Multicultural Indonesia Reflected in Hendri Teja’s Tan Novel

Abstract

Reading a literary work might give us an idea of the situations of society in a particular time. In the sociology of literature, this phenomenon is referred to as a mirror of an age. This means that a literary work does not simply describe the conditions of a society, but also values the tradition of the society. Taking Tan novel as its object, this study aimed to see the description of Indonesia's condition, at the time when the novel was composed by Hendri Teja. Alan Swingewood and Diana Laurenson's idea which sees literary work is the reflection of the age is used as the approach to this study. The data which were taken from the novel were analyzed by relating them to the secondary data taken from references discussing the situation of society depicted in the novel. The study concluded that the description in Tan novel portrays Indonesian conditions and values, i.e. plurality in religion and social class and general agreement in decision-making. The way the society perceives multiculturalism reflects the greatness of Indonesian people in accepting differences and in practicing democratic system. In addition, this study also found out that this novel also criticizes a long-running problem between the working class and capital owners in Indonesian society.