18-year-old Minke, the first-person narrator and protagonist of This Earth of Mankind, never reveals his actual name. He explains to the reader that, “I don’t really need to reveal who I am before the eyes of others” (15). When introducing himself to others, he refers to himself as Minke, a nickname bestowed upon him by a frustrated elementary school teacher; Pramoedya Ananta Toer implies the name means “monkey.” Dutch recluse Herman Mellema, Robert M. and Annelies’s father and Nyai’s owner (and former partner), meets Minke once but refers to him as a monkey twice. The name can also be translated as “mine,” an equally appropriate meaning considering many characters and forces seek to claim Minke. In addition to Minke, the character is called by other titles, mostly ones of affection. His mother calls him Gus, which could be translated as “sonny.” Annelies often refers to him as Mas, meaning “big brother,” while her own mother Nyai calls him Nyo or Sinyo, derived from the Portuguese word for “mister.” Darsam and other servants call Minke “Young Master.”

Minke is often treated respectfully because he is a unique person. Exceptionally bright, he is the only Native—a Javanese boy with no European parentage—and Muslim attending the exclusive H.