This Earth of Mankind

Because of Minke’s stellar performance during the installation and his invitation to the assistant resident’s home, Minke’s parents no longer criticize him. He prepares to return to Wonokromo and telegraphs Nyai, asking for a carriage. Out of courtesy, Minke returns to Herbert’s home, where his daughters treat him with respect. Herbert, though sincere, reveals a bias against Natives, believing them incapable of social advancement.

On the train to Surabaya, Minke notices an Asian man watching him, whom he begins to call “Fatso.” When Annelies and Darsam take Minke toward Wonokromo in their carriage, Fatso follows them, though he disappears when Darsam stops in town. Darsam takes Minke into a coffee house, while Annelies waits in the carriage. He confesses that Robert M. attempted to enlist his help in assassinating Minke, but he refused. Minke becomes afraid, as “Surabaya was famous for its paid killers” (154). Back in the carriage, Minke tells Annelies that he is not going to Wonokromo yet, as he needs to spend some time at his rented room. Alone in his room, Minke grapples with feelings of distrust toward everyone he knows.

This chapter describes what happened to Robert M. after the police took Minke away for his father’s installation. When Minke leaves, Annelies demands that her mother do something. Nyai realizes how helpless and emotional her daughter is. She summons Robert M. and tells him to go to the police in Surabaya to find out what happened to Minke. Threatened by Darsam, Robert M. rides away on his horse. Annelies falls ill, and Darsam goes to retrieve Dr. Martinet.

Robert M. stops his horse as soon as he is out of view of Wonokromo, as he has no desire to find any information about Minke. As he sits, the plantation’s closest neighbor, Babah Ah Tjong, greets him. Babah, a Chinese immigrant, is the owner of the brothel next door to Wonokromo. He reminds Robert M. that he has never entered his brothel and lures him inside. Within, Babah entices Robert M. with a variety of drinks, delicacies, and different prostitutes until he settles on the Japanese woman Maiko, about whom Babah says, “This is my own one. Sinyo [Young Sir] can have her if you like” (167). Babah shows Robert M. and Maiko to an opulent bedroom.

Minke explains that the information in this chapter comes from Maiko’s court testimony, as expressed in the first-person. Maiko shares her history of being sold from one brothel owner to another, beginning in Japan and finally ending up in Java. Her “price” consistently drops as clients discover she carries a venereal disease nicknamed “Burmese syphilis.” She says, “It was famous for being incurable, and the men were ruined and destroyed more quickly and more painfully” (170). Maiko then describes her contact with Robert M.

Following Maiko’s testimony, Babah’s testimony is recorded in the first-person. He describes greeting Robert M. when he came out of the bedroom after a full day with Maiko. Babah tells Robert M. that he owes nothing for his time with Maiko. He then summons a female barber who cuts Robert M.’s hair and applies scented lotion.

Minke ends the chapter by relating the observations of Annelies and Nyai. Annelies awakens in the afternoon and, with her mother, sits in front of their home awaiting Robert M.’s return from the police station. Two hours later, Robert M. returns and reports that “The police don’t know where Minke was taken. They don’t recognize that name at all” (178). Nyai knows where he has been because of his appearance and smell. Robert M. changes his clothes and walks away from the house.

Minke wakes with a terrible headache. After his landlady, Mrs. Telinga, feeds and cares for him, Minke visits his friend Jean. Minke spots Fatso sitting outside the house where Jean is painting. Minke’s landlord, Mr. Telinga, shows up after shopping. When he learns that Minke is being stalked, he confronts Fatso. Mr. Telinga attempts to fight Fatso, who parries and avoids all of his blows. Fatso runs away, followed by Mr. Telinga, who returns out of breath. Though he fears for his life, Minke cannot report this incident to the police, believing it would bring unwanted attention to his parents, Nyai, and Annelies. In order to conquer his perpetual headache and end the crisis, he must emotionally release Annelies—which results in a slight abatement of his physical pain.

