Set shortly after Indonesia’s independence, a moral of this story by Pramoedya Ananta Toer acould be the grass always appears greener…. A struggling Javan farmer leaves his first wife and, with a “delicious” long-legged, light-skinned younger wife in tow, moves to Jakarta for what he thinks will be a better life. Instead, illiterate and with no trade skills, he falls into even more miserable circumstances. Distanced from his new wife and with nothing to go back to, he finds solace in playing his ketjapi. Themes include dreams vs reality, urbanization, alienation, urban poverty, disillusionment, the soothing power of music.
It is interesting to contemplate what the narrator means by describing his protagonist as a “hero”. Although not a hero in a conventional sense, the label could have two meanings. First, he has survived life’s challenges with his dignity intact despite his heart, his soul, his life, his future (being) tattered and full of holes. Perhaps more importantly, as in several other stories, Toer portrays the new nation’s downtrodden proletariat as the true heroes who helped rebuild it after years of colonialism, war and corruption.