A Semiotic Study of the Novel Tanah Para Bandit by Tere Liye

Abstract

The background of this research is based on the importance of understanding the hidden meaning in literary works through icons, indexes, and symbols that construct social, moral, and ideological messages in the novel. This research is supported by Peirce’s semiotic study on the relationship between signs, objects, and interpretants, and strengthened by Roland Barthes’ semiotic study on denotative, connotative, and mythical meanings. This research aims to analyze semiotic signs in the novel Tanah Para Bandit by Tere Liye using Charles Sanders Peirce’s semiotic theory. The research method used is a qualitative descriptive method with content analysis techniques. The research data are in the form of quotes, phrases, sentences, and dialogues in the novel that contain semiotic elements. Data collection techniques are carried out through document studies by reading, recording, and grouping data based on the categories of icons, indexes, and symbols. The results of the study show that this novel contains various forms of semiotic signs that represent social life, life struggles, injustice, and the search for identity of the main character. Icons are found through descriptions of settings and real objects, indexes appear in cause-and-effect relationships in events, while symbols depict ideological meanings and social criticism. Thus, this novel not only functions as a work of entertainment, but also as a medium for conveying moral and social messages through a complex system of signs.