This Earth of Mankind

Annelies Mellema is the youngest child and only daughter of Nyai and Herman Mellema. In her mid-teens, she is strikingly beautiful, with fair European skin and Javanese features. Just as Minke is taken by her the moment he sees her, so is she. Because Annelies has been cloistered for a decade, she has had no exposure to peers or playmates. She has no friends and only one brother, Robert M., whom her mother has warned her to avoid. On the family farm, Wonokromo, Annelies remains at home with the workers and animals. The Natives who work for her mother treat her with adoration. When Minke praises her beauty and expresses affection for her, Annelies has no idea how to respond, going to her mother for guidance.

Like Minke, Annelies also speaks several languages fluently. She loves stories and constantly asks Minke to read or tell her stories. Despite his love for her, Minke describes Annelies as a spoiled child because she always gets what she wants. In reality, her family physician, Dr. Martinet, reveals that she is emotionally delicate and unable to withstand disappointment and grief. When confronting difficult situations, Annelies turns within, refusing to eat or leave her bed. Eventually, she reveals to Minke that she was once raped by her brother but keeps it to herself to avoid causing problems for her mother.

A pivotal, unique character in the narrative is the mother of Robert M. and Annelies, who asks people to call her Nyai Ontosoroh. The word nyai is not a name but a title, meaning concubine. She chooses to be known to most people as Nyai—concubine. At 14, Nyai—then called Sanikem—was bartered by her father to Dutchman Herman Mellema to become his nyai. She never forgave her parents for selling her. Over the years, she learned languages and reading. She proved apt at business and took over Herman’s growing agricultural companies. Nyai’s sole goal in life is to provide for her daughter and prevent her from being traded against her will as a wife or nyai.

Because Minke cannot bring himself to refer to her as Nyai—which he perceives as a slur—Nyai encourages him to call her Mama, as Annelies does. As the story develops, Nyai begins to refer to Minke as “Son.” Minke is continually stunned by Nyai’s insight into human nature. She always seems to know what he is thinking, and he finds it virtually impossible to refuse her when she asks him to do something. Above all, Nyai wants Minke to be in Annelies’s life, to be the pure love she herself was denied. She encourages their closeness and accepts their physical intimacy.

Miss Magda Peters is a young, unmarried literature instructor at Minke’s prep school. He describes her as being covered with freckles with round glasses. Magda is bold and open-minded, unhesitant in expressing her desire for the Indies to be considered equal to the Netherlands. Well-read, she exposes her students to many different ideas and encourages discussion, though she recognizes there are political limits to what students may advocate.

Magda is an emotional person. When reading an article written by Minke—though she does not know he is the author—she is overcome with the beauty of the writing. Discovering Minke to be the author, she must stop and gather herself before explaining the greatness of his piece to the other students. Magda is also physically attracted to Minke. When he gives her a ride home in his carriage, she invites him in, praises his brilliance, and smothers him with kisses. As Minke’s troubles mount because of his association with Nyai and Annelies, Magda remains an unwavering supporter.

The European family physician to Annelies and one of Nyai’s most trusted advisors, Dr. Martinet is frequently summoned to Wonokromo to care for the delicate girl. When he recognizes the powerful relationship between her and Minke, he expresses that Minke is now her primary caregiver. Martinet is completely candid with Minke when discussing how to treat Annelies, prodding for information to better understand how to care for her.

Minke discovers that Martinet is also an author, one who writes articles about mental health and how to analyze and treat emotional conditions. It is apparent from his questioning that Martinet strives to grasp the psychology behind Annelies’s illness.