This Earth of Mankind

The most pervasive reality portrayed by Pramoedya Ananta Toer is the irrevocable striation of Javanese society into cultural groups. Apart from foreign travelers, merchants, and mercenaries, every person in Java belongs to one of three distinct groups: the Pure-Blood Dutch, the Mixed-Blood Indos (who have some verifiable Dutch heritage), and the Native Javanese. There is no possibility of moving from one group to another. This cultural rigidity is reinforced by Dutch law administered by European judges. Several times in the narrative, a Native person stands before a Dutch judge to point out the blatant inequity. In each case, the prosecutor or judge will say the court is for the Pure-Bloods. Thus, the Natives have no legal standing. Indos possess certain legal rights if they are acknowledged by their Pure-Blood parent. When Minke first meets Robert M., the latter presses him to say his last name. If Minke were an Indo with no last name rather than a Native, it would mean that he had a Dutch father who denied being so. Most would assume Minke is an Indo because of his dark skin, while his impeccable Dutch would argue against him being fully Native.