The absurdity of Budi Darma as a strategy for managing consensus in three short stories from Orang-Orang Bloomington: A Rancièrian analysis

Abstract

The creation of absurd characters who behave or react in ways that deviate from social norms was one of the reasons Budi Darma became well-known. These characters fall outside societal consensus and are labelledwrong in the social order. This study argues that the protagonists in the three short stories from Orang-Orang Bloomington are Budi Darma’s means to explore or negotiate such consensuses. Using a descriptive-qualitative method and Jacques Rancière’s notionof the wrong meaning elements regarded as outside the social order, this study examines how these characters use certain strategies to manage consensus. It finds that the stories consistently portray complex social dynamics. The absurdity and intellectual disparity among the main characters in “Joshua Karabish” show how creativity can be abused in the absence of ethics. In “Laki-Laki Tua Tanpa Nama”, ridiculous behavior challenges social norms and causes disagreement. Ultimately, “Yorrick”’s ridiculous actions encourage emotional dependence, which results in character comprehension and emotional agreement. Overall, these tales demonstrate the complexity of social interactions through Rancière's perspective, highlighting inequality, disagreement, and the possibility of reaching a consensus in daily life.