''Pertemuan Jodoh'' (; en, A Meeting of Soulmates) is an Indonesian
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
by
Abdul Muis originally published in
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
. It tells the story of two students who are driven apart by their
class
Class or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...
differences, but eventually marry.
Plot
Ratna, a young student, inadvertently meets Suparta, a medical student, on a train. There, Suparta tries to find her a seat but fails because a
Chinese-Indonesian couple are using the spare seats for their luggage. Upon arrival in Cimahi, Suparta escorts Ratna to her school. Pleased by Suparta's manners, Ratna and he agree to keep in contact via
mail.
A few months later, Suparta
proposes to Ratna via post; Ratna accepts, and leaves for
Sumedang to meet Suparta's ''
bangsawan'' parents. However, Suparta's mother, Nyai Raden Tedja Ningrum, is unwilling to accept Ratna as her
daughter-in-law because Ratna is not of ''bangsawan'' descent.
Disappointed, Ratna decides to forget Suparta. Not long afterwards, her father's
chalk business becomes
bankrupt, and Ratna has to
drop out of school and find a job as a salesclerk, then later at a lawyer's office and as a maid for a Dutch couple. However, one of the other maids, Jene, becomes jealous of her and tells the police that Ratna stole jewelry from her
mistress
Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to:
Romance and relationships
* Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...
. After being arrested, Ratna tries to escape but falls into a river, nearly drowning. She is brought to a hospital.
She is treated by Suparta, who has already graduated from
medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...
and has been looking for Ratna. Hearing her plight, Suparta hires a lawyer for her and she is declared innocent; Jene's boyfriend, Amat, is shown to have stolen the jewelry.
After being discharged from the hospital, Ratna is asked to go to rest at the Bidara Cina
pavilion. There Suparta treats her and they grow closer. Once Ratna is fully healed, Suparta proposes to her again and they are married the same day.
Reception
''Pertemuan Jodoh'' is considered the opposite of Muis' earlier work, ''
Salah Asuhan''; ''Pertemuan Jodoh'' deals with
feudalism, while ''Salah Asuhan'' dealt with the incompatibilities in Western and Eastern cultures. However, it has also been called a sequel of ''Salah Asuhan''.
Mahayana ''
et al
References
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
{{Latin phrases
Lists of Latin phrases, E ...
'' considered the use of language "convincing", with uneducated characters using a mix of
Betawi and
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
words. As a result, they consider it a result of Muis' observations while living in
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
.
Bakri Siregar considered ''Pertemuan Jodoh'' "much weaker" than ''Salah Asuhan''.
References
Bibliography
*
* {{cite book, last1=Mahayana, first1=Maman S., last2=Sofyan, first2=Oyon, last3=Dian, first3=Achmad, title=Ringkasan dan ulasan novel Indonesia modern, trans-title=Summaries and Commentary on Modern Indonesian Novels, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bq8caP8yvqwC&q=%22Pertemuan+Jodoh%22&pg=PR9, year=2007, publisher=Grasindo , isbn=9789790250062
Indonesian romance novels
1932 novels
Novels set in Indonesia
Balai Pustaka books