Emotion Classification of the Main Character in Seno Gumira Ajidarma's Monolog Ibu yang Anaknya Diculik Itu

Abstract

Monolog Ibu yang Anaknya Diculik Itu by Seno Gumira Ajidarma portrays the suffering of a mother following the loss of her child, Satria, who was kidnapped and presumed dead. This event gives rise to various emotions associated with the psychological condition of the main character. This study aims to describe the emotional categories experienced by the main character based on David Krech’s theory of emotion. The study employed a descriptive qualitative method. The data consisted of excerpts of words, phrases, and sentences indicating the main character’s emotions in the monologue Ibu yang Anaknya Diculik Itu, included in Tiga Drama, an anthology by Seno Gumira Ajidarma published by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama in its first edition in 2024. The data were collected through a literature review and analyzed using content analysis, while data trustworthiness was established through theoretical triangulation. The findings reveal four emotional categories experienced by the main character: self-directed punishment, sadness, hatred, and love. Sadness was the most dominant emotion, accounting for 16 data points, followed by hatred (5), love (4), and self-directed punishment (1), for a total of 26 data points. These findings indicate the predominance of the character’s psychological suffering resulting from the trauma of losing her child. This study contributes to the development of literary psychology studies of monologue drama in Indonesia and demonstrates the applicability of David Krech’s emotion classification theory in mapping trauma-related emotions experienced by victims of the 1998 abduction of activists. The findings may also serve as a resource for literary appreciation instruction and as a medium for fostering an understanding of trauma.