ANALISIS NOVEL LASKAR PELANGI DENGAN PENDEKATAN SOSIOLOGI SASTRA “POTRET KETIMPANGAN SOSIAL DAN PERJUANGAN PENDIDIKAN MASYARAKAT BELITUNG TIMUR”

Abstract

This article examines Andrea Hirata's novel Laskar Pelangi using a sociological approach to reveal the social inequality and educational struggles of the East Belitung community. The novel depicts the lives of people under the hegemony of the tin mining industry, showing the contrast between the elite class living in luxury and the local community experiencing structural poverty. Through the stories of Kal, Lintang, Mahar, Bu Muslimah, and other characters, Andrea Hirata presents a social paradigm that highlights educational inequality, economic limitations, and cultural resistance through alternative educational institutions. This analysis finds that the novel Laskar Pelangi can be viewed as a social document reflecting the reality of East Belitung society, as well as a critique of unfair social structures. The sociological approach to literature shows that the educational struggles in the novel reflect the social dynamics occurring between the dominant and marginalized classes. Thus, this novel not only has high literary value but also a strong social function as a medium for societal reflection and change.