Muhammad Reihan Hermawan

1175030177

V/E

Romantic Imaginery in Novel AMBA

Romantic is a genre in literary works that

constantly prioritizes more on feelings. According to

Sumarjo. This movement emphasizes the feeling of

admiration for nature compared to the terms of value

contained (2006, p. 243). Furthermore, according to

Endaswara, romanticism is a way to made some literary

works by using beautiful languages. So, it can touch the

emotions of readers, beauty is the main focus in

romantic (2013, p. 33). Moral is the second one. Feeling

is the main thing. It can affected to situation, condition

and also being basis of imagination. “The principal

object, then, proposed in these poems was to choose

incidents and situations from common life, and to relate

or describe them, throughout, as far as was possible, in

a selection of language really used by men, and, at the

same time, to throw over them a certain colouring of

imagination” (Nurrachman, 2017, p. 148).

Romantic has a main impact in a lot of narration in

Novel AMBA. This novel written by Laksmi Pamuntjak

in 2012. Originally, this novel was English, but in the

same year Laksmi Pamuntjak write this novel into

Indonesian by herself. Many of the issues raised in this

work. This novel tells the triangle loves between Amba,

Bhisma, and Salwa, which has background of histories

detention of political prisoners indicated as a socialist

or communist group. The journey of Amba to find the

truth about Bhisma’s pastlife in Pulau Buru.

This essay will be focused on object that has

romantic value in novel AMBA that related to

Wordsworth theory which has three main aspects on it

which are Feeling, Nature, Moral Concern. Wordsworth

argued, the feeling therein developed gives importance

to the action and situation, and not the action and

situation to the feeling (Nurrachman, 2017, p. 148).

The three aspects above could defined the romantic

value interpreted as.

“Ketika Bapak pulang kerja, mereka sekeluarga akan

duduk bersama di beranda depan, pada gelaran tikar

pandan, sambil menikmati singkong goreng dan teh

manis dan mendengarkan lagu anak-anak dari radio.

Angin petang menebarkan pengertian. Apabila Bapak

dan lbu merasakan ketegangan antara kedua anak

mereka, mereka tak menunjukkannya. Bapak bicara

tentang alam dan musim, matahari dan rembulan,

tentang pepohonan yang menjadi saksi hidup manusia,

tentang apa artinya bekerja; Ibu lebih senang bicara

tentang makanan dan gosip lokal.” (Pamuntjak, 2018, p.

9).

Based on the quote above, we can see how Laksmi

Pamuntjak has narrated an action which has triggered

by a feeling. How nature can affected feeling. Just look

at the narration “Angin petang menebarkan

pengertian” Laksmi tries to show how the beauty of the

afternoon breeze which is always blowing soft, not too

strong, cold, and brings peace, always spreads

something that is more appealing to human anger, how

the wind tries us to be more able to feel. Feeling being

basis of “ibu” and “bapak” action in the next sentence

“Apabila Bapak dan lbu merasakan ketegangan antara

kedua anak mereka, mereka tak menunjukkannya.”

Like a wind “ibu” and “bapak” becomes more calmly

and silence, tried to being soft and not to shown their

rumbling sides. The quotes below is another examples

of how nature can affect our feelings that get us stuck

in an action.

“Samar-samar ia bisa mencium aroma kulit-atau kayu,

atau buku-buku tua-pada laki-laki itu. Aroma yang

purba, yang membuatnya gemetar. Tiba-tiba ia sadar

bahwa rambutnya yang panjang terlepas dan ia tahu ia

harus menggelungnya cepat-cepat. Namun gelang karet

di pergelangan tangannya telah raib entah ke mana,

maka ia biarkan rambutnya terurai, ia toh di Kediri,

begitu jauh dari ibunya di Kadipura. Dan di sini, begitu

dekatnya ia duduk di samping seorang laki-laki dengan

wajah yang tak biasa, nan rupawan, kaki dan bahu

mereka hampir bersentuhan. Arnba tak pernah merasa

demikian indah, demikian perempuan.” (Pamuntjak,

2018, p. 195).

