Body, Debt, and Resistance: A Feminist Study of the Novel Her Body, His Debt by Ngarto Februana

Penulis: Editor | | Dipublikasikan pada 23 Agustus 2025 | Kategori: Sastra

This article analyzes the novel Her Body, His Debt (translated from Harga Seorang Wanita by Ngarto Februana) through three feminist theoretical approaches: existentialist, liberal, and intersectional.

The main focus is on the character Tini, who represents women as victims of patriarchy, structural poverty, and bodily exploitation. The analysis reveals that Tini experiences layered oppression, making her a symbol of women in an unjust and patriarchal society. This study concludes that the novel is not merely a personal tragedy but a powerful social critique of gender inequality.

Her Body, His Debt tells the tragic story of a village woman named Tini, trapped in a cycle of poverty, betrayal, and sexual exploitation. Set in a politically and economically complex Javanese society, the novel reveals the structural oppression of patriarchy and how women's bodies are used as both literal and symbolic instruments of 'repayment.'

This study applies existentialist, liberal, and intersectional feminist theories to examine Tini's experience within power dynamics, bodily autonomy, and social structures. These approaches allow for a deeper understanding of the layered oppression women face in a male-dominated society.

Simone de Beauvoir argues that women are positioned as 'the Other' in patriarchal systems. In this novel, Tini never has full control over her life. Her identity is shaped by men—as a wife, a sexual object, and a commodity.

Existentialist feminism emphasizes that true freedom for women is only possible when they define themselves, rather than being confined by societal expectations. Tini is denied this space. Each time she attempts liberation, social and economic forces push her back into subjugation.

Liberal feminism focuses on equal rights in education, employment, law, and public life. As a rural woman, Tini has no access to adequate education or formal employment. Her survival depends on informal labor, and when she migrates to the city, her body becomes her last means of subsistence.

When detained by the police, Tini faces harassment and gender-based discrimination. The state, instead of protecting her, becomes an agent of repression. This reflects the systemic inequality embedded in legal structures.

Intersectional feminism, as developed by Kimberlé Crenshaw, highlights that oppression is not caused solely by gender but by its intersection with class, ethnicity, and geography. Tini is a poor woman from Gunungkidul, a region marginalized by underdevelopment.

As a poor rural woman, Tini faces compounded oppression: her body is controlled by patriarchal norms, economic deprivation forces dependence on men, and she lacks access to just state services. Her experience reflects not just individual suffering but the fate of lower-class women within a feudal social structure.

Through existentialist, liberal, and intersectional feminist perspectives, Her Body, His Debt presents a sharp critique of patriarchal dominance and unjust social systems. Tini represents women whose lives and bodies are used to repay social debts they never created.

The novel is not only an emotional narrative but also a compelling call for reflection on the deep-rooted gender inequalities still prevalent in society—especially for impoverished rural women. Thus, Her Body, His Debt serves as a vital literary work for contemporary feminist analysis.

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