Art Original

Katak Hendak Menjadi Lembu

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Set during the Dutch colonial era in West Java, the story revolves around Suria, a low-ranking indigenous clerk (pribumi) working in a colonial government office. Suria is a man completely consumed by immense vanity, arrogance, and a desperate desire for high social status. Despite his modest salary, he is obsessed with maintaining the illusion that he belongs to the wealthy, elite aristocratic class (priyayi).

To feed his fragile ego, Suria lives a life of extreme extravagance well beyond his means. He forces his family to wear expensive clothes, buy luxury goods, and throw lavish parties for high-society guests.

The true victim of Suria's delusions is his wife, Zubaidah. She is a patient, traditional, and practical woman who is left with the agonizing task of managing the household. To cover Suria’s mounting debts and keep up appearances, Zubaidah is forced to secretly borrow money from lenders and quietly sell off her own inherited family heirlooms. Even her father, Haji Zakaria, tries to intervene and warn Suria about his reckless lifestyle, but Suria arrogantly dismisses him, viewing his father-in-law as an uneducated villager.

Suria's life completely unravels when he is passed over for a major promotion at work. The financial house of cards collapses. Debt collectors swarm his home, his luxury items are publicly seized, and his high-society friends instantly abandon him. Unable to bear the crushing stress and heartbreak of her family's ruin, Zubaidah falls gravely ill and passes away. Left utterly alone, bankrupt, and thoroughly humiliated, Suria is driven to madness by the consequences of his own pride, transforming into a tragic laughingstock.

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Availability

Detail Information

Series Title

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Call Number

4.813.0021.B.U

Publisher

Jakarta : BALAI PUSTAKA., 2014

Collation

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Language

Indonesia

ISBN/ISSN

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Classification

NONE

Content Type

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Media Type

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Carrier Type

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Edition

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Subject(s)

Fiksi Indonesia

Specific Detail Info

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Statement of Responsibility

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