Finding Identity in Allan Baillie’s Only Ten

Colonization gives a great impact for constructing the identity of a country. It also affects the identity of its natives. Though colonization sometimes brings good changes for the country, but oftentimes it causes miseries to its natives; since colonization means violence. Moreover, though nowadays, the era of colonial seems to fade away in the world, in fact, colonization still exists. It is exchanged by the era of postcolonial, that is the era “following the establishment of independence” (The American Heritage Dictionary). Which distinguishes colonization happened in the past with the one happens today is that colonization today is oftentimes done in the name of so-called humanities. Still, it always sacrifices many innocent people. For those who experience it and succeed to come out from such situation, it may emerge lost identity, especially for the children. This losing identity and the other effects following it also happen to the main character in Allan Baillie’s Only Ten, named Hussein. As a whole, the story explains about the effects of post-colonial experience in the self of Hussein and also narrates the process until Hussein finally finds his identity. The story, then, ends up with the fact that friendship apparently gives a great role in helping Hussein to find his identity.

According to Frantz Fanon (Barry, 2002), there are two steps for ‘colonized’ people to find a voice and an identity. The first step is “to reclaim their own past”, and the second is “to begin erode the colonialist ideology by which that past had been devalued” (p. 193). The process of Hussein’s finding identity also can be described into these two steps. In regarding on the first step, the story begins with the fact that Hussein’s post-colonial experience has made Hussein get difficulties in adapting himself to his new environment. In his new school, he becomes an uncommunicative child, and seems to keep distance from his friends. He apparently has become a weird boy. He doesn’t act as a normal boy and it makes his friends don’t know what to do with him. Hussein seems to live in his own world and ignore others outside him. He truly has lost his identity, indeed.

Nevertheless, Hussein’s lost identity is apparently caused by his trauma on his past. Hussein, who cannot approve his past time, is shadowed with it. Everything relates to his past time will be traumatic for him. In the story, his traumatic condition can be identified when his teacher, Miss Ryan, asks him whether he like his new school or not. Hussein said that he doesn’t like the window as “they can see in here” (1). Window seemingly reminds him to what happened in his country. He thinks that the window should not be like that, since it can be dangerous if ‘they’, who refers to the colonizer, see them (the colonized) through such window. From the answer, it also interprets how Hussein was very frightened to ‘they’. Furthermore, Hussein’s fear towards the traumatic things also appears when he hears the sound of pistol shooting in the swimming class. He shrivels as if there is being a battle. The thing like little ball also frightens him since he figures it as grenade.

Meanwhile, the post-colonization also affects Hussein’s mature-ness. Though it seems to be a good effect, but normally it can’t be accepted. A child who is mature before the time, of course, emerges peculiarity for other children. It is like an adult in the body of a child. How weird it is. Anyway, being mature before the time also happens to Hussein. It can be identified when Bruce, his friend, beats him using his ruler. For normal boys, commonly they will easily react to such thing, but it is different with Hussein. He seems to regard the play as a childish play and doesn’t react normally. Knowing that he seems to be considered as “an old bull”, Bruce becomes anger to Hussein - “Bruce began to get red about the ears” (2). Later on, as Hussein seems to get “some strange sort of understanding” about the play, he admits himself as a soldier, as if he wants to inform that it is not equal for Bruce to beat him. Hussein’s statement, indeed, seems to be like a joke, but it also interprets that Hussein begins to merge himself to the world outside him. Moreover, Hussein’s mature-ness also can be found when he knows about the death of Pearl’s sister, Suzy. While Pearl’s other friends doesn’t know what to do with her, Hussein do knows, as if “he had learned just what to do” (4). This attitude, of course, wonders his other friends, except Bruce. How a child like him can do such thing.

In addition regarding on Hussein’s traumatic condition, obviously it gives clues for the readers, his friends, including his teachers, about the real situation in his country. His explanation about the window in his class also interprets that his home country is like a silent country. People seem afraid of becoming outside his house since it means danger. ‘They’ (the colonizer) seemingly will injure them as soon as ‘they’ see them. How scary it is. Furthermore, when he explicitly admits himself as a soldier (whether it is just a joke or not) when Bruce beats him, apparently is a truth. It is proved by the scars shown on his body in the end that finally he is brave to take off his T-shirt in the swimming class. There, in his country, children obviously take a part in the battle, like in Afghanistan. There, boys must exchange the adults in the army since the amount of them is less. Such situation of losing parents, in fact, also makes Hussein more mature. The condition in Hussein’s country also can be analyzed when Pearl and her sister, Suzy, sees him “running his fingers over a small mandarin tree, as if he couldn’t believe that it was there. Smelling at the fruit, pressing at the earth and even listening to the leaves. “(2). It interprets that in Hussein’s country, it is somehow difficult to find growing trees. Perhaps it is because the land is so dry.

As Fanon stated that the first step to find identity of ‘colonized’ people is “to reclaim their own past”, is eventually passed by Hussein. His friendship with Pearl seemingly becomes a great way to make it come true. Pearl apparently has helped Hussein to find his identity, to be the real Hussein. Hussein finally can accept his own history. It can be analyzed when Hussein doesn’t mind that he and his friends watch Hussein’s city on TV together. When Pearl says sorry for this, Hussein opens “a hand in resignation”, as if he wants to prove that there is no objection about it. It lasts. Moreover, Hussein’s approval to his past time appears when he is finally brave to take off his T-shirt in the swimming class. Hussein seemingly wants to show others that he is him, with all the scars on his body. Meanwhile, the second step stated by Fanon (Barry, 2020), that is “to begin to erode the colonialist ideology by which that past had been devalued.” emerges in Hussein’s disapproval to the name ‘The Shah’. He seems to hate the name. It is proved by Pearl’s statement that since his friends call him just ‘Hussein’, or another name like ‘Horse’, Hussein “seems to like it” (4). According to the Word Web Dictionary, ‘Shah’ is defined as “title for the former hereditary monarch of Iran”. ‘Shah’, in fact, is an attribute of imperialism. Universally the name ‘Shah’ is used to call a man from South Asia (Arabic) who is figured by western as a man looks a bit dark, sounds funny, and looks at them as if he is about to have them beheaded (1). Seemingly, Hussein is aware of such colonialist ideology; therefore, he hate people call him ‘The Shah’. Furthermore, his braveness to take off his T-shirt can be interpreted as his declaration of being an independent person, not a colonized person anymore.

Based on the title, “Only Ten” gives the readers a sense of how piteous Hussein’s life is. As a child in the age of only ten, such bad experience should not occur. It ought to not occur if the so-called powerful countries realized on the impact they did because of their invasion to the countries that in fact already had their own independence, though they did it in the name of “humanities”, or indeed, they was already blind. Whatever the motif, colonization is a criminal. And Hussein is a portrayal of the children who must experience such damaging situation. Be grateful for Hussein that he meets people who care of him. His friends, like Pearl and Bruce, are the role models of how friendship is not limited with psychical differences, and so on. Finally, the story of Allan Baillie’s Only Ten must end up with the theme that friendship is the only powerful way to overcome all complicated stuff in the world. No another way.

Works Cited

Baillie, Allan. --------. “Only Ten”

Barry, Peter. 2002. “Beginning Theory”: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. Second Edition. Pp. 192-201. Manchester University Press. New York.

Internet document. “Introduction to Post-colonial Studies”. http://www.kristiegel.com/theory.htm#post

PowerPoint document. 2009. “Introduction to Post-Colonial Literatures”. Given as a lecture of Research Method by Didi Sukyadi, M.A.

Word Web Dictionary. 2006. Princeton University.