Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan hubungan karakter bertubuh kecil, si Kelingking dengan karakter lain, alur, dan latar serta peran sinergi mereka dalam pembangunan tema. Demi mencapai hal tersebut, digunakan metode penelitian kualitatif. Data yang digunakan berupa kata, frasa, kalimat, dan paragraf. Adapun sumber data berupa cerita rakyat “Si Kalingkiang” yang terdapat dalam buku edisi teks berjudul Cerita Rakyat Minangkabau (2001) karya Edwar Djamaris yang diterbitkan oleh Pusat Bahasa Departemen Pendidikan Nasional. Teknik pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui studi pustaka dengan metode baca-catat. Analisis data dilakukan dengan mengamati hubungan antardata dan antarkelompok data menggunakan Teori Fiksi Robert Stanton. Data dan kelompok data itu mencakup: 1) fakta-fakta cerita dan 2) cara pengorganisasian fakta-fakta tersebut. Sementara itu, hal yang terbentuk dari hubungan antardata dan kelompok data itu adalah tema cerita. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa karakter bertubuh kecil, si Kelingking, berperan dalam pembentukan karakter lain, alur, dan latar, begitu pula sebaliknya. Demikian pula alur atas latar, dan sebaliknya. Kesalingterhubungan ini melahirkan tema cerita “Si Kalingkiang”, yaitu kesetaraan derajat dalam kondisi manusia yang beraneka ragam. Hasil penelitian ini dapat menjadi dasar bagi penelitian lanjutan tentang struktur dasar yang bersifat universal dan bekerja menurut logika kebudayaan masyarakat yang menciptakannya.This study aims to describe the relationship between the character Kelingking, who is small in stature, and other characters, the plot, and the setting, as well as their synergistic roles in developing the theme. To achieve this, a qualitative research method was used. The data used were words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs. The data source was the folk tale “Si Kalingkiang” found in the text edition of the book entitled Cerita Rakyat Minangkabau (2001) by Edwar Djamaris, published by the Language Center of the Ministry of National Education. Data collection techniques were carried out through a literature study using the read-and-note method. Data analysis was carried out by observing the relationship between data and data groups using Robert Stanton's Fiction Theory. The data and data groups included: 1) story facts and 2) the way these facts were organized. Meanwhile, the theme of the story was formed from the relationships between the data and data groups. The results of the study showed that the small character, Si Kelingking, played a role in the formation of other characters, the plot, and the setting, and vice versa. Similarly, the plot influenced the setting, and vice versa. This interconnection gives rise to the story theme of “Si Kalingkiang,” namely, equality of status in diverse human conditions. The results of this study can form the basis for further research on universal basic structures that operate according to the cultural logic of the society that created them
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