Bawang Merah Bawang Putih is one of Indonesia's classic folklore and one of the most known. In a nutshell, it's a derivative of the Cinderella story: All-Loving Heroine (Bawang Putih, Indonesian translation of 'Garlic') getting tortured on daily basis by her Wicked Stepmother and wicked stepsister (Bawang Merah, Indonesian translation of 'Shallot'), but she persevered and her perseverance bore fruit with great fortune, while the wicked pairs' vices became their undoing.
This folklore was very popular in Indonesia (but virtually unknown in other places in the world, much like other Indonesian folklores) that it spawned two versions, with latter derivatives occasionally mixing and matching both versions to varying degrees.
Base Story
Bawang Putih was the sole daughter of a wealthy merchant who ended up marrying another lady who already had one daughter named Bawang Merah after his original wife died. Eventually, he either passed away by sickness or went to a long business trip (and most likely died midway). The lady turned out to be a Wicked Stepmother extraordinary while Bawang Merah was a Spoiled Brat extraordinare, and they proceeded to hoard the riches of that merchant, enslaving Bawang Putih, who was too much of kind-hearted and a dutiful daughter to even snap back at her tormentors. And so began Bawang Putih's life of torture, with her occasionally crying about what she has done to deserve this.
1st Version
1st Version
One day, when Bawang Putih was washing her tormentors' clothes, her stepmother's favorite shawl slipped from her and taken by the river. She gave chase, and in the end, the chase led to a hut where an old lady lived. The old lady agreed to return the shawl, but on the condition that Bawang Putih helped her chore for the day. Since she was so used with chores, because she was literally enslaved by her step-family, it was of no problem for her and she finished just in time so she could go back home as promised.In gratitude, the old lady offered her one of the two pumpkins she had: A big or small one. Being a humble and charitable girl, Bawang Putih just picked the small one, and returned home, being scolded by the stepmother and Bawang Merah like usual. But, during this scolding, the pumpkin was dropped to the ground and split in two and revealed that inside the fruit was tons of golds and jewelries that could make the family rich. Bawang Putih got scolded again for picking the small pumpkin, if she picked the bigger one, they could have gotten greater fortunes.
Bawang Merah and her mother hatched a plan while somehow forgetting to snatch the riches Bawang Putih just found. They dropped the same shawl on purpose, which led them to the same old lady. They either force the old lady to jump straight into picking the pumpkins or agreed to work (but they complain along the way). When it comes to choosing which pumpkin, their greedy selves naturally picked the big one. When they cut it, instead of gold and jewelry, venomous animals like snakes, scorpions or centipedes burst forth. At this point, there are two outcomes of this event:
- They escaped the venomous animals and this served as the much needed Humble Pie for both Bawang Merah and her mother. They ran back and apologized to Bawang Putih for real, who forgave them. Afterwards, Bawang Putih lived Happily Ever After with her redeemed step-family.
- Their own Greed became their undoing as these venomous animals deliver to them their Karmic Death. Meanwhile, while Bawang Putih was left alone with her riches, she quickly formed a new network of friends that supported her (usually from her days of torture) and lived Happily Ever After.
2nd Version
2nd Version
This version is quite similar with another folktale Leungli (a talking magical fish meeting a girl tortured by her wicked step-family).One day, when Bawang Putih was washing her tormentors' clothes, she came across a talking golden fish. It turned out to be her dead mother reincarnated into the world. This lifted Bawang Putih's spirits up, and she came to talk to the fish often at pond. Bawang Merah learned about this and can't stand seeing Bawang Putih happy, so she lured the fish, caught it and with her mom, cooked it and fed it to Bawang Putih, horrifying her, to the delight of the stepmother and Bawang Merah.
With sadness, Bawang Putih buried the fish, but from the bone grew a tree that has a beautiful swing on it. It automatically swung back and forth when Bawang Putih sang her mother's lullaby. Her voice was beautiful enough that somehow a passing Prince Charming heard it. His presence startled Bawang Putih that she left. The prince fell in Love at First Sight and swore to find this 'girl with heavenly voice on a swing'.
This led him to Bawang Putih's home. The stepmother hid Bawang Putih, while claiming to the Prince that the girl he's looking for was Bawang Merah. Fortunately, her trick was blown over when Bawang Merah proved to be either a talentless singer or the swing just refused to move with Bawang Merah. The prince was angered at this and forced the stepmother to reveal Bawang Putih. Once Bawang Putih showed that she really was that girl he met, the prince was overjoyed and asked her hand for marriage, to which she accepted, leaving her wicked stepfamily behind.
Compare with Cinderella and many many of its derivatives that feature the similar circumstance and occasionally also Japan's Tale of the Tongue-Cut Sparrow (in particular about the karmic punishment at version 1)
This folk tale provides examples of
- All-Loving Hero: Bawang Putih, oh Bawang Putih. She really had absolutely no bad bone in her body that she had no ill-will even to her tormentors that it usually falls to the hands of karma to punish them.
