 Mihardja later wrote that he intended the novel to deal with the question of the existence of God . Mahayana et al. agree , noting that the theme of faith – a theme unknown in modern Indonesian literature at the time – is found throughout the novel . Maier notes that the psychological concepts of guilt , fear , and remorse drive the novel . Teeuw describes the work as taking up the classic theme of modernity versus tradition in a new , more worldly manner . Balfas writes that this approach to the theme was soon followed by other writers . 
