Overview The story is set in a traditional Malay village in the state of Kelantan, which is located on the east coast

of Peninsular Malaysia. Among the Malays, weddings are usually celebrated on an elaborate scale. Although the story takes place in contemporary times, matchmaking is still practiced. The older folks, usually the women, take the responsibility of choosing a bride / bridegroom for their children. This is often followed by the elders taking full charge of the wedding preparations. Amongst the Malays, the 'bunga telur' is a must. The 'bunga telur' is a hard-boiled egg that is presented in a special case to guests who come for the wedding.

Synopsis

This short story is about Jamal, a young Kelantanese man who decides to get married. His mother chooses a bride for him - a beautiful, educated, rich and cultured girl. Soon, Jamal gets involved with the wedding preparations and discovers that expenses will be very high. Therefore, he works out a more reasonable budget. However, he still has to raise funds to pay for the expenses. Jamal tries to get a bank loan of RM5000 but rejects it when he finds the loan repayment to be too steep. He is happy to get a small loan of RM1500 from his mother. Finally, on the eve of his wedding, Jamal has no good shoes for his wedding. He had sold his Bally shoes to his Cousin Lan to raise funds for the wedding.

Setting

Setting There are two main settings - the physical setting and the social setting. The following are some of the physical settings in the story : * The state of Kelantan * Jamal's house * The bride's house * The bank * Cousin Lan's house * A few shops in Kelantan The social settings show the following : * A matriarchal setting society, where women are the dominant force and men are weak and have lost their masculinity. * A traditional 20th century society where traditional unwritten roles of behaviour for men and women prevail. * There are no good means of public transportation.

Character& Characteristics
Main Character Character Jamal

A weak character

He is easily bullied and ordered around by the womenfolk. He cannot make decisions by himself.
Rather irresponsible and a spendthrift He does not save even though he only has a small salary. He does not consider the fact that he may not be able to support a wife on his small salary. Rather foolish, nave, ignorant and simple-minded He sells his Bally shoes to his cousin Lan for a low price. The actual cost is RM800. He does not think before he acts. The Bally shoes would have been perfect for the wedding! He also does not manage to get back the RM500 loan from his cousin. Obedient son He accepts his mothers choice of a bride for him. He accepts his mothers reprimands gracefully and even his elder sisters sarcasm. Soft-hearted Jamal cries when he is not able to take his relatives comments. He does not insist that the other cousin return his money. He apologizes to the cow that is to be slaughtered for the wedding. Honest He sells Cousin Lan the shoes cheaply, although it could have fetched a much higher price. He does not take any wanton advantage of his future bride. Patient Jamal is not fussy. He is capable of making sacrifices when required. He goes through all the wedding preparations, the fitting sessions and lunches with his future bride with many of his relatives looking on.

Minor Character Jamals mother Status - conscious He ensures that her daughter-in-law is from a rich and cultured family, educated, fair and pretty. Generous She gives Jamal RM1500 for the wedding, knowing that he may not be able to return her the money. Patient She is especially patient with her son, Jamal, in explaining the many preparations needed for a wedding. Dominant and demanding She insists that Jamal pay for certain items for the wedding. Fierce Like many Kelantanese women, she has a good heart but scolds and lectures Jamal because he needs to be more responsible especially regards with finances. She is rather unreasonable to demand so much money from him since he has very little savings. She is very pushy and determined that everything will work out according to her plans. She and her daughter excite him with stories of the bridal chamber and then threaten to call off the wedding, leaving Jamal teary and frustrated.

Jamals sister Short-tempered She tells Jamal off when he suggests that they cut cost on the bunga telur by distributing Hacks sweets instead. Traditional She insists on the bunga telur although it is expensive. Dominant and bossy Like most Kelantanese women, her husband has no say in anything. Unreasonable She insists that Jamal pay for the bunga telur even though she knows that he has no money.

Cousin Lan Status-conscious He insists on wearing only designer labels even though the items come from Golok, Thailand, are imitations! Shrewd, conniving and miserly He tries to strike a hard bargain with Jamal about the sale of his Bally shoes, even though he covets it and knows that they are genuine. Decisive and accommodating at the right moment When Jamal threatens to go elsewhere to sell his Bally shoes, he quickly agrees to buy it at the asking price

Themes

Being Responsible

The Need for Moderation

* Jamal decides to get married without considering whether he can support a wife and children. * Jamal sells his Bally shoes to his cousin for immediate cash, but fails to consider the fact that he might need them for his wedding. He is not ambitious, and has not considered getting a better-paying job. * Jamal's mother insists that Jamal give her a huge sum for the wedding even though he has so little savings - this is mean and irresponsible. * Jamal's sister threatens to call off the wedding just because Jamal suggested that the 'bunga telur' be replaced with Hacks sweets.

* Jamal is not very mature, and is not earning much. Thus, his decision to get married seems a little hasty. He is also quite a spendthrift, and does not save much. He has to learn to budget and be moderate, especially with regards to his future wife. * Jamal's mother and sister are dominant and impatient with him. They also threaten to call off the wedding. They are unkind to raise his hopes about the wedding and then threaten to call if off. * Both his mother and sister have short tempers and exaggerate matters often. * Jamal learns to exercise good judgement and practice moderation when he turns down the bank loan.

The Importance of Custom and Tradition

Status Consciousness

* Custom and tradition must be followed in a traditional society like Kelantan for example, the choice of bride is the responsibility of the elders. Jamal can only view his bride in the presence of relatives. Jamal must follow and go through all the wedding preparations. * Women are the dominant force in Kelantan society - the men have to listen! * It is important to keep to traditions 'bunga telur' is given as a gift for every wedding guest.

* Jamal's mother makes sure that her daughter-in-law has looks, status and a good education. * Jamal's mother wants a grand wedding for Jamal, even though it means sacrifice, making wrong decisions and, perhaps, borrowing. * Jamal's sister insists on the 'bunga telur' even though it will cost an absurd RM1.20 for each egg! The outward show was to maintain their status.

Moral Values

Thrift

This is seen in the case of Jamal. He is a spendthrift, but with the approaching wedding, he learns to cut his expenditures.

Patience

Human beings must learn to be patient. Jamal learns to exercise patience and tolerance wwith his mother and sister. Both have threatened to cancel the wedding.

Generosity

We must be generous. Generosity is shown by Jamal's mother. She is willing to give him RM1500 for his upcoming wedding.

Self-Control

We should respect chastity. Jamal's exercise of moderation and self-control are important in a modern era of sexual permissiveness.

Point of View

The story is written from the omniscient point of view. The narrator knows everything. He knows all the thoughts, emotions and actions of all the characters. Language and Style The following are the main literary devices used in the story :

Tone and Mood The story is told with some humour and has an ironic twist at the end. The writer has a detached tone throughout the story. Therefore, the reader does not get emotionally involved with the characters but watches in amusement at Jamal's attempts to raise funds and the ironic ending of the story.

* diction / suitable choice of words

page 11 - 'hands folded neatly on her lap'; 'langsat-yellow skin' page 13 - 'suicidal budget' page 15 - Jamal's 'heart leapt skyhigh' page 16 - 'lick his wounds' page 17 - 'crooned to the shoes'
* Symbols * Idiomatic expressions