Reimagining the Malin Kundang Story for Children: Visual Representations of Filial Piety Violation in Folktale Illustration

Malin Kundang, a nationally well-known Indonesian folktale, conveys a moral lesson about a disobedient child and is commonly told by parents to their children. The story’s moral theme has remained consistent across various adaptations and has been visually interpreted by different illustrators. This study examines the visual representations of filial piety violation in illustrations of Malin Kundang’s final scene. In folktales, illustrations function as a form of visual narrative that works together with the narrative text. They play an integral role in shaping young readers’ understanding of a story, particularly in articulating themes such as morality, family values, and cultural norms. As a result, the study of illustrations is crucial for illuminating how narratives serve as tools for enhancing children’s literacy, especially in decoding visual symbols. By analysing folktale illustrations, we gain insight into how cultural values are communicated across generations. For this study, five illustrations – one from each decade between the 1980s and the 2020s – were selected through purposive sampling, based on their depiction of the story’s ending. These artworks were examined using Roland Barthes’s semiotic theory to identify recurring visual themes. The findings reveal common motifs, such as social hierarchy, power dynamics, maternal sacrifice, and the decline of family values across generations. This research highlights how visual representations of Malin Kundang reflect shifting cultural perspectives on the depiction of moral values in narratives aimed at younger audiences.