Comparison of Literature

The Sinking of the Vander Wijck Compared with Romeo and Juliet in Forbidden Love

Made by Ridho Ambarita English literature 2011 A (USU) Mogumogi - The Sinking of van der Wijck is an adaptation of a late 1930s Indonesian novel of the same title penned by Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, who is better known as Hamk , tells of a powerful but tragic love story.The two-hour-and-45-minute long film, which hit theaters on Dec. 19, is set in 1930s. It published in 1938. It follows the failed love between Zainuddin, a mixed-race man, and Hayati, a pure Minang woman.

Hamka, an Islamic scholar who disapproved of Minang adat (traditions), wrote Van der Wijck as a critique of the discrimination against mixed-race persons prevalent in Minang society at the time, as well as the subservient role of women. Originally released as a serial, Van der Wijck was republished as a novel after favourable popular reception.

While in Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career and Written between 1591 to 1595, Romeo and Juliet was first staged in 1597. And tells about the relationship between two important families in Verona that pobud contrary to its established bond of love of each child of the family as opposed to end in death.

We know that the Author of the sinking of the Van Der Wijck is HAMKA or his real name is Prof. Dr. Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, he is one of the very famous writer in his lifetime, he was steeped in Islam. Through the Arabic language, he examines the work of a French scholar, the UK and Germany as Albert Camus, William James, Sigmund Freud, Arnold Toynbee, Jean Paul Sartre, Karl Marx, and Pierre Loti. But to me he was inspired by the literary works of William Shakespeare, because, when viewed from the side of his biography, I think he is steeped in literary Arabic, whereas shakespeare not have Arabic or Islamic literary. therefore he went on a pilgrimage to Arabic. Even In 1959, Hamka were granted honorary doctorates from the University of al-Azhar University, Cairo for his services in the broadcasting of Islam by using the Malay language.

Theme

Theme contained in the novel  is forbidden love between Zainuddin and Hayati,

 because that’s get hindered by very strong custom.

ð  Even though Zainudin’s father  come from Minangkabau, but his mother not from Minangkabau. So Zainuddin inappropriate biting Hayati, with nobility descent.
Proof : " for the Hayati’s benefit of you love" this word has taken into Zainuddin  heart, like arrows are very sharp. He thought to himself, no tribes, outcast child, and not seen as legitimate in the traditional Minangkabau. While Hayati is nobleman child.  (p.56)

Exactly, it is same with the theme of Romeo and Juliet (forbidden love) but Love in Romeo and Juliet is more brutal, powerful emotion that captures individuals and catapults them against their world, and, at times, against themselves.

Forbidden love

Forbidden love was a main part to the shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, this is because if their love wasn't forbidden, it wouldn't be the same love story and definitely wouldn't have been a tragedy either. They were not able to be together because of their famillies constant bickering and hate for each other. It is the main reason why Romeo and Juliet had to be married in secret, and had to make plans to be together in private. if it wasn't necessary, there would be no tragedy, Juliet wouldn't have had the problem of Lord Capulet arranging marriage with Paris and they wouldn't have needed to do anything in secrecy.

I think one of the reasons that forbidden love played a bigger part was because, if Juliet had married any other man, i think the Capulets would've been fine with it and there would be no tragedy or problems. But because she fell in love with Romeo, the heir to the Montagues, her family's enemies, they needed to be secretive and also hasty, because nobody knew of their love and she was to be married to Paris, so they needed to be together quick, as they did not want to tell their famillies of their love.

All in all, if their love wasn't forbidden, there simply wouldn't have been a tragedy.

This is quote from Romeo and Juliet :

          O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name!

Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,

And I'll no longer be a Capulet."

"Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die,

Take him and cut him out in little stars,

And he will make the face of heaven so fine

That all the world will be in love with night

And pay no worship to the garish sun."

““Romeo:

If I profane with my unworthiest hand

This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:

My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand

To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.

Juliet:

Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,

Which mannerly devotion shows in this;

For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,

And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.

Romeo:

Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?

Juliet:

Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.

Romeo:

O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;

They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.

Juliet:

Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.

Romeo:

Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.

Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.

Juliet:

Then have my lips the sin that they have took.

Romeo:

Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!

Give me my sin again.

Juliet:

You kiss by the book.”

