'Arok Dedes': An engaging way to tell history
'Arok Dedes': An engaging way to tell history
Arok Dedes By Pramoedya Ananta Toer Hasta Mitra, Jakarta, December 1999 418 pages Rp 35,000.
JAKARTA (JP): One of the most intellectually rewarding privileges of living in this era is that you get to choose your own reading material. When you read the works of Pramoedya Ananta Toer you will recognize that privilege. While elsewhere his books received world-class awards and recognition, he was ironically a pariah in his own land. Unlike the works of so many other creators -- whose works were only worth mentioning because they happened to oppose the ruling Soeharto regime -- Pram's books are indeed superb literature compositions regardless of the controversy surrounding him.
His writing style, rich vocabulary and meticulous knowledge of the subject of his books have placed him in a class of his own. One of his latest printed works is Arok Dedes, the first that was published after Soeharto resigned in May 1998. Pram's earlier books were banned here. Arok Dedes is a historical epic delineating the devious struggle of a commoner name Arok to ascend to the throne of Tumapel.
The time set was early 13th century; the stake was the throne of Tumapel, a subordinate region under the Kediri Kingdom in East Java. The story begins with the abduction of Dedes, the beautiful virgin daughter of Mpu Parwa, a noted Brahman priest. She was kidnapped by Tunggul Ametung -- the ruthless ruler of Tumapel -- to be his bride.
At the time Tunggul Ametung was in power, the people under his rule lived in poor conditions while the king was concerned only with his own welfare. There was also dissatisfaction on the part of the Brahman society as the priests' discontentment had intensified since the ruling of Sri Erlangga, the ancestor of the current Kediri king. The late monarch established Hyang Vishnu (the God of sustenance) as the supreme God as opposed to Betara Shiva (the God of destruction) which was the god of choice for the Brahman priests.
Then came Arok, an orphan born as a Sudra who became the disciple of Dang Hyang Lohgawe, a renowned and highly respected priest at the time. Arok was not just proficient in Hindu teaching, he also was the leader of a rebellious guerrilla group that was against Tunggul Ametung's rule. The abduction of Dedes was the trigger for the solidification of the rebelling group with the Brahman society, with Arok as the vanguard of the movement. Through a devious plan mastermind by Dang Hyang Lohgawe, Arok became the highest-ranking officer of the army in Tunggul Ametung's castle. Thereupon, battle after battle Arok supposedly "conquered" his own rebellion troops and acted as the protector of Tunggul Ametung and his wife, Dedes. During the time, another insurgent group -- headed by royal weaponmaker Mpu Gandring -- was also conspiring to attain the throne. A Sudra man himself, Mpu Gandring used Kebo Ijo, a high-ranking soldier with Ksatria blood, as his front man. With the help of Dedes, Arok set up a plan to lure Kebo Ijo to commit the final step of murdering the already weakened Tunggul Ametung. After establishing Kebo Ijo as the culprit, Arok then made the move to center stage and, with the blessing of Dang Hyang Lohgawe, asserted his position as the new ruler of Tumapel with Dedes as his wife.
The intricate plot is an authentic part of Javanese history. Nevertheless, Pram's way of telling the story makes one forget that this is the same story taught in history class back in junior high. The meticulous detail of each character and the socioreligious conditions make you feel like you are actually living in that bygone era. Through his words, Dedes becomes a sensuous beautiful creature and not just some Javanese queen.
However, she is not just a pretty face; she is the daughter of the great Mpu Parwa and equipped with a Hindu scholarly upbringing. In one paragraph we can witness her transformation from a helpless kidnapping victim to a woman of power: "She smiles with satisfaction at realizing her authority as a king's wife. She traverses the veranda. In her heart she continuously chants her gratification to the supreme God. Power is so beautiful and pleasant. She will cling to it, and make it a fortress for herself and a shield against sadness and bafflement."
The character Arok comes across as a complete man. A Sudra who creates battle strategies as though he was born with Ksatria blood in his veins, who is also an eloquent speaker of Sanskrit, the language of the Brahmin. Pram's version of Arok created new discourse. Through Pram's writing, Arok is no longer the cunning, back-stabbing person he traditionally has been portrayed as, he is now the hero in the saga.
Budi Darma -- a distinguished writer and scholar of literature -- once stated in his novel, Olenka, that, "A worthy literary work is not a work of writing that is full of astounding physical actions, but is one that is enriched with glimmers of so many thoughts." Thus, what can you call a book that paradoxically enraptures those two elements in harmony? If one thing were to be described as somewhat of a bother in this book, it is the repeated statement from the publisher (on the back cover and again in the forward) analogizing the story with the alleged Soeharto coup plot back in 1965. Some how it feels like an unnecessary marketing strategy (on the publisher's part) to create some sort of controversy. A magnum opus like this one can definitely be treasured on its own literary worth.
-- Reita I. Malaon