Ketika ''Belenggu'' diterbitkan, ada dua jenis reaksi utama. Orang-orang yang suka novel ini menyatakan bahwa ''Belenggu'' sangat berani, sebab dia mampu membahas tema yang berdasarkan kenyataan sosial.{{sfn|Taum|2008|p=113}} Misalkan, jurnalis [[S. K. Trimurti]] menulis bahwa buku ini benar-benar mencerminkan permasalahan yang dihadapi orang Indonesia berpendidikan tinggi saat menghadapi kebudayaan tradisional.{{sfn|Tham|1981|p=115}} MeanwhileSementara, opponentsorang-orang ofyang thetidak novelsuka dismissed''Belenggu'' itmeremehkannya assebagai novel yang "pornographicporno", puttingsebab emphasisada ontekanan traditionallypada tabooperilaku actstabu likeseperