Analysis of Moral Values in the Novel Negeri Bawah Air by Ary Nilandari

Abstract

This study aims to identify, describe, and analyze the moral values contained in the novel Negeri Bawah Air by Ary Nilandari, motivated by the crucial role of literary works as a medium for transmitting moral values capable of shaping readers' character and ethical consciousness. A qualitative descriptive method with a literary studies approach was employed, with data collected through a comprehensive reading and note-taking technique and classified based on Bertens' (2013) theory of moral values encompassing three aspects: responsibility, conscience, and obligation. The findings reveal that all three moral values are present in an integrative manner through the characters' actions, speech, and thoughts, yielding 285 data points in total, with conscience emerging as the most dominant aspect (214 data points), followed by responsibility (174 data points) and obligation (123 data points), indicating that internal moral conflict and deliberation constitute the central axis of the novel's narrative. This study concludes that Negeri Bawah Air functions not merely as an adventure narrative but as a vehicle for contextually relevant moral messages, contributing to the understanding of how moral values operate in an integrative and interconnected manner within literary texts and affirming the novel's significance as a medium for character formation.