| Summary: | In analysing images of women in Indonesian narratives over a span of 50
years, Hellwig has chosen to avail herself of feminists theories because she
claims that they allow her to challenge, negotiate or take up issues with the
texts studied. This approach, according to her, is necessary in order to offer an
alternative reading, one which is different from the mainstream interpretation
often found in critical works on Indonesian literature. Hellwig’s findings demonstrate
that images of Indonesian women over the period studied have
changed little, namely Indonesian women are essentially portrayed as objects
as opposed to subjects that have agency. Likewise, a patriarchal ideology
largely underpins production, consumption and appreciation of Indonesian
literature. According to Hellwig, this was, among others, due to religious or cultural values, teachings or decrees, which have become so much a part of
Indonesian society and accepted as such without question. In the context of an
academic study, Hellwig’s meticulous analysis is beyond question, particularly
in terms of its coherence and logical argumentation. However, various
aspects not evident in the narratives, aspects which are deliberately left unsaid
because of certain demands or biases of the narratives, or which constitute
readers’ and writers’ shared assumptions but which, albeit left unsaid,
nonetheless serve to colour the narratives, are sometimes not taken into account
to balance out the written and the said. This, in turn, gives rise to several
statements which are not altogether correct, and open to challenge. This comment
notwithstanding, Hellwig’s analysis on the whole does offer an alternative
reading, besides contributing to the corpus of critical works on Indonesian
literature
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