This Earth of Mankind

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1980

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Translator’s Note and Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-14

Chapters 15-20 and Afterword

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Background

Historical Context: Late 19th Century Social Classes in Java

A basic overview of This Earth of Mankind’s distinct social classes is necessary for the reader to grasp the unique milieu that defines the decisions and actions of the characters. In particular, while members of the upper class possess an almost divine ability to move about and make uninhibited decisions that affect the lower classes, the potential of citizens in the lower classes is strictly limited. As one’s caste is set by birth and legally reinforced by the established Dutch legal system, Pramoedya Ananta Toer makes it clear that escaping the boundaries of class is an impossibility. This tiered society keeps accurate, perpetual records of the births of children who belong to the two upper castes.

As a long-time colony of the Netherlands, the upper class of Java comprises the “Pure-Bloods”—individuals whose parents are of European descent. Legally, these fair-skinned people are both Dutch and Javanese citizens. The Pure-Bloods descend from the colonial conquerors of Indonesia, meaning the economic and legal world revolves around them. Since the Dutch began their conquest of Indonesia in the 17th Century, eventually naming it the Netherlands East Indies, it was inevitable that a biological group of multiracial citizens would emerge. In the novel, they are typically referred to as Indo, Indisch, or Mixed-Blood. Though legally not equal to the Pure-Bloods, this group holds many of the benefits belonging to those of European descent. Society regards Indos as a proper second caste. The chief right possessed by the Indos is legal recognition—they hold lawful rights in the courts and are able to access most of the property, nuptial, and financial prerogatives of the Pure-Bloods. The lowest class, called Natives, are those whose parents are of Javanese descent. Legally, people of this caste have no legal recourse against any claims by either of the higher classes. Even among the Natives, however, there are social distinctions. Some are considered High Javanese and others Low Javanese. High Javanese citizens are typically those descended from the Indonesian royalty that existed prior to Dutch occupation. The upper classes recognize the High Javanese as go-betweens and grant them the power of regulating Native society.

Cultural Context: Totalitarian Literary Censorship

Toer served multiple prison sentences over the course of his life because of his essays and novels. During his active literary career, the author was censored and jailed by three different totalitarian regimes. Japan occupied Indonesia during World War II, following which the Dutch reasserted their colonial control—only to face a spontaneous uprising in 1945 that developed into the 5-year Indonesian War of Independence. When Indonesia gained independence from the Netherlands in 1949, Sukarno declared himself president for life. He was succeeded by Suharto in 1967, who reigned until 1998. Each of these three regimes found a reason to incarcerate Toer, who never called for or instigated rebellion against any of them.

Toer’s translator, Max Lane, points out that Toer was jailed from 1965 to 1975 without ever facing trial. In total, Toer served 14 years in jail. The Dutch imprisoned Toer, fearing he was a revolutionary. Sukarno’s forces erroneously believed Toer was a Communist and imprisoned him. After Suharto took power, he kept Toer in prison for another eight years. Following his release, Toer’s books continued to be banned in Indonesia. Governmental criticism of Toer’s writings proclaimed that his work had Communist leanings, although “the author’s great literary dexterity made it impossible to identify actual examples of this Marxism-Leninism” (363)—meaning the government banned his literature because they assumed he was a Communist, even though there was no actual evidence of this in his writing. In his writings, Toer accurately described life under totalitarian rule in Indonesia.

During his longest stint in prison, when it was a capital crime for incarcerated individuals to possess writing implements, Toer famously entertained his fellow prisoners by reciting the work he created each morning. This was the author’s way of memorizing the books he was creating with no way to record them. Following his release from prison, Toer committed to writing the four novels of his Buro Quartet, of which This Earth of Mankind is the first—an effort that required two years.