KESEPIAN DI TENGAH KERAMAIAN: ALIENASI AFEKTIF TOKOH NYAI SOBIR DALAM PERSPEKTIF ERICH FROM

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the representation of loneliness and alienation experienced by the character Nyai Sobir in the short story Nyai Sobir by A. Mustofa Bisri through the perspective of Erich Fromm’s humanistic psychology. The analysis focuses on social alienation, affective alienation, and the role of religious ideology and patriarchy as sources of the character’s estrangement. This research employs a qualitative descriptive method with textual analysis of literary data. The data consist of narrative descriptions and character portrayals in the short story that reflect the psychological and social conditions of Nyai Sobir, which are then interpreted using Fromm’s concepts of alienation, relatedness, and critique of authoritarian social structures.The findings reveal that Nyai Sobir’s loneliness represents an existential form of loneliness experienced amid apparent social integration. Social alienation manifests through hierarchical and symbolic relationships within the religious community, while affective alienation is evident in the character’s emotional detachment and the absence of authentic loving relationships. Religious ideology and patriarchal values function to normalize obedience, patience, and self-sacrifice as moral virtues, particularly for women, thereby suppressing emotional freedom. This study concludes that Nyai Sobir’s alienation is not an individual psychological issue but a product of social and ideological structures. The research contributes to Indonesian literary studies by offering a humanistic reading of female subjectivity, religiosity, and loneliness in literary texts.