<![CDATA[Budi Darma is a well-known Indonesian writer whose characters in his works frequently think, speak, make decisions, and act in an “unnatural” way or contrary to general norms. This research aims to understand and introspect the discussion on the “strangeness” of the characters in Budi Darma's short stories. Deleuze assumes that reality is generated through two production machines, namely 1) “desire” which is immanent and comes from within the subject; and 2) “axioms” or basic propositions without justification generated through the subject's hegemonic external influence. The method used is text interpretation. The study found that the “unnatural” actions of the characters were caused by the negotiation and dialectics between the characters' desires and axioms. Although the characters never actually carry out deterritorialization, the negotiations and dialectics were represented through narratives that are sceptical, cynical, and tend to be individualistic. Based on these findings, the “unnaturalness” in Budi Darma's short stories cannot simply be understood as “characters' actions that are outside the norm”, but rather as a paradox generated through the clash between desire and axiom.]]>
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