to own her child. But in this Romance, Gadis Pantai has no rights to own her child, because Bendoro has more right to own his child as a father. In this case, mother to be subordinated in educating her his child as a father. In this case, mother to be subordinated in educating her child like her husband. And the position of women in this Romance indicates that women were considered to be inferior to men in the Javanese society this day. The inferior was shown in the life of Gadis Pantai. The major character in this Romance was miserable. Men always feel that they had superiority in family. This fact shown in this Romance when Bendoro always took control over the Gadis Pantai activities everyday. Whatever Gadis Pantai wants it must be in bendoro's control. She wants to ask about her husband activity but she had no right to ask about that, because that is not wife business. This indicates that women be controlled by men. And thus inferior to men.

This research is still far from being perfect. Therefore, the writer expects that there will be another research which is focused on women’s problem in another aspect of life which is reflected in other literary works.