Divorce in The Fairy Tale of Jaka Tarub: A Study of Freud’s Personal Psychology and Javanese Culture

Abstract

This study aims to describe the divorce conflict in the Jaka Tarub fairy tale through a study of Freud's personality psychology and traditional Javanese culture. The study uses a qualitative descriptive approach with a content analysis method on the Jaka Tarub fairy tale text. The research data source comes from the book Cerita Rakyat Nusantara by Feni Andiani, while the research data are in the form of quotations that show the character's personality conflict, anxiety, ego defense mechanisms, and Javanese cultural values ​​​​in household relations. Data collection techniques are carried out through reading and note-taking techniques and literature studies. Data analysis is carried out by identifying, classifying, interpreting, and concluding data based on Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory which includes the id, ego, and superego as well as the concept of traditional Javanese culture. The results of the study show that the main conflict in the fairy tale is caused by the dominance of the id in Jaka Tarub which gives rise to manipulative actions, lies, and distrust of Nawang Wulan. Meanwhile, the character of Nawang Wulan is more dominated by the super ego which is reflected in the attitude of responsibility, obedience, and morality as a wife and mother. In addition, the Jaka Tarub fairy tale also represents traditional Javanese culture that places women as managers of the domestic sphere through the concept of kanca wingking. The symbols of the kitchen, rice, and barn in the story demonstrate the importance of trust in maintaining household harmony. The divorce between Jaka Tarub and Nawang Wulan symbolizes the breakdown of family relationships due to violations of moral and cultural values. This research demonstrates that traditional fairy tales can reflect the relationship between human psychology and a society's cultural systems.