- An Aesop: If you persevere towards the misery given to you, one day you will be rewarded. Additionally, Greed will be your undoing.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: In front of the patriarch and as long as he's around, Bawang Merah and the stepmother faked on being overall nice family members. When he's out of the picture, on the other hand, they revel in their nastier true selves.
- Cain and Abel: It's unclear on which one's older between Bawang Putih and Bawang Merah, but it's already clear that Bawang Merah is the spoiled evil Cain while Bawang Putih is the diligent kind Abel.
- Cinderella Plot: Good girl meets Wicked Stepmother and wicked stepsister, treated like slave... It follows that formula started by the Trope Namer.
- Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: Bawang Putih wears white, Bawang Merah wears red. This is because when translated literally (instead of Garlic and Shallot), their names translate to "White Onion" and "Red Onion".
- Disappeared Dad: The father either went on a long business trip and never returned, or flat out died in the backstory.
- Easily Forgiven: Bawang Putih really didn't have the heart to punish back her stepfamily for their cruelty, forgiving them easily. Granted, in one of the endings, they suffered a traumatic experience and repented for good.
- Even Evil Can Be Loved: Albeit to the detriment of Bawang Putih. She never really came to hate her step family, treating them with love and kindness no matter how much cruelty was delivered to her.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: In what could have been their redeeming value, Bawang Merah clearly loved her mother and her mother loved her back and catered to whatever Spoiled Brat tantrum Bawang Merah is having with patience. Of course, when there's Bawang Putih to torture, that wouldn't work out as 'redeeming points'.
- Evil Is Petty: There's absolutely no reason why Bawang Merah and her mother were cruel with Bawang Putih. Some implications led to things like they were jealous at something about Bawang Putih (be it natural beauty, favoritism from the patriarch (even if just slightly, further emphasized from how the two were basically step-family members for Bawang Putih) or something else). They just somehow like the sight of Bawang Putih suffering. For the most part, it's because they just can.
- Extreme Doormat: Bawang Putih just lets her stepfamily step on her for pure sadism, treat her like slave and while she might cry over her predicament, she never ever thought of fighting back.
- Greed: Bawang Merah and her mother were characterized with their unmatched greediness and wanting more than what they have.
- Good Colors, Evil Colors: Bawang Putih is associated with the pure white color and she's a good girl, whereas Bawang Merah is portrayed with red color, just missing out black to show that she's evil (there were no indications that the stepmother wore black).
- Happily Ever After: Bawang Putih's endurance against torture and kindness bore fruit in the end. Either her stepfamily realized the errors of their way, died by their own vices or a Prince Charming whisks her away with consent, giving her a happy life away from her wicked stepfamily.
- Hate Sink: Clearly, Bawang Merah and her mother were created to be despised thanks to their greed, pettiness and willingless to torture an innocent girl, and whenever this story got adapted into Indonesian TV Series, you can bet that they will do their best to make the audience absolutely despise the two.
- I Ate WHAT?!: In the 2nd version, Bawang Putih was tricked to eat the fish that became her friend (or in some tellings, carrying the spirit of her mother). She was horrified after she found out what she ate.
- Karma Houdini: Depending on the version and ending:
- In the first version's first ending, this is defied. After being utterly terrified with the venomous beasts, Bawang Merah and her mother realize the errors of their ways and repented, with Bawang Putih easily forgiving them, and they mean it, afterwards, they no longer become cruel.
- In the first version's second ending, this is averted: the venomous beasts deliver their Karmic Death for their Greed.
- In the second version, this is mostly played straight: Much like Cinderella, once Bawang Putih goes away to live Happily Ever After with the Prince Charming, there was no mention of what became of Bawang Merah and her mother, leaving it up to the reader's imagination.
- Never Trust a Title: On the title, Bawang Merah was the first mentioned, and usually, first mentioned would be the heroine, right? It's the other way around: Bawang Merah is one of the chief villains of the story, the second mentioned character (Bawang Putih) is the heroine.
- Nice Girl: Bawang Putih. She's just too nice to even raise her fist back against her torturers.
- Parental Favoritism: Much like Cinderella, the stepsister was favored vastly by her mother because she's her true child. According to some versions, they subject their hatred towards Bawang Putih because the patriarch somehow favored Bawang Putih just slightly more.
- Prince Charming: Depending on the version. In the second version, the Prince Charming existed and became one reason why Bawang Putih could end up happy.
- Spoiled Brat: Bawang Merah is very spoiled by her mother, and it shows that she's a very vicious brat.
- Wicked Stepmother: One of the more well known cases in Indonesian folklore, comparable of that of Cinderella's.
