Emotional Agency as Feminist Resistance: Re-reading Hayati in Hamka’s Tenggelamnya Kapal Van der Wijck

Abstrak

This study examines how Hamka’s Tenggelamnya Kapal Van der Wijck critiques patriarchal structures within Minangkabau society through the character of Hayati. Although Minangkabau culture is widely recognized as matrilineal, previous studies have primarily focused on social conflict, morality, or cultural hierarchy in the novel, leaving the question of how love functions as a form of feminist agency largely unexplored. Addressing this gap, this article investigates how Hayati’s emotional commitment and personal choices can be interpreted as forms of feminist resistance within a restrictive cultural framework. Using a qualitative research design and close textual analysis informed by liberal feminist theory, the study examines selected passages from the novel to identify patterns of emotional agency, moral negotiation, and resistance to patriarchal authority. The findings suggest that although Hayati’s autonomy is constrained by communal expectations and patriarchal norms, her emotional resilience, refusal to fully conform to imposed marital decisions, and continued defense of her romantic choice represent subtle but meaningful acts of resistance. The study argues that love in the novel operates not merely as a romantic motif but as a narrative space where women assert moral autonomy and challenge patriarchal control. By foregrounding emotional agency as a form of resistance, this research contributes to feminist literary criticism and offers a renewed interpretation of Hamka’s work within broader discussions of gender and cultural power in Indonesian literature.