Marriage Patterns in Local Minangkabau Novels in the Reform Era

Abstract

For the Minangkabau community, there are forbidden marriages, ideal marriages and discordant marriages. The issue of marriage in Minangkabau society is also discussed by the author in literary works as a manifestation of phenomena that develop in society. Literary works that raise the issue of marriage in Minangkabau culture have appeared since the establishment of the Balai Pustaka force with the story of Siti Nurbaya by Marah Rusli until now. The purpose of this paper is to describe the pattern of marriage in local Minangkabau novels written in the reform era. This study uses an objective approach with an inductive design model. The data sources for this paper are local Minangkabau novels written during the reform era including; 1) Bulan Susut by Ismet Fanani, 2) Rinai Kabut Singgalang, by Muhammad Subhan, 3) Mengurai Rindu by Nang Syamsuddin, 4) Persiden, by Wisran Hadi, 5) Rumah Mande by Irhayati Harun. Based on the results of the study, it was concluded that the marriage pattern in the local Minangakabau novels written in the reform era had an ideal form of marriage, discordant marriages and forbidden marriages carried out by the characters of the story. In the novel, the author describes a cultural shift in society. Society is no longer bound by the rules of the recommended form of marriage. This will certainly have an impact, both positively and negatively on the pattern of life of the Minangkabau community itself. On the other hand, the form of changing marriages and going home to the father`s sister as the ideal form of marriage that is recommended is not found in local Minangkabau novels written during the reform era.