But there were exceptions. Some accounts sliced through the roles accorded
servants in local narratives. Ibu Sastro spoke bluntly about being propositioned
by an elderly employer as her daughter-in-law and adult granddaughter nodded
with recognition, having obviously heard these stories before.69 She recounted
her Tuan's crude manner and rude questions ("Are you married? Marry me,
okay?"70), and laughed to remember that such an old Dutchman could have
imagined she would comply. With humor undercutting the pathos of a recollection
searing enough to be recalled in minute detail, she evoked both acute
feelings of vulnerability nrzd self-possession