Asian Culture and History; Vol. 14, No. 1; 2022 ISSN 1916-9655 E-ISSN 1916-9663 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 67 100 Years Sitti Nurbaya: A View on the Social Criticism in the Novel Sitti Nurbaya Alexander Stark 1 & Balazs Huszka 2 1 Faculty of Language Studies and Human Development, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Malaysia 2 Language Center, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Darussalam Correspondence: Alexander Stark, Faculty of Language Studies and Human Development, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Kampus Kota, 16100 Kota Bharu, Malaysia. Received: March 20, 2022 Accepted: April 14, 2022 Online Published: April 25, 2022 doi:10.5539/ach.v14n1p67 URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/ach.v14n1p67 Abstract Sitti Nurbaya is one of the first modern Indonesian novels, and it was published in the year 1922. It illustrates the tragic story of a teenager who is forced to marry an older man. In this research paper, the researchers want to look at the social criticism of Marah Rusli, the author of Sitti Nurbaya. Such a perspective can reveal the inner dynamics of the Minangkabau society of West Sumatra (Indonesia), the setting of the novel. Marah Rusli originates from West Sumatra, and his novel describes the process of change at the beginning of the 20 th century. The researchers used a mixed approach to analyze the novel Sitti Nurbaya and detect the traditional system’s inherent criticism. The researchers used a methodology that comprised two methods, a structuralist approach and a biographical viewpoint. The research discovered that Marah Rusli criticizes the situation of men within a matrilineal society. He is also critical of the excesses of a growing capitalistic mindset. Keywords: Indonesian literature, Marah Rusli, Minangkabau, Sitti Nurbaya, West Sumatra 1. Introduction 1.1 Introductory Words One hundred years ago (in the year 1922), the novel Sitti Nurbaya was published (Teeuw, 1967, p. 56), and this article wants to pay tribute to Marah Rusli for writing a novel that inspires people from all parts of society. The novel Sitti Nurbaya by Marah Rusli is famous and considered to be one of Indonesia’s first ‘modern’ novels. For many literary critics, the story is significant, and it was very popular amongst the readers. It was by far the most popular of Indonesian novels prior to the second world war and still retained a great deal of popularity after it. (Aveling, 1970, p. 228) The novel describes the situation of a young teenager in a time of socio-economic changes in West Sumatra. At that time, the traditional values were questioned, and the fathers began to take care of their children. In the traditional Minangkabau society in West Sumatra, the oldest brother of the mother (the mamak) is responsible for the education and upcoming of his nephews and nieces. Marah Rusli, the author of Sitti Nurbaya, thematized this topic. There are ‘smaller’ storylines besides the main plot of the teenage girl Sitti Nurbaya that mention and illustrate what happened at the beginning of the 20 th Century in West Sumatra. The novel Sitti Nurbaya is still influential as there was a ‘modernized’ version of the story, a telenovela on Indonesian TV. There are also pop songs that thematize Sitti Nurbaya. Moreover, there are many changes in a globalizing world. Continuity and change were essential topics amongst anthropologists when they discussed the Minangkabau society. The novel Sitti Nurbaya is complex and can be analyzed from different perspectives. The researchers chose a mixed approach that encompasses both the structure of the novel and the biographical background information of the author Marah Rusli. It comprises a structuralist approach that includes the concept of Claude Levi-Strauss. This concept was chosen as Levi-Strauss was a famous representative of anthropology, and his structuralist approach could give information regarding the worldview of the Minangkabau society at the beginning of the 20 th century by analyzing the famous novel Sitti Nurbaya. At the beginning of the 20 th century, there was a vivid intellectual discussion within the Minangkabau society.