In ‘‘The Fence,’’ Rangkuti explores how artificial boundaries affect humans. In this simply written story, the author poses important and thought-provoking questions about fences— artificial boundaries built with the purpose of protecting something. Rangkuti questions whether a fence is truly protective or offers a false sense of security. He suggests that the principles of faith,…
Tag: The Fence
The Fence by Hamsad Rangkuti – Setting
Indonesia as a Setting for Literature Indonesia is made up of over seventeen thousand islands that span the Pacific and Indian Ocean and bridge the continents of Asia and Australia. As such, it is the largest archipelago, or island chain, in the world. Sumatra, where ‘‘The Fence’’ is set, is one of the five main…
The Fence by Hamsad Rangkuti – Literary Devices
Allegory ‘‘The Fence’’ can be read as an allegory, a story with a moral, ethical, or religious lesson in which the characters represent things or abstract ideas. Mother and Father represent two opposing attitudes about society’s responsibility toward those who are different or less fortunate. One attitude is a clear ‘‘us and them’’ division between…
The Fence by Hamsad Rangkuti – Themes
‘‘Us and Them’’: Divisions Between People In this story, the fence built by the family is an actual barrier that divides people. In erecting a fence, Mother is saying to the vagrants, ‘‘This is my property. Keep off. You don’t belong here.’’ Before the fence is erected, the vagrants feel appreciative of the family. They…
The Fence by Hamsad Rangkuti – Characters
Father Father is a generous and kind soul. He sees no reason to keep vagrants off his property. He wants to share what he has, though he has very little. He objects to building a fence, but he is not very strong-willed. He allows Mother to convince him they need a fence in case they…
The Fence by Hamsad Rangkuti – Summary
The story begins with heavy rain, a common occurrence in Sumatra during the rainy season. Through the window, the Narrator spots an old man taking shelter under the eaves of the house. The old man is hunched over. Mother turns out the light and peeks through the curtain, trying to keep the old man from…