This is some my explains and quote in the sinking of the van der wijck

I guess, there will be very unfair to judge people only by where they are coming from, to gather with people only by their ethnicity. Some area in Indonesia will very stick to it, then again, it relates to traditional rules that they are raised with. Luckily, i am not the one who has to be with people by their religion, race, or the place they are from, i have the freedom to be friend with people i like no matter what they are, i have no problem to be in love to every guy in the world, and i thank God for it.

the story in the movie : “When Hayati was forced to marry the man she doesn’t love only because he is minang”

Well, as human, we cannot choose who the person we are going to in love with. Based on that, we also cannot figure how a person will be. Loving someone comes from the heart, therefore, you should not be confused by what people say, as long as he loves you back, and he wants to work it out, you have to fight for it, if you love him, stick to him no matter what, you never know what the world will bring you to.

the story in the movie : “When Hayati decided to go over Aziz and marry him because her family thought that Aziz is suitable for her, without fighting back she was agreed”

Yes, you cannot live without money, and that is the reason why you have been working all these years, but choosing someone to love just because the money he can spend for you is not absolutely right, for me personally, that is not the money he can spend for me, it is about how mature he is to know that everything in this world needs efforts, our efforts, and he must know that the children he is going to have are mine that have got a good education, at least. When he knows what to do, it is more than enough.

the story in the movie : “When Hayati married Aziz only because he seemed so rich and matured enough, without knowing what Aziz did behind her back”

There will come to a point of “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, some men are too obvious to be judged while some of the rest are full of mysteries. Don’t be too quickly to rate some of them, because you can be wrong. Therefore, you have to know him, and a good man will remain the same no matter how long you’ve been together.

the story in the movie : “When Hayati’s family has chosen Aziz to be her husband only because Aziz seems bright as his future might become, while in fact, he was only a man behind gambling table and had room for other women in his heart by cheating Hayati”

You may have a good looking face, money in your wallet, or even the shining cars. But remember, life turns out to be so mean if you are not thankful. Be humble for what you have, be kind to people because you never know that you may need them in your life.

the story in the movie : “When Aziz was very proud of his wealthy, he was being so careless with people around him and its letting him to have nothing when its all gone.”

Yes, regret always comes late, if it wasn’t, it called registering. Hehehe.. Think before you speak, you have no idea if your words may hurt people and it could not taken back when it split out. Always be very graceful for what you have now before life teaches you to love what you lost.

the story in the movie : “When Zainuddin asked Hayati to leave him and sent her to Padang by Van Der Wijck, without knowing that it was the last time he spoke to her, the woman he loves.”

Plot

The novel using mix plot, because it tells the things that are past or past and back again discussing the real thing or go back to new and continuing stories. And we can see from the words, "... To find out who he is, we have to go back to an incident in a small country in the region Batipuh Sapuluh Koto (Leopold) approximately thirty years ago. (2008:5) "

Zainuddin is an orphan. His father was died when Zainuddin still young. And his mother, Daeng Habibah was died when he still a baby. His mother was a Minang people, and his mother was a non Minang people, so he faces much discrimination from Minang conservatives.

After he become adult, Zainuddin ask for Mak Base, so that he goes to Minangkabau to come his father village in Batipuh. He meets Hayati there, and they love each other. Although he loves Hayati, the daughter of local nobleman, he is not allowed to be with her, so he decides to move to Padang Panjang, and still keep in touch with Hayati with sending letters. Before it, Hayati have promised for loyal to Zainuddin until whenever.

One day, Hayati goes to Padang Panjang, because she wants to meet Zainuddin. She stays in her best friend house, Khadijah. Her elder brother, Aziz falls in love with Hayati, leading to Zainuddin and Aziz to compete for Hayati's affections. Aziz, who is of purely Minang descent and a noble background, is favoured by her family; they look down on Zainuddin, who is poor and of mixed heritage. Although Zainuddin receives a sizeable inheritance from Mak Base, he is too late to inform Hayati's family, and finally Aziz marries her. So Zainuddin feel so despair.

Zainuddin decides to Jawa with his friend, Muluk who very motivates him. They go to Batavia and then to Surabaya. Zainuddin becomes known as a writer and philanthropist there. In the same time, Aziz and Hayati also move to Surabaya, but essentially their relations become so bad.  After Azis discharged from his job, they live in Zainuddin house. Aziz runs away to Banyuwangi, leaving Hayati for Zainuddin; in a letter, Aziz writes that Zainuddin is more deserving. But Zainuddin isn’t forget about Hayati’s mistake. Hayati was returned by Zainuddin to Batipuh with Vander Wijk ship. In the center of travel, the ship get accident which sinks off the coast of northern Java.  After Zainuddin hearing the news, he and Muluk rush to Tuban to search for her directly. He still love her, and so do her. They find Hayati in a hospital, where Zainuddin and Hayati make up; she then dies in his arms. Zainuddin's healt be more worse not long afterwards. After he dies, he is buried next to Hayati.

