Independent Woman in Novel Gadis Kretek by Ratih Kumala

Society is changing from time to time. Women’s roles and positions are changing, especially in the fields of economic and social. Their participation in the public domain has an impact on their families and societies. This research discusses novel Gadis Kretek by Ratih Kumala. Dasiyah is a female character in this novel. She intended to be independent, despite her family owned a kretek cigarette factory. The research problem is how the independence of the female character is narrated, and the research objective is to discern the independence performed by the female character. The method is descriptive-analysis. To analyse the research problem, the research applies are character, sociology of literature, and feminist literary criticism. The kretek cigarette industry in Town of M developed, so did Dasiyah’s. She generated ideas to make her kretek cigarette industry advanced; thus, it signified her as an independent woman.