Representation of Calon Arang in Toeti Heraty’s Calon Arang: The Story of AWoman Sacrificed to Patriarchy A. Introduction Calon Arang is Indonesian traditional tale from the island of Bali about the glory of the good over the evil. The tales recounts the defeat of a wicked widow, Calon Arang, in the hand of Mpu Baradah because her dark witchcraft has brought forth malady to people and threatened Airlangga’s hegemony. Calon Arang is a female character who has protean personalities. On the one hand, she is loving mother who cares about her daughter’s future, but on the other hand, she a wicked witch who brings death and destruction. Nevertheless, it is the wicked witch side which is commonly highlighted in the tale and the rewriting of the tales in the modern literature, such as Pramoeday Ananta Toer’s novella The King, The Witch and The Priest. The depiction of Calon Arang as vengeful witch in Toer’s novella has been criticized for its gender bias. The biased depiction of Calon Arang has been challenged by several Indonesian female writers, such as Toeti Heraty, Cok Sawitri and Ayu Utami. The tale of Calon Arang has been the source of inspiration and been repeatedly used in modern Indonesian literature written by women writers as a context of modern analysis of female identity. In the rewriting of Calon Arang tales by women writers, such as Toeti Heraty’s lyrical prose Calon Arang: The Story of A Woman Sacrificed to Patriarchy, Cok Sawitri’s poem My Name is Dirah and novel Janda dari Jirah, and Ayu Utami’s novel Larung, Calon Arang has become a symbol of women’s struggle against patriarchal domination. Their rewriting of This paper will discuss the representation of Calon Arang in Toeti Heraty’s lyrical prose Calon Arang: The Story of A Woman Sacrificed to Patriarchy by comparing it with Pramodeya’s depiction of Calon Arang in his novella The King. and LOR 4561. adapted and rewritten into different languages.Calon Arang tales has been to put forward feminist reinterpretation of gender relations in contemporary Indonesian society and politics. Ng Poerbatjaraka is the first who translated the tale from lontar LOR 5387. In 1974 the tale was adapted into choreographic work Dongeng Dari Dirah (Tale from Dirah) by Sardono W. 1952). The Witch and The Priest to see how Toeti Heraty reinterprets the traditional tales as her critic to patriarchal ideology.2 In 1952 Pramoedya Ananta Toer rewrote the tales as children tale The King. In 2000 Goenawan Mohamad adapted the tale into an English libretto script The King’s Witch. The Witch and The Priest (Dongeng Calon Arang. LOR 4562. 3 In 1997 the tale was adapted by Cok Sawitri into poem My Name is Dirah and novel Janda dari Jirah. R. B. 1 This Dutch translation is then back translated into Indonesian by Soewito Santoso into Calon arang. Si Janda dari Girah (1975). In the same year Toeti Heraty presented the tale with 1 2 3 . Representation of Calon Arang in Toeti Heraty’s Calon Arang: The Story of A Woman Sacrificed to Patriarchy The tale of Calon Arang has been very popular that it is has been translated. Kusumo that had fame to him in Europe. The Mpu advises the King to trick Calon Arang. In Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s novella. However. Ratna Manggali in order to find out the secret of Calon Arang’s witchcraft. With the book. to kill Calon Arang. The King eventually sent a wise hermit. that the King Airlangga soon sends his military to capture her. In 2001 Ayu Utami used the tale as the allusion in her sequel of Saman. She has powerful witchcraft which is misused to intimidate and kill people. Mpu Bahula manipulates her to steal her mother’s book of sorcery. whereas the King/Mpu Baradah symbolizes the virtue. Mpu Baradah. both Baradah and Calon Arang shares similar qualities . The representation of Calon Arang as the symbol of evil power in Pramoedya’s novella has been criticized for its gender bias. Her daughter is not married because men are afraid of the mother black magic and cruelty. then. After marrying Ratna Manggali. threatens the stability of the Kingdom and the hegemony of the King. The Mpu sends his student. In Pramoedya’s novella. As identified by Purwanti Kusumaningtyas. Mpu Bahula. Calon Arang is much more powerful than the military that they are easily destroyed. Larung. Mpu Baradah eventually is able to kill Calon Arang and restore the stability of the Kingdom. Calon Arang is depicted as a wicked widow with a daughter who lives in the village of Dirah in Daha Kingdom during the reign of King Airlangga. This fact infuriates her beyond limit that she spreads her deadly spell across the Kingdom to kill Daha people. to propose a marriage with Calon Arang’s daughter.feminist interpretation in a form lyrical prose Calon Arang: The Story of A Woman Sacrificed to Patriarchy. Calon Arang. the story is told in the dichotomy of good and evil. Calon Arang symbolizes evil power. Widow who exerts her independency threats masculine power. Widow is doubly marginalized not only by men. Patriarchal culture is monosubjective in a sense that women do not exist independently of men but merely exist as the polar site of men. Widow is marginalized because she does not conform to the feminine normativity that imposes the necessity for woman to be a submissive. It can be seen in the story that due to Calon Arang’s status as widow who has powerful witchcraft power that threatens the authority. so that she tends to suffer from negative stereotype. woman cannot think of herself without man. widow has been subjected to prejudice and ill treatment. a widow who is assumed to be independent of men is seen as a threat and thus be caged by a derogatory identity. such as wicked witch. she has been made the scapegoat for all disaster striking the kingdom. As stated by Diah Ariani Arimbi. but unlike Calon Arang. whereas women are attributed as negative. but also by her own sex. In patriarchal society. dependent and subservient to man. whereas Baradah is respected as Mpu. This fact shows that there is double standard in patriarchal society. but Calon Arang is negatively labeled as witch. Men are the one who set the standard and are attributed as the positive.of having powerful supernatural power. Thus. he never suffers from negative stereotype. 