Minke receives a lengthy letter from Miriam describing her father Herbert’s understandings of why the Indonesian people have not been able to rise and become partners with the Dutch, rather than continuing to be their indentured servants. She tells Minke of the extended conversation she and her sister had with their father, expressing that Minke may be the long-awaited voice who raises the consciousness of the Javanese people. Touched, Minke answers her letter.

As Minke concludes his reply, Darsam startles him by appearing with a letter from Nyai saying that Annelies is ill. When Minke tells Mrs. Telinga that he is going to care for Annelies, she reminds him that he is also ill. Darsam responds, “Young Master will recover quickly at Wonokromo” (196).

Nyai initially scolds Minke for having been gone too long. She recognizes that he is also ill, then says, “No matter. If the two of them get together again, everything will be all right. The sickness will disappear” (197). At first, Annelies, who is semi-comatose, scarcely responds to Minke, though he continually speaks to her. Eventually, Dr. Martinet arrives and confides that he has sedated Annelies, who will soon awaken. The doctor tells Minke that Annelies is especially fragile, and that Minke himself must now become her caregiver and ensure she experiences no major surprises going forward: “Her heart is too soft, too gentle. She can’t cope with hurt. You must always humor, caress, protect her” (203). As Annelies awakens, Minke struggles with the new responsibility of assuring her health. The two converse, and their illnesses disappear.

Living at Wonokromo and riding an expensive carriage to school every day sets Minke apart from his fellow students. He notices that his relationships with his schoolmates and teachers have changed. Most students avoid him, and the school’s director questions him about his status, verifying he is not married. Minke realizes that Robert S. is spreading rumors about him. The only person who treats Minke the same is his literature instructor, Miss Magda Peters. Magda leads an open group discussion every Saturday afternoon. When she brings up an article written by Minke under his pseudonym, Robert S. stands before the class and identifies Minke as the author, intending to shame him. However, Magda calls Minke before the class and praises him. Her praise and willingness to question the primacy of Europeans in human development results in awkward silence and the termination of the discussion group. When Minke gives Magda a ride home in his carriage, she takes him into her home, praises his brilliance, and kisses him.

Minke receives two long letters from Miriam and Sarah. In them, he learns that Herman’s son by his Dutch wife, Maurits, experienced capture by the British in the Boer War. The letters stir jealously in Annelies. This is compounded when Minke says that, since she is no longer sick, he is going to sleep in his own room at night rather than in hers.

When Magda quizzes Minka about living with a nyai, he tells her that Nyai is self-educated. When Magda refuses to believe it, Minke challenges her to meet Nyai. They go to Wonokromo, so Magda can evaluate it as a suitable place for a scholar. Magda is stunned by Annelies’s beauty and Nyai’s intelligence. Later, she tells Minke that she would like to visit Wonokromo often, though she knows she cannot because of the gossip it would stir.

One evening, as Minke finishes his studies, Annelies demands that he come to her bedroom and tell her a story to help her sleep. Minke remarks that she is a spoiled child but does as asked, making up a story about a princess so beautiful that all of nature makes allowances for her. The story quickly morphs into a description of their relationship. They proceed to make love for the first time. Afterward, Minke asks Annelies if she had experienced intercourse before that night. She sobs, saying, “I knew […] that one day a man I loved would ask me that” (241). Before answering, she asks Minke if he will marry her, to which he agrees.

Annelies confesses that Nyai once sent her to find Darsam in the fields. While searching, she encountered her brother in the reeds. Robert M. proceeded to rape her. During the attack, Annelies’s horse bit Robert M. on the behind, startling him and allowing her to escape. She decided not to tell Nyai for fear Darsam would kill Robert M. and cause more trouble for her mother. Annelies and Minke have intercourse a second time, falling asleep afterward. Minke realizes that Nyai entered the room and covered them with blankets while they slept.