Setting

·         Place

-    Minangkabau

     => Place when Zainuddin moved from Batipuh.

-    Mengkassar

=> Place in Zainuddin was born.

-          Batipuh

=> Hayati’s place to stay and first meet with Zainuddin.

-          Padang Panjang

=> where Khadijah lived, where the presence of horse racing and Night Market.

-          Jakarta / Batavia

       => Place where Zainuddin and Muluk first moved to Java.

-          Surabaya

 => Zainuddin place to stay and become a writer, moving work place Aziz and Hayati.

-          Lamongan

 => At the hospital, where the last time Zainuddin and Hayati had dialogue before he died.

·         Time  :   the 1930s (Belanda Period) , every day (morning, afternoon , evening)

Ø Morning

"In the morning, before the women carry bringing (the equipments) to the fields, ...." (2008:29)

Ø  Afternoon

"In the afternoon,  after drinking a bowl of tea, while Hayati sitting with her husband, came a messenger that deliver the invitation ..." (2008:164)

Ø Evening

"Hayati come back soon . After prayers and dinner, he soon up to bed,  reading  near  near a wall lamp. "(2008:37)

·         Situation         

-          Touchingly  (while on Hayati receive love Zainuddin when Zainuddin stated by letter and meet in rice fields landscape Datuk)

-          Sad (when Zainuddin lived with miserable, Zainuddin request was rejected by Hayati’s  family. When Hayati was died).

·         Social condition :  custom. Minangkabau tradition/custom that is so binding and so discriminate against other customary at the time.

Characters

Major Figures

-         Zainuddin  ( Protagonist )
A kind man , religious man , simple , have ambition and high ideals , loyal man , often desperate , full of misery by the love of his life , but has a high confidence , easily fragile , stubborn person .
Proof : " Zainuddin an educated gentle , educated art expert , expert of sya'ir , who prefers to succumb to the interests of others" . (1986 : 27 )

-          Hayati ( Protagonist )
Kind woman, calm , friendly and obedient customs . Women are quiet , simple , and have loyalty . Women who respect her ninik mamak , compassionate , have compassion , sincere person , patient and is like easily influenced .

-          Aziz  ( Antagonists )
A man who spenders , pleasure-loving , disloyal , having no purpose in life , rich and educated people , people who do not believe , irresponsible and in life just have fun happy,  mistreat his wife and despair .

-          Khadijah

Women who are educated , rampart , like to influence others , rich woman , compassionate friend , people in the city , has a strong desire.

Supporting Figures

-          Mak Base

Wise woman and always be there to the main character (Zainuddin) to give advice and very faithful to accompany the main character until the end of the story.

-          Muluk  

Zainuddin’s best friend who motivates Zainuddin when he’s in desperate. Always be there to Zainuddin to give advice and very faithful to accompany Zainuddin until the end of the story.

 Complement Figures

-          Mande Jamilah

Mande Jamilah is Zainudin’s bako. Zainudin was in her home-stay at while in Batipuh. He was a little concerned about the existence Zainudin. He is warned Zainuddin to leave Batipuh immediately, because Mande listen to people want to make some evil intention to Zainudin.

-                      Mak Tengah Limah

Hayati’s mother. Mak Limah is the only one who appreciates the feeling of Hayati to Zainudin. He seems to appreciate the differences in tribes.

-        Pendekar Sutan

Zainudin’s father. He was a Minangkabauman that exiled from his country. In Mengkassar he married with Daeng Habibah and blessed with children who gave the name Zainudin. Man who’s faithful to his wife.

-       Daeng Habibah

Zainudin’s  mother.  She was descent of a king, nobility higher derivatives.

Habibah Daeng is a patient woman, she was able to guide her husband to ask for forgiveness to God, soften hearts her husband who already lived 12 years in prison. Gentle female figure.

-       Datuk Mantari Labih

Mamak from Swordsman Sutan. He is a greedy man. Treasure that left by Swordsman Sutan’s parent was mastered, he use it with responsibility. It was the one that sparked Sutan Swordsman be anger. Until finally he was killed in a quarrel with the Sultan Swordsman

-         Ahmad

Hayati’s brother.  A devoted brother to her sister. He always accompany Hayati to meet Zainudin. He also who acted as a courier postal letters for Hayati and Zainudin.