As what we already read the quotation above, In the

first line “Samar-samar ia bisa mencium aroma kulit-

atau kayu, atau buku-buku tua-pada laki-laki itu” is

feeling that caused of the action in the next line. Laksmi

Pamuntjak succeed to describe a narration and word of

“aroma” which is so detailed and magical with the use

of diction, that are so soft and has an imaginary effect

to makes reader become coalesce, feeling more deep

and unite with her imagination. The next line “Aroma

yang purba, yang membuatnya gemetar. Tiba-tiba ia

sadar bahwa rambutnya yang panjang terlepas dan ia

tahu ia harus menggelungnya cepat-cepat.” is the

effect, cause of feeling that we had see in the first line

before. How “aroma yang purba” which is the smell of

an something antique, rare, or even extinct. A depiction

of a maturity can make Amba trembled. It is the

triggered for this quote “Namun gelang karet di

pergelangan tangannya telah raib entah ke mana, maka

ia biarkan rambutnya terurai’ it becomes an action,

after her feeling becomes her basis to behave. Like in

another quote:

“Sudarminto berpikir untuk bertanya pada Salwa,

apakah ia tertarik membangun sekolah negeri di

Kadipura, tapi tiba-tiba ia cepat-cepat menutup mulut.

Memangnya siapa dia, hanya orang terpandang di kota

kecil, apa yang bisa diberikannya dan diberikan

Kadipura kepada seorang bersekolah tinggi seperti

Salwa.” (Pamuntjak, 2018, p. 144).

We can see how feeling being the main of cause how

“Sudarminto” discoraged to asked “Salwa. Being

undervalued could prevented “Sudarminto” to act what

he want to do. According to Nurrachman, influxes of

feeling are modified and directed by our toughts, which

are indeed the representatives off all our past feelings

(2017, p. 150). This can be found in this quote:

”Sudarminto dapat melihat pantulan wajah itu. Dan ia

dapat melihat bagian belakang kepala itu: rambut yang

digelung, leher yang jenjang, punggung yang tegak,

pinggang yang masih ramping, lekuk luar pantat yang

terbalut ketat oleh kain. Paras Nuniek kembali

melintas dalam tatapannya. Paras seorang istri yang

rupawan, yang seakan-akan tak berubah setelah

melahirkan tiga anak, dengan bokong yang masih

kenyal, yang sedikit mendongak pada ti tik di mana

bertaut pinggul dan sepasang paha. Sejenak, seperti

aneh, Sudarminto merasakan sesuatu bergetar di

selangkangannya. ‘Sini dulu,’ katanya, dengan jantung

berdegup. ‘Kupeluk kamu sebentar.” (Pamuntjak, 2018,

p. 140).

Laksmi Pamuntjak describe this paragraph with a words

that can make this narration more imagery of feelings

we can feel. Feeling of Laksmi Pamuntjak as a women.

He succeed to bring us to that situation, it can feel our

heart with pleased. “dengan bokong yang masih kenyal,

yang sedikit mendongak pada titik di mana bertaut

pinggul dan sepasang paha. Sejenak, seperti aneh,

Sudarminto merasakan sesuatu bergetar di

selangkangannya.” It is feeling that only can be

perceived by man who was felt it, and it can be

triggered our action by a intuition thoughts from

nature. Nature give us instinct to breed and this

narration turn on our imagery of that.

“Aroma itu datang lagi, kulic, kayu, buku-buku tua,

campur wangi pascahujan, clan ia rersentak: Bhisma

memegang tangannya erat-erat, clan dengan pelan

sekali mengangkatnya ke bibir. Amba ingin

mengarakan, Aku tidak bermimpi, aku tidak ... tapi

terhenti karena ia merasakan mulut Bhisma melekat

pada mulucnya: basah yang manis, besi, binatang.

Begitu sedih, begitu panjang, begitu biru.” (Pamuntjak,

2018, p. 222).

“Aroma” is a thing that we can feel, and always carry

the memories of the past that we've been through.

Laksmi try to bring us to feel her imagination with the

smell we have been felt. We can feel that situation, or

condition from narration above. Like Smell of bark, old

books, or smell of the rain. We sometimes loves that

smell, and can turn on our old feeling that was never we

felt again. “There will also be found in these volumes

little of what is usually called poetic diction

(Nurrachman, 2017, p. 152).

”Malam itu Amba membiarkan Bhisma tinggal di

kamarnya, dan ketika kemudian Bhisma

membaringkannya di ranjang itu, ia menangkupnya

dengan mulucnya, tangannya, seluruh tubuhnya.

Mereka tetap begitu sampai fajar. Setiap kali laki-laki

itu melihat pertanyaan menggantung di matanya, ia

berbisik, "Apa pun yang sedang kamu pikirkan,

buanglah. Kamu sedang bersamaku," kata Bhisma.

Ketika laki-laki itu telah menanamkan hasratnya

dalam-dalam dan ia merasa ada yang terguncang dan

terbelah dalam dirinya-ia tak lagi Amba yang dulu-ia

biarkan dirinya berpikir tentang bayi dan anak-anak di

bawah cahaya matahari yang lembut.” (Pamuntjak,

2018, p. 226).

Election of diction “Ketika laki-laki itu telah

menanamkan hasratnya” Lakasmi Pamuntjak can

describe a copulation by covering up all the diction that

sounds rather taboo with the selection of the diction

that is genuine. Like “menanamkan hasrat” it also being

“menyelami dan memberikan segala perasaanya” which

is an intercourse between “Amba” and “Salwa”.

Setiap hari ia disergap rasa takut. la bahkan tak bisa

lagi mencari ketenangan dalam bait-bait puisi Inggris

yang ia cintai. Dalam ketakutannya, semakin sulit

baginya untuk bersentuhan dengan yang nyata dan

sederhana di sekelilingnya: lagu di radio, suara

burung di pohon pagi, percik hujan, harurn kacapiring,

hangat matahari, hal-hal yang tak menuntut untuk

dilihat, dikagurni apalagi dipatuhi. Hal-hal indah yang

sederhana semakin lama semakin kehilangan daya.

(Pamuntjak, 2018, p. 77).

Fear is something that can prevent a man or woman

from acting. It is a feeling, and all of human must be

have felt fear. “Dalam ketakutannya, semakin sulit

baginya untuk bersentuhan dengan yang nyata dan

sederhana di sekelilingnya” And it is what Laksmi is

trying to describe as a feeling of fear, how human can

being pessimistic, not realistic, and how feeling being

such an important thing of humans life to take an next

step from their feeling, thought, and action. “Hal-hal

indah yang sederhana semakin lama semakin

kehilangan daya.” This sentence is so romantic, in

otherside it is realistic too. How feeling of magnificence

can be nothing if we feel that feelings constantly feeling

our emotion. People can be boring of beauty if we do

not be grateful, or admire the beauty of nature.

According to Nurrachman, discover what is really

important to men, so, by the repetition aand continence

of this act, our feelings will be connected with

important subject (2017, p. 150).

“Suara itu seperti menyesali dirinya sendiri, clan

Amba merasa mereka berdua bukan berbicara tentang

kekerasan, tetapi sating bertemu di luar kata-kara. Ia

merasa seperti ada hujan yang baru selesai clan sealir

air merasuk ke rumpur. Seakan sebuah kelahiran baru.

Basah cerbic pada bibirnya.” (Pamuntjak, 2018, p.

195).

Laksmi makes repetition of encounter between “Amba”

and “Salwa” built the feeling of interest, and connected

the same of feeling and raised their feels, like in

“Seakan sebuah kelahiran baru. Basah cerbic pada

bibirnya” Amba discover new feeling, like a new birth or

“kelahiran baru” he feel likes reborn and being a

different from Amba was. According to Nurrachman, He

considers man as naturally the mirror of the fairest and

most interesting properties of nature (2017, p. 158).

“Amba segera sadar, naskah-naskah yang disodorkan

kepadanya tak memberinya kegembiraan; salah

satunya, tentang penyakit menular iklim tropis, terdiri

atas tiga belas kata yang tak ia kenal hanya di satu

halaman. Ia kesal dan tak habis pikir, kok ada orang

yang memercayakan iakerja ini kepada seseorang yang

umurnya belum sampai 21 tahun, tanpa pengalaman

kerja dan tanpa pendidikan sebagai penerjemah? Kok

ada orang yang mengira dia bisa diberi tanggung jawab

sebesar ini? Tapi ia telah mengakui hal ini ketika ia

melamar untuk pekerjaan ini. Maka pertanyaan yang

lebih tepat: Kok bisa-bisanya ia mengira ia layak untuk

pekerjaan ini? Ia mencium bau hujan. Tak lama

kemudian, ia ingin menangis bersama hujan.”

(Pamuntjak, 2018, p. 201).

The quote above, presence how human is connected

with nature, how loneliness, silent, always describe with

the night; dark and cold. And in quote above, Laksmi in

Amba’s character mentioned the rain in “ia mencium

bau hujan. Tak lama kemudian, ia ingin menangis

bersama hujan.” The rain is affected human feelinngs

with sadness, tears, and broken heart. It is calmly bring

human to being sentimental. Mirroring, the rains with

the tears falling down. How the sky and “Amba”, has

fallen their tears in common.

Romantic in novel AMBA is filled by a lot of

nature, feeling, and moral concern narration from the

author. Laksmi Pamuntjak succed to liven up the story

of novel with her diction softly. A vivid portrayal without

ignoring all the feelings that are connected to. Laksmi

also can devotes her feeling into her works in a lot of

romantic imaginery. Depictions of natural atmosphere

that always connected and ignite human feelings that

cause every human being to do every their action.

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