Background of the Study

2 between the first and second languages. Consequently, the students are expected to obtain the knowledge of the social characteristic. As a result, it will help them to enlarge their social awareness as well as their critical thinking. The Question of Red written by Laksmi Pamuntjak. It was published in 2013 by Gramedia Pustaka Utama. It becomes a national bestseller novel under its Indonesian version’s entitled Amba. There are some reasons The Question of Red is chosen. First, this novel became the finalist of the Tempo Magazine’s Annual Best Work of Literature list in 2012 and shortlisted for the Khatulistiwa Literary Award in 2013. Next, it gives a new point of view of the Indonesian national tragedy in 1965-1968. This novel depicts the struggle of ordinary people in resisting President Suharto ’s New Order repression and several events related to Indonesian Communist Party PKI movement. It primarily presents political prisoners’ life struggles in Buru Island. Through this novel, the readers can see the impact of Indonesian historical events to Indonesian current situation. Hence, this novel can enrich and broaden up readers ’ knowledge and their insight since it helps young generations to know Indonesian history. The novel tells about two young lovers named Amba and Bhisma as the main characters. The characters’ names in this novel are taken from the classic story, Mahabarata. Amba is a university student who falls in love with Bhisma, an educated doctor. He is one of the representatives of Indonesian youths who struggles his life. As an alumnus of Karl Marx University, he has been considered to be different from others. He has a great willingness as his ideology to help 3 other people suffering from political pressures in the Old and New Orders in Indonesia. The story in the novel begins with a journey of Amba, who is looking for her lovely man, Bhisma, who is in Buru Island, after being separated for forty years. They are separated because Bhisma is accused of being a communist and is imprisoned as a political prisoner. During her journey, Amba is accompanied by Samuel, a man whom she meets in a boat to Buru. Unfortunately, in Buru, she finds the fact that Bhisma has passed away. Besides, the novel tells the struggle of the Indonesians living from 1965 up to 1968 where they lived in such a horrible political situation. They had to struggle to survive in their own lives. Bhisma, as exemplified in the novel, struggles for his life against the Indonesian government by his own way as a doctor and political prisoner tapol. Finally, Amba knows the reason why Bhisma lost t hrough Bhisma’s letters and other people. Then, she invites Samuel, a man who always accompanies and cares about her to see her daughter, Srikandi, who holds a painting exhibition in Jakarta. The researcher focuses on Bhisma as a main character because of his struggles as an Indonesian youth, a young doctor, as well as a victim of New Order era. Bhisma is brave to stand on his choice to help people without considering their backgrounds, which leads him to be a communist political prisoner. The topic in this study is dealing with an Indonesian youth’s struggles that can be revealed through the life of main character, Bhisma. Accordingly, the researcher would like to analyse the character of Bhisma through his 4 characteristics and struggles which contain with the spirit of charity. In this study, Marxism and Katresnanism approaches are used to probe Bhisma’s struggles.

B. Objective of the Study

The objective of this study is to reveal the meanings of Bhisma’s struggles as seen in Laksmi Pamuntjak’s The Question of Red.

C. Problem Formulation

This study is conducted in order to answer these two formulated problems: 1. How is Bhisma as the major character portrayed in the novel? 2. What are the meanings of Bhisma’s struggles in his life as a doctor?

D. Benefits of the Study

The benefits of this study are to enrich the knowledge of literary study and give more references about Indonesian history, especially the history of Gerakan 30 S 30 th September Movement which is very often presented in various versions. The researcher expects the study to give sufficient information concerning the struggles of Indonesians, mainly Indonesian youths before and during New Order era. Additionally, the researcher expects this study to give inspirations, knowledge, and insight to everyone, particularly students and teachers to learn English through Indonesian history from different perspective. 5 Moreover, it can help everyone to respect other’s choice, for instance during communist era whether being Red or Green are the same for Bhisma. Therefore, in helping others, those do not need to look at their backgrounds. Furthermore, the researcher expects this study can inspire the future researcher to examine this novel from the other aspects, for instance, the analysis of relation between Bhisma and Amba viewed from other approaches, such as liberalism, humanism, and feminism approach.

E. Definition of Terms

In the beginning of this study, some keywords will be defined further.

1. Struggle

According to Simmel as cited in Spacer and Flaming, 2006, struggle is a word taken from German term kampf which is translated as a conflict. It means a way to achieve something. Even, it needs an annihilation of one conflict in a party. Simmel argues, “struggle paradoxially promotes social interaction with the group of one’s struggle against” p. 8. In this study, struggles mean by fighting against power and unfairness.

2. Bhisma

Bhisma is a great warrior in Mahabarata story. He is one of the noblest among other warriors in Hastinapura Kingdom. He is a man who puts duty on everything. In wayang Javanese puppet story, according to Sujamto as cited in Murtafiah, 2010, he is well known as Sabda Pandhita Ratu. It is because he is loyal with his promise that he will not marry someone in his life. Therefore, the