Literatures of the World

(Indonesia)
Circumcision by
Pramoedya Ananta Toer
World Literature II (WEEK 14)
 Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, students are expected to:
• To develop an understanding on the story
“Circumcision” by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
• Be able to appreciate the message the story aimed to
tell
• To gain an knowledge about the culture and the
practice of the story.
 Table of contents
01 02
Learning Activity Introduction

03 04
Lecture Proper Life Application
Circumcision
by
Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Analyze the Story
 CORE VALUES
Value-structure of many religions and cultures
and confirmation of their relationship with
God.

Aim to live a life of complete submission to

Allah. "There is no god but God, and
Muhammad is the Messenger of God"
 LEARNING ACTIVITY

• Write your perspective about the culture

in the story (what can you tell?) and;
• how can you relate it in the present day
 AUTHORS BACKGROUND
Pramoedya Ananta Toer (EYD: Pramudya Ananta Tur) (6 February 1925
– 30April 2006) was an Indonesian author of novels, short stories, essays,
polemic and histories of his homeland and its people. His works span the
colonial period, Indonesia's struggle for independence, its occupation by
Japan during the Second World War, as well as the post-colonial
authoritarian regimes of Sukarno and Suharto, and are infused with
personal and national history. The Dutch Government imprisoned him from
1947 to 1949
 Let’s talk about the story
Background

In Indonesia, at the time the story takes place, the

circumcision ceremony, performed on boys
generally between eight and thirteen, is cause for
great celebration. It is considered a boy’s entry into
manhood and the Islamic community. In more
recent years, there has been a movement to
circumcise boys within forty days of their birth.
 PLOT
Pramoedya Toer presents the narrator’s coming-of-age story in a
conventional structure. The story has a definite beginning (introduction—to
his father’s arrival), middle or the rising action (father’s arrival—to
circumcision), climax (circumcision itself), falling action, and resolution
(the narrator’s thoughts on his circumcision).

STYLE and TONE

The narrator tells the story in a straightforward, largely unemotional and
understated manner, even as he relates his youthful excitement to us. The
narrator seems intent on communicating as an adult, which is to say that he
strives to be straightforward, rational, and controlled. Consider, for
instance, how he describes the circumcision: “I was placed in a chair…”
 Narrator
The narrator relates his rite of passage as he undergoes the sacred Muslim ritual of
circumcision. The story focuses on his excitement and his desire to be “a good
Muslim” and to “have the right to a place in heaven.” What makes the story so
appealing and universal is that the narrator presents himself as a typical nine-year
old. Consider his behavior at the prayer house, his thoughts in bed as he
contemplates the benefits of circumcision, his thoughts of “young maidens” caring
for him, his ridicule of his teacher’s teeth, and more. These details endear the
narrator to the reader and contribute to the reader’s emotional engagement in the
story. At the end of the story, the reader might be as disappointed as the narrator.
His expectations—the most important one, that of feeling like “a true Muslim”—
were not fulfilled. Consider the story’s final sentence: “And after I had healed, the
thought of becoming a true Muslim never again entered my mind.”
 The narrator’s father
Consider the narrator’s father in your response to the question immediately above.
His father is a school principal, who, despite his education, is not wealthy enough
to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. Yet he seems content, even cheerful, and is
charitable and compassionate. He takes foster children into his home and tries to
organize an annual circumcision day for the poorer members of the community. He
has his children participate in the ceremony, although many in his community are
too embarrassed to participate. Even one of his foster sons refuses to participate
stating that his birth father will pay for his circumcision—despite his being well
beyond the traditional years of circumcision.
 The narrator’s Mother
The mother The mother seems less excited about her sons’ circumcision. Could she
be disappointed in the modest celebration that her husband plans? She does seem
more concerned with money and status than her husband. Is her story about the
haji a way to suggest that her children should emulate the haji, which means they
should earn enough money to travel to Mecca and to support several wives? Does
the haji in her story contrast significantly with the narrator’s father? Consider her
comments to her children at the end of the story as part of this discussion.
 Life Application

The “feared that he was going to disappoint God and be ashamed

in his society. He feared the pain but at the moment of truth he was
able to conquer his fears and move past them. The narrator
experiences disillusionment. He stopped believing that he couldn't
be a true Muslim unless he did all those materialistic things that
didn’t even make a difference in his life. The narrator evolves from
his conflicts and fears.”
 Life Application
• No one can tell who is belong to heaven, having faith in
God and trusting him is the only way We can say that we
are together with God.
• Everyone has their own beliefs about something and
nowadays we must respect them or teach them.
 Summary
• In the story “Circumcision” by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
the narrator is a young boy who struggles to prove
himself to his faith.
• The story shows many conflicts that concern being
circumcised.
• The story shows the fears the narrator feels towards the
pressures of being circumcised.
• There is a major disillusionment that leads from the
events of the story that greatly affect the views of the
narrator.
• The story shows the conflicts, fears, and disillusionment
of the narrator and how he overcomes them as he learns
from the events that occur.
 Summary
• The major conflicts in the story are internal and
external conflicts.
• The internal conflict is that the narrator feels
that he will not be a true Muslim unless he is
circumcised.
• In the story it says, “I began to think , if I hadn’t
been circumcised was I really a Muslim?”
• In the narrator’s religion getting circumcised is
a way to show devotion to their faith. The
external conflict is man vs. society.
 REFERENCE
https://www.coursehero.com/file/35794700/Pramoedya
-Ananta-Toer-Circumcision-analysisdocx/