4 The negative label to Calon Arang actually is related to her status as widow. This condition always puts women in disadvantage position. criminalization or discrimination as wicked 4 5 . 5 Mpu Badarah himself also a widower who soon remarried. Women can only be positive if they align themselves with the men. as a little child. This ending actually shows how in the end the patriarchy triumphs over Calon Arang through successful domestication of Calon Arang.she who. The use of witchcraft by Calon Arang in female writings is explored thoroughly and justified rather than merely depicted as the exercise of evil power as happened in Pramoedya’s story. In her prose Calon Arang is depicted as a widow suffers from social alienation and ill treatment. Thence widow What other disaster did befall her? do you know what it is like to be a widow? do you know what it means to be an old woman?6 … A widow is a woman left by her loved one Somewhere between maiden in love And mourning widow … 6 Pp. shows that Calon Arang is stereotyped and associated with Durga. Toeti Heraty provides different portrayal of Calon Arang in her literary works. the patriarchal ideology in the Pramoedya’s novella can also be seen in the ending of the tale in which Calon Arang is killed after she is being taught all good deeds and things. a wicked female who brings destruction to the stability of patriarchal power structure. had no life story. Her rewriting of Calon Arang tales depicts Calon Arang as the victim of patriarchy who uses her witchcraft to defend herself and her daughter from harsh treatment of patriarchal society. Moreover. Her sorrow of being widow and ill treated by the society is expressed clearly in the prose as follows …the widow.witch. once played in the village. The depiction of Calon Arang’s devotion to the Goddess of destruction Durga in Pramoedya’s novella. just like her daughter Ratna Manggali. and grew into a lovely maiden. .4-6. so shamed the widow…8 … she became a victim of patriarchy anger and fury consuming her9 When she finds out that her daughter has to suffer similar fate of being a spinster. so angry the widow. and thus. she is ill treated and alienated. 14. she gets mad for society unfair and harsh treatment. As widow.8. 18. unwanted by men. an old woman a crone with anger overflowing… [because] her magical powers so feared. This negative labeling tears all her hope that her daughter will have happier life than hers. 8 10 P. perchance her daughter will But no suitor comes7 Calon Arang’s decision to stay unmarried has made her fall into discrimination. 8 P. Being a widow is considered by society as imperfect for she exists without a man. 7 P.By and by her daughter’s beauty comforts her If she’s no longer courted. “…her daughter who fell prey// Her mother her only protector//What protection could Ni Rangda provide?// So full of worries –a widow confronting// cruel society and all its way of harassment. nobody to court her beautiful daughter Ratna Manggali.1 9 P.”10 As she and her daughter are ill treated by society. . Calon Arang has been stereotyped as wicked witch which made men frightens to court her beautiful daughter. “Ni Rangda. Mpu Baradah is not totally virtuous because he has used tricky tactic. . 11 P. Calon Arang is not totally evil because it is maternal love that prompts her action. Oh Calon Arang.her use of dark magic powers is justified in Toety Heraty’s prose. the concerned mother and// Calon Arang. 16. that is. Calon Arang is depicted as ambivalent character with protean traits. Toety Heraty explores the complexity of Calon Arang’s conditions that prompted her to defend herself and her daughter with her dark magic powers. Hence.”11 Toeti Heraty blurs the dichotomy of good and evil. Toety Heart’s prose transcends the binary the good and the evil. Unlike Pramoedya’s depiction that does not provide any justification for Calon Arang’s evil deeds. 12 P. Toeti Heraty also depicts how Calon Arang eventually betrayed by her own daughter who aligns herself to patriarchy to get the favor of her husband. what an unhappy fate An entire country punished for love’s sake But your own child betrayed you for love –you became a fury for love –you were destroyed by a priest12 Toety Heraty shows that female bonding is hard to be achieved for there is competition between women to gain the favor of patriarchy. the ferocious witch// two such different manifestation. 6. to find out Calon Arang’s weaknesses. Patriarchal values have been internalized by women that it is hard to create female bonding to resist and challenge patriarchal domination. exploiting Calon Arang’s love to her daughter and the daughter’s obedience to her husband. Conclusion References 13 P. As stated in the prose As a mother who cared for her daughter she still has a persona that can be easily accepted as long as she stays clear to all politics… but she undermined the autorithy of the state so in this case became the scapegoat for all calamities 13 As a figure of powerful widow who build counter hegemony from the margin. C. 100.Calon Arang’s resistance against patriarchal oppression has threatened the hegemony of central power. .