''Pertemuan Jodoh'' (; ) is an Indonesian

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

Abdul Muis Abdul Muis (also spelt Abdoel Moeis; 1886 – 17 July 1959), was an Indonesian writer, journalist and nationalist. He advocated for Indonesia's independence from the Netherlands. He was the first person to be named a national hero by President ...

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, Classes, 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 d ...

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 Chinese Indonesians (), or simply ''Orang Tionghoa'' or ''Tionghoa'', are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese Indonesians are the fourth largest community of Overseas Chinese in th ...

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 The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...

. A few months later, Suparta proposes to Ratna via post; Ratna accepts, and leaves for

Sumedang Sumedang (former spelling: Soemedang) is a town in Western Java, Indonesia, approximately 46 km northeast of Bandung. It is the capital of Sumedang Regency. The town is just south of the volcanic Mount Tampomas, which is 1,684 m (5,52 ...

to meet Suparta's ''

bangsawan ''Bangsawan'' ( Jawi: بڠساون) is a type of traditional Malay opera or theatre performed by a troupe and accompanied by music and sometimes dances. The ''bangsawan'' theatrical performance encompasses music, dance, and drama. It is widel ...

'' parents. However, Suparta's mother, Nyai Raden Tedja Ningrum, is unwilling to accept Ratna as her

daughter-in-law In law and in cultural anthropology, affinity is the kinship relationship created or that exists between two people as a result of someone's marriage. It is the relationship each party in the marriage has to the family of the other party in th ...

because Ratna is not of ''bangsawan'' descent. Disappointed, Ratna decides to forget Suparta. Not long afterwards, her father's

chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Ch ...

business becomes

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...

, 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 female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...

. 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, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

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 In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings; * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

. 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 ''Salah Asuhan'' (Indonesian: Wrong Upbringing) is an Indonesian novel by Abdul Muis originally published in 1928 by Balai Pustaka. It is widely considered one of the best examples of early modern Indonesian literature. Background ''Salah Asuh ...

''; ''Pertemuan Jodoh'' deals with

feudalism Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

, 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 * * External links * {{Latin phrases E ...

'' considered the use of language "convincing", with uneducated characters using a mix of

Betawi Betawi may refer to: *Betawi people *Betawi language *Betawi cuisine Betawi cuisine is rich, diverse and eclectic, in part because the Betawi people that create them were composed from numbers of Native Indonesian, regional immigrants that came ...

and Malay words. As a result, they consider it a result of Muis' observations while living in Batavia.

Bakri Siregar Bakri Siregar (14 December 1922 – 19 June 1994) was an Indonesian socialist literary critic and writer. Biography Siregar was born in Langsa, Aceh, Dutch East Indies, on 14 December 1922. He was active writing by the Japanese occupation i ...

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