 The narrator , who only appears in parts of the novel which he narrates , is referred to throughout the novel only as " saya " ( a respectful term for " I " or " me " ) . Little is known about his personal life other than that he is a journalist . According to Indonesian writer and literary critic Subagio Sastrowardoyo , the narrator appears to be representative of Mihardja and is used to teach moral lessons to the reader through his suggestions to Hasan . 
