No Harvest But a Thorn

By: Shahnon Ahmad

Shahnon Ahmad

• 1933- Born in the remotevillage of Banggul Derdap, inKedah, Malaysia

• 1947 to 1953- attendedEnglish secondary school

• Graduated with an AsianStudies degree in an Australianuniversity and M.A. from theUniversity of Science inPenang, Malaysia

• Member of the oppositionparty PAS (Pan-MalaysianIslamic Party—a parliamentparty) and won in Sik in theparliamentary election of 1999

Shahnon Ahmad

• Writing Career– Most important

contemporary prose writerin the Malay language• novelist, satirist, and short

story writer

– Won the highest literaryawards in his country• 1976 - PejuangSastera (Champion ofLiterature)

• 1982 - Anugerah SasteraNegara (Writer LaureateAward)

BACKGROUND ON ISLAMIC VIEWS

• Widows carry fewer rightsthan other women.

• Older people acts as thespine and anchor in theinstitutions and society.

• Men need to take care ofwomen because each wascreated mutually.

• Mothers are moreimportant, but fatherswill always be the head ofthe family.

No Harvest but a Thorn (Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan)

• literal translation: Trapsalong the Way

• a textbook forsecondary schoolchildren

• made into a movie in1983 entitled, “RicePeople”

No Harvest but a Thorn (Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan)

• Setting:

– Time: postcolonial (1960s)

–Banggul Derdap =a poor village

• rice field

• Lahuma’s house

• Farming – people’smeans of living

No Harvest but a Thorn (Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan)

• Characters:

– Lahuma

• father of sevenchildren; husband ofJeha

• a responsible andhardworking farmerand head of thefamily

– Jeha• wife of Lahuma

No Harvest but a Thorn (Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan)

• Characters:

– The Seven Children

• Sanah- eldest; will be married soon

• Milah

• Jenab

• Semek

• Liah

• Lebar

• Kiah- youngest

No Harvest but a Thorn (Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan)

• Other Characters:– Tok Penghulu

• head of the village; owns large parcels of land; has a tractor

– Ali Ketopi and Mat Diah

• neighbors of Lahumaand his family

No Harvest but a Thorn

• Chapter 1– Introduction of the Characters and Setting;

Beginning of the Planting Season

• Chapter 2– Lahuma examined his land showing his love for his

work and family

• Chapter 3– While working, Jeha encountered a snake.

No Harvest but a Thorn

• Chapter 4– Jeha kept remembering the incident with the

snake.

– Jeha was still unable to work with Lahuma.

• Chapter 5– Sanah and Milah began to work on the fields.

No Harvest but a Thorn

• Chapter 6– Nibong thorn pierced Lahuma’s foot.

– Lahuma tried to remove the thorn but he failed.

– Lahuma wasn’t able to work.

• Chapter 7– Lahuma dies because the pus has spread

throughout his body.

No Harvest but a Thorn

• Chapter 8– Lahuma was buried.

– Jeha and her children worked the fields.

– Tok Penghulu brought the tractor to Lahuma’sfields.

• Chapter 9– Rice was planted in the fields.

No Harvest but a Thorn

• Chapter 10– Crabs attacked the rice fields.

– Jeha and the children picked the crabs up andkilled them.

– Jeha kept having dreams and hallucinations ofLahuma.

• Chapter 11– Jeha lost her sanity. She went to the Tok Penghulu

and showed him her breasts.

No Harvest but a Thorn

• Chapter 12– Jeha ran amok in the middle of the night. She was

then placed in the cage leaving Sanah in charge ofthe fields.

• Chapter 13– Floods came to Banggul Derdap. Sanah, Milah,

and Jenab cleared the rice plots.

– Jeha was taken to a mental asylum.

No Harvest but a Thorn

• Chapter 14– Rice has ripened ready for the harvest.

• Chapter 15– The tiaks has appeared.

– The sisters fought the tiaks.

– Sanah, Milah, Jenab, and Semek harvested therice.

No Harvest but a Thorn

• Chapter 16– Rice production turned out to be very poor.

– The sisters waited for Jeha.

– Jeha returned. She ran wild to see the harvestedrice.

– Jeha would be returned the following day to themental asylum.

No Harvest but a Thorn (Analysis)

• The Young and theOld

• The Role of Menand Women

The Young and the Old

• The novel shows thatbeing young isn’t ahindrance.

• Sanah and her sisterseventually came outtriumphant in spite of thedownfall of the supposed“spine” of their family.

The Role of Men and Women

• Farming has always beenknown to be a man’s job,but Ahmad showed thatwomen can alsocontribute to farming.

• Lahuma died in the story,but the rice fields borefruits because of thewomen in his family.