Conflict In Hamka’s Novel Merantau Ke Deli: A Sociology Of Literature Approach

Abstract

This research aims at defining and describing conflicts faced by the protagonist, Leman, in Hamka’s Novel Merantau ke Deli. Hamka through the novel tells about Minangkabau ethnic group and its customary law which adopts matrilineal system. The system adopts the family ties of mother. The system puts the position of men under the women in many aspects of life such as considered as guest (urang sumando) in his own house, and no power in deciding his daughter’s marriage. This research conducted uses descriptive qualitative method proposed. Conflict theory proposed by Pickering which devided conflict into social conflict, interpersonal conflict, and intrapersonal conflict is applied. Sociology of literature approach is used to reveal kinds of conflict, causes of conflict, and solutions of the conflict. The results show that the protagonist, Leman faced social conflict about the customary law applied in his community. As a Minangkabau man, he has to marry a Minangkabau woman to be considered in the society although he has married a Javanese woman and to be allowed in using an honorific title in Minangkabau society. The interpersonal conflict faced by the protagonist is between he and his wife, Poniem. And the intrapersonal conflict is when he decided to marry Mariatun, a Minangkabau woman, to be his second wife.

Keywords: ConflictsocialinterpersonalintrapersonalMinangkabau

Introduction

Conflict is competition or conflict between parties that are not compatible with each other, contradictory circumstances or behaviors (such as disagreements, interests, or conflicts between individuals), disputes, and conflicts (Webster, as cited in Pickering, 2006). Novels as a reflection of society illustrate the reality of the community in terms of social, economic and cultural activities that are developed in the community because literature is inseparable from the real life of society. Literary works always intersect with the people in the era where the literary work was created, as well as the novel Merantau ke Deli by Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah or known as Hamka, a novel that tells the story of a pair of young men who are in love but are surrounded by customs embraced so that they must harbor love for each of them. This novel has been adapted into film twice with high school titles in 1981 and 2011. This novel began to be written in 1935.

The social life of the people embraced in the novel is Minangkabau. Minangkabau is one of the tribes in Indonesia which is a tribe that adheres to the matriarchal system. The matriarchal system is a kinship system traced from the mother's side so that the mother has the greater power in terms of her inheritance and matchmaking. Husbands, in Minangkabau customs, are only considered guests or termed Sumando. The rules that apply in these customs will of course cause a person to suffer conflict with themselves, with fellow followers, or also with adherents.

Hamka's novels, many of which have traditional background in Minangkabau culture, can be said to be a reflection of society in their time. As a study related to society, the sociology of literature is used to examine the social conflicts that occur in the novel Merantau ke Deli. Damono (1978) states that the study of sociology of literature explains that literature is a reflection of its era. Simple interactions from one group to another are a conflict in the study of sociology of literature. Conflict grows and develops because there is a reciprocal relationship between one group and another group. Sociological approaches can be used to resolve existing conflicts.

The focus of this research is to uncover the types of conflicts, causes of conflict, and how to resolve social conflicts experienced by the main character in Hamka's Novel Merantau ke Deli. Hopefully, this research can be one of the references in the literature on sociology, especially those related to social conflict in literary works which are a reflection of society.

Turner (2006) states that the form of conflict is based on three concepts which are divided into nine main points, namely the social system is composed of a number of interdependent units, there is an inequality of the main distributions that are valuable from each unit, units that feel Such inequality begins to question the legitimacy of the existing social system, the unit that feels such inequality begins to realize the existence of an interest from the unit that has more distribution, the lacking unit starts to emit emotions over the inequalities, emotions that are allowed to emerge the frustration experienced by the units lacking the distribution, the intensity of their involvement in the conflict increased and the involvement was increasingly emotional, various attempts were made to organize the involvement of groups that did not have interests included in these emotional interests, and finally open conflict between groups a and non-possessed groups.

The level of conflict resolution expressed by Turner (2006), the two conflicting parties solved it in their own way. The way in which conflict is resolved is one of the distinctive features of the conflict itself. Applied in the object, the level of resolution is how the two parties can eliminate the conflict because indeed before Wasripin's arrival the two parties were not hostile to each other. The approach expressed by Jonathan Turner regarding conflict resolution takes precedence over how the level of emotionality of the community members. In the phenomenon, conflicts are resolved in an unpleasant way. This is due to the level of emotionality of the people in the story which is still classified as having a very high level of emotionality. It is indicated that there is still a lot of violence that occurs and lack of communication so that the realization of peace in the story in the novel.

Wellek and Warren (as cited in Nurgiyantoro, 2007) state that conflict is something dramatic, referring to a battle between two balanced forces which causes the main action and retaliatory action. According to Pickering (2006), conflict can be in the form of human conflict with himself, human conflict with humans, human conflict with society, and human conflict with nature.

Problem Statement

Novel Merantau ke Deli by Hamka tells about Minangkabau ethnic with their customs and traditions. Minangkabau people wherever they are always upload their custom and traditions under the matriarchal system. The system itself creates some conflicts especially for those who are living at the overseas.

Research Questions

The research questions are formulated as follows.

• What conflicts exist in the novel Merantau ke Deli by Hamka?

• How the conflicts influence the life of Minangkabau people in the overseas?

Purpose of the Study

The purposes of this study are as follows:

• To find out about the conflicts exist in the novel Merantau ke Deli by Hamka.

• To elaborate how the conflicts influence the life of Minangkabau people in the overseas.

Research Methods

This study uses a qualitative method with a sociological approach. Qualitative methods are used to examine an object in depth and with interpretations in the form of descriptive. The sociological approach is used because the conflict studied is the social aspects that become the reference in the study of the conflict.

Novel Merantau ke Deli , the eighth print of Hamka's work published in 157 pages in 1982, becomes the primary data source in this study. The data used in this study are words, phrases, clauses, sentences, or paragraphs that indicate the existence of a conflict of the main characters contained in the primary data source. The data obtained is not data that still does not really exist so that the qualitative method used will prove that there is data suspected of conflict in the novel.

Data were collected by observation and documentation techniques. Observation techniques are used to find data using the sense of sight to read novels. Then the documentation technique was applied to record data obtained in one special writing media. However, to make the study focusses, the limitation made only discusses about human conflict with her/himself and Human conflict with other human.

Findings

Soekanto (1982) looks that conflicts happen at the personal attitudes or group of people that aware about the differences which create a disagreement. Feeling has so important role in sharpening the differences that every people or community beats each other. The feeling can be in the form of anger and hatred which causes incitements to hurt or against other. In the novel Merantau ke Deli , the conflicts are not only with him/herself, human or society but also with the custom that tie up.

Conclusion

Merantau ke Deli is a novel written by Hamka tells about the social life of Minangkabau ethnic. The custom and tradition adopted are really different than the other ethnics in this country. Minangkabau ethnic adopts matriarchal syste which lineage traced from the mother’s side. The novel tells about Leman and Poniem, which come from different ethnic, Minangkabaunese and Javanese ties by marriage. The different customs they have create conflict in their life. The conflicts with her/himself are faced by Leman when he is faced on the decision on his second marriage with mariatun, and also when he divorces Poniem.Poniem also faces conflict with herself when Leman’s request to marry her and also when she are asked by Leman to permit him marries another woman from his own tribe. The conflicts with other human are faced by Poniem with Mariatun when they lives at the same house with Leman. The conflicts in the novel influences the future life of the characters in the novel.

References

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