The Formation of Pak Kari’s Identity in A.A. Navis’s Short Story Topi Helm: Herbert Blumer’s Symbolic Interactionism Study

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the process of the character's identity formation in the short story Topi Helm by A.A. Navis through the perspective of Herbert Blumer’s Symbolic Interactionism. This study uses a qualitative method with a literary sociological approach. Data were collected through reading and note-taking techniques from the short story Topi Helm and analyzed descriptively based on three main premises of Blumer’s theory, namely meaning, social interaction, and interpretation. The results show that the helmet in the story does not have a fixed meaning but undergoes transformation through social processes. Initially, the helmet functions as a symbol of authority associated with Tuan O.M.; however, after being inherited by Pak Kari, its meaning is negotiated through social interactions involving attention, ridicule, and the nickname Si Gunarso. Through the interpretation process, Pak Kari constructs the helmet as a symbol of dignity and self-worth. The destruction of the helmet then causes a crisis in Pak Kari’s identity because the symbol that supports his self-understanding is lost. This study concludes that Pak Kari’s identity is formed dynamically through the relationship between symbols, social interaction, and individual interpretation.