DOI: 10.9744/kata.21.2.75-83 ISSN 1411-2639 (Print), ISSN 2302-6294 (Online) OPEN ACCESS http://kata.petra.ac.id God’s Humanization in Oka Rusmini's "Putu Menolong Tuhan" Benedictus Bherman Dwijatmoko Sanata Dharma University, INDONESIA e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT Oka Rusmini's short-story "Putu Menolong Tuhan" is an ironical story of a child who feels the need to kill her grandmother to help God. A Critical Discourse Analysis of the story reveals the ideology of the humanization of God. In response to the mean treatment of her grandmother to her mother, Putu murders her grandmother. She murders her grandmother because God loves a good person and hates a bad person and her grandmother is a bad person. The murder can be understood as an act of humanizing God. The understanding of God’s humanization gains its significance as the attack on government officials and bombings of public places in several cities in Indonesia used religion as the reason. The murder of the grandmother and the violence have the same pattern: the presence of a problematic religious doctrine, a deviant character, and an irrational moral of self-superiority. Keywords: Critical Discourse Analysis; inter-caste marriage; God humanization; religious doctrines, religious violence.. INTRODUCTION a result of the treatment of God as a human being or the humanization of God. The murder of the Oka Rusmini's short-story "Putu Menolong Tuhan," grandmother also leads to its significance in the social translated into English as "Putu Helps God" by Vern and cultural context in Bali and the political context in Cork (1996), is a story which took place in an inter- Indonesia. caste Balinese marriage. Ida Ayu Ratih, the narrator, who comes from a high caste family, marries Gede Putu's murder of her own grandmother raises Adnyana from a low caste family and has to stay with questions on inter-caste marriage and the implication his family, which consists of his mother and three of the murder in a religious society like Bali and a sisters besides himself. country like Indonesia, which takes religion as one of its basic principles of life. The research questions of The marriage of two people of different cultures and this study can be formulated as: What factors causes their stay with his family creates problems which Putu to murder her grandmother? How is God’s finally leads to the judgement that the grandmother is humanization presented in Oka Rusmini's short-story evil and God hated her. The marriage gives them a "Putu Helps God"? and What is the significance of daughter, Putu Prameswari Dewi. Brought up in a God’s humanization in Indonesia? Though not family where daily offerings to God are made and directly related to the text, the last question is also religious doctrines are taught well, Putu develops into important as the analysis can be put in the social a smart girl with a strong awareness of her religious practice of God’s humanization and may show the values. She knows the problems in her family and relevance of the analysis in the current situation. The knows that God loves good people and hates evil answers to the questions may lead to a better people. As she knows that there are many evil people understanding of the relationship between people and in the world, she thinks that God needs people's help. God and people with other people. They can also Therefore, Putu wants to help God get rid of her explain the murder of innocent people with religious grandmother. Putu pushes her grandmother into their doctrines as the reason. well, and her grandmother dies. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The murder of the grandmother with a religious reason is ironical in that a five-year-old child who is This paper is a Critical Discourse Analysis on Oka religiously well-bred is capable of murdering her own Rusmini's "Putu Menolong Tuhan" or, henceforth, grandmother as an act of helping God. The murder is "Putu Helps God," as the object of the study. The 75 76 Benedictus B. D. research data are all the sentences in which the religious practice of Balinese people. Ida Ayu and her narrator, Putu, and her grandmother show their mother-in-law and three sisters-in-law hardly know attitude to each other. To answer the first question, each other before Ida and Gede marry. Gede only Gee's theory (2011) on language building task is used. gave one day for Ida and his family to get to know Gee identifies seven building tasks of language; each other before she decides to marry him. namely significance, activities, identities, relationship, politics, connections, and sign system and knowledge, Coming from a high caste family where everything and the seven tasks were used to study the text, was provided by her housemaids, Ida intends to live a although the discussion of the text was not organized single life as a lecturer. She could not imagine a life using them. Any use of language could perform one with a man whom she has to serve, and she did not or more of the seven building tasks of language. To want to bother with feminine duties like taking care of answer the second and third questions Fairclough's a crying child. three-dimension approach (1995) was used. The In my twenties and even up to thirty, I had no analysis proceeded through the stages of description, desire to marry. To be tied to a man for years interpretation, and explanation of the elements of the and years seemed like a frightening way of life. short-story, although it was impossible to separate … Imagining marriage gave me no sense of joy. them strictly. How could I ever live with the same man for decades? (95) In the description stage, the sentences which showed I couldn't imagine being kept busy with all the the attitudes of Ida Ayu (the narrator), Putu, and her little jobs a housewife has to do. With a baby grandmother towards each other and towards the crying when I was engaged in a serious book or values and tradition were identified using the typing a paper for a seminar on my computer. appraisal theory (Martin & White, 2005). The … I wanted to be able to sit the whole day sentences show the characters' judgment, appre- through plunging my feet in the pond, free to ciation, or effect towards each other, the values, and read, free to teach. (95) tradition. In the interpretation stage, the attitudes which they show were studied further to identify the Her attitudes towards a man and family, however, ideology which the short-story shows. In the expla- changes after she meets Gede. nation approach, the ideology which Rusmini pre- Yet the first time I saw Gede Adnyana I hadn't sents is explained in the social, cultural, and political been attracted at all. He simply didn't meet my contexts of the short-story. The story takes place in criteria: he had no ambitions and was rather odd. Bali, Indonesia, which is predominantly made of I needed a man who could keep my feelings on Hindu people. The Hindu people belong to four main an even keel. Yet later, when I got to know him, castes namely Brahmana, Satria, Wesia, and Sudra he surprised me by the way he gave me advice (Picard, 2004; McDaniel, 2013). The people in each without judging me. … Automatically I would caste have their own social and cultural functions. The consider what he'd said and telephone him back. context of the story is also in Indonesia, the biggest I felt free to talk to him about anything at all. Muslim country in the world. With twenty political (93) parties, five of them being Muslim-based (Andayani, My closeness with him was making me more 2018), the people often have tensions due to their aware of many things. It seemed God had sent different political preferences. me a prince. He was the right man to father my children, even though he wasn't of noble caste. To support the discussion, the English text or the And so ended my desire to live alone. (94) translation is presented with its page number in parentheses, and the original (Indonesian) text is only She likes him because she can be herself with him. He used when needed. The Indonesian text along with its is the prince who would save her from her lonely literal or closest translation is presented inside single life, and, therefore, she accepts his marriage brackets when the translation does not reveal the proposal. intended or implied meaning well. Her marriage, however, transforms into a battle of THE MURDER OF GRANDMOTHER violence from which she cannot defend herself. Since she has to abandon her high caste status and stay with The murder of Putu's grandmother can be attributed to her mother-in-law and three sisters-in-laws, she has to several factors. The factors are connected to Ida Ayu's follow the rules of the family. It turns out that Gede, family background and personality, the inter-caste her husband and the only man in the family, does not marriage which Ida Ayu and Gede have, and the have much authority in the family. Her mother-in-law God’s Humanization in Oka Rusmini's "Putu Menolong Tuhan" 77 holds the most power over the family. She has to From the texts above it can be said that Ida Ayu can suffer both symbolic violence from her husband and not talk about anything to Gede.