SAREE: RESEARCH IN GENDER STUDIES - Vol. 8 - No. 2 - Women’s Struggle in Brian Khrisna’s Sisi Tergelap Surga - A Feminist Perspective on Indonesian Urban Patriarchy

Oct 17, 2026

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The study examines how Brian Khrisna’s Sisi Tergelap Surga represents women and the workings of patriarchal oppression through feminist literary criticism. It investigates how female characters experience, negotiate, and resist coercive structures, and how the narrative forms feminist agency. Qualitative textual analysis identifies patriarchal control via family institutions, emotional and psychological violence, and structural marginalization created by gendered and socio-economic disadvantage. Results show patriarchy as a systemic force reproducing domestic and social domains, yet the novel foregrounds resistance, critical awareness, and identity reconstruction.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Feminist literary criticism and gender inequality

Feminist theory and social roles

Research gap and need for feminist analysis

SAREE: RESEARCH IN GENDER STUDIES 2026, VOL. 8, NO. 2, 127-140 [https://doi.org/10.47766/saree.v8i2.7071](https://doi.org/10.47766/saree.v8i2.7071) | Article | | --- | | Women’s Struggle in Brian Khrisna’s Sisi Tergelap Surga: A Feminist Perspective on Indonesian Urban Patriarchy | | Aditya Reza Malvino, Aditya Putra, Abiri Sabil Khaira, Firman Pangeran Lubis, Purwarno | | Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara (UISU), Medan, Indonesia | ABSTRACT ENGLISH: This study examines the representation of women and the dynamics of patriarchal oppression in Sisi Tergelap Surga by Brian Khrisna through the lens of feminist literary criticism. It seeks to uncover how female characters experience, negotiate, and resist oppressive structures, while also exploring how the narrative constructs forms of feminist agency. Employing a qualitative textual analysis, the study identifies three dominant manifestations of oppression: patriarchal control embedded in family institutions, emotional and psychological violence, and structural marginalization shaped by the intersection of gender and socio-economic disadvantage. The findings reveal that patriarchy operates not merely as an individual attitude but as a systemic force reproduced across domestic and social domains, limiting women’s autonomy, silencing their voices, and eroding their sense of self-worth. Nevertheless, the novel does not position women solely as passive victims. Instead, it foregrounds their inner struggles, critical awareness, and gradual processes of resistance and identity reconstruction. Through narrative strategies that center women’s voices and lived experiences, the text opens a space for reclaiming agency. Ultimately, Sisi Tergelap Surga functions both as a documentation of gendered suffering and as a subtle yet powerful feminist intervention that challenges patriarchal norms and reimagines women’s positions within society. Keywords: Feminist literary criticism, Patriarchy, Women’s agency, Structural marginalization, Psychological violence ABSTRACT INDONESIAN: Penelitian ini mengkaji representasi perempuan serta dinamika penindasan patriarkal dalam novel Sisi Tergelap Surga karya Brian Khrisna dengan menggunakan pendekatan kritik sastra feminis. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengungkap bagaimana tokoh-tokoh perempuan mengalami, menegosiasikan, dan melawanstruktur-struktur represif, sekaligus menelaah bagaimana narasi membangun bentuk-bentuk agensi feminis. Dengan menggunakan analisis tekstual kualitatif, penelitian ini mengidentifikasi tiga bentuk utamapenindasan, yaitu dominasi patriarki dalam institusi keluarga, kekerasan emosional dan psikologis, serta marginalisasi struktural yang dibentuk oleh persilangan antara gender dan kondisi sosial-ekonomi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa patriarki tidak hanya beroperasi sebagai sikap individual, melainkan sebagaisistem yang terlembagakan dalam ranah domestik maupun sosial, yang membatasi otonomi perempuan, membungkam suara mereka, serta mereduksi nilai diri. Namun demikian, novel ini tidak semata-mata merepresentasikan perempuan sebagai korban pasif. Sebaliknya, narasi menyoroti pergulatan batin, kesadaran kritis, serta proses bertahap dalam membangun resistensi dan rekonstruksi identitas. Dengan strategi naratif yang memusatkan pengalaman dan suara perempuan, teks ini membuka ruang bagipemulihan agensi. Pada akhirnya, Sisi Tergelap Surga tidak hanya mendokumentasikan penderitaan perempuan, tetapi juga menghadirkan kritik feminis yang kuat sekaligus menawarkan imajinasi baru tentang posisi perempuan dalam masyarakat patriarkal. Kata Kunci: Kritik sastra feminis, Patriarki, Agensi perempuan, Marginalisasi struktural, Kekerasan psikologis Introduction The portrayal of women's challenges in literary works has been a key focus in feminist criticism, as literature not only reflects women’s lived experiences but also reveals how cultural and social systems shape and constrain their identities (Belia et al., 2025

FAQs

What is the study’s research focus in Sisi Tergelap Surga?

It focuses on how the novel represents women and how patriarchal oppression operates, including how female characters experience, negotiate, and resist coercive structures.

Which qualitative method is used to analyze the novel?

The study uses qualitative textual analysis to examine the narrative’s construction of oppression and feminist agency.

What three dominant forms of oppression does the study identify?

They are patriarchal control embedded in family institutions, emotional and psychological violence, and structural marginalization shaped by the intersection of gender and socio-economic disadvantage.

Oct 17, 2026

Uploaded by Himbo