Different Voices: The Singaporean/Malaysian Novel

10. PERHAPS IN PARADISE (1997)

220 PERHAPS IN PARADISE (1997) The novel Perhaps In Paradise (1997) by Ellina binti Abdul Majid is narrated from the protagonist’s point of view, limited to what she observes. Written in a simple, unpretentious language, the writer uses the “down to earth voice of a narrator in skaz”1 (Bakhtin 1981, p. 262). The novel portrays evolving images of a girl Kina in the process of becoming a woman. When the story begins, the protagonist is a nine-year old, and by the end of the novel, she is almost sixteen years of age. Not only does the reader see the whole action through Kina’s eyes, but also many of the ironical comments are in effect her perception of people and life around her. Using a form of oral everyday narration, the writer is able to convey the complex social structure of respectability among the middle-class Malays, where the mistaken notion of right behaviour contributes to the death of Rose, a young woman barely twenty-one years of age. However, the interest that the reader takes in Kina’s narration is not only engendered by the understated CHAPTER X 10 SMNovel.indd 220 10/5/09 2:19:18 PM Perhaps in Paradise (1997) 221 dark events that unfold in her sister Rose’s life, but also by the events that mould Kina into the kind of woman she becomes. The learning process of Kina is subtly rendered for the reader in a sequence of small, perfectly judged effects. Although the narrator uses Standard English, as she comes from a family where both her parents are English educated, she lapses into Malay frequently. Kina’s concern for her sister makes her seek advice from the housekeeper, Mak ‘kiah. When Kina unburdens her concern for Rose by opening a conversation in Malay: “Mak ‘kiah, Kina tahu orang yang ada ‘problem’ besar”, which translates into “Mak ‘kiah, Kina knows a person who has a big problem”, the housekeeper replies, “Tak nampak ke, Mak ‘kiah sedang buat kerja? Kina pula’ jangan sibuk ‘nak jaga tepi kain orang lain; kalau orang ada ‘problem’ itu dia punya pasal.” (pp. 183–84) This translates into: “Can’t you see Mak ‘kiah is doing work? Kina also don’t be busy wanting to look after the edge of someone else’s sarong; if someone has a problem it’s their business.” It is interesting to note that while Kina speaks in Malay, she borrows an English word “problem”. The above statement in Malay is framed within the narrative in Standard English by the narrator. In the housekeeper’s response, the reader is able to see the worldview of a particular language and its dialogic reverberations. Kina is thus discouraged from pursuing her interest in tackling her sister’s problem, but it teaches her that people are often selfish. The Malay metaphorical expression, “look after the edge of someone else’s sarong” sums up the attitude of the society in which Kina lives. In her statement, “And it sadly occurred to me that were I to say aloud what 10 SMNovel.indd 221 10/5/09 2:19:18 PM 222 The Singaporean/Malaysian Novel was on my mind, who would want to believe me …” (p. 184), the protagonist admits the selfish indifference of her society at large. She underlines “me” to highlight her insignificance. The attitude of her community is expressed in another Malay proverb. At the family conference, the older members of her family, such as the grandaunt, who comes from Tanjong Malim, remarks in Malay, “Apa lagi boleh buat, ‘kan nasi ‘dah jadi bubur!” (p. 45). This philosophical reflection on the given situation, though not necessarily a sensible one, condemns Rose into a life that would eventually destroy her. The statement translates into, “what else can be done, the rice has already turned to porridge”. This fatalistic view brings about the tragedy. Rose’s scandalous behaviour results in her being hastily married to the man she hardly knows. At the end of the novel, the reader hears Rose’s feelings about her marriage: At sixteen, I just wanted a bit of excitement, glamour — to go to parties and mix with people my age. But Mama and Abah were so old-fashioned when it came to that sort of thing. And just because I sneaked out to meet Ray a few times, they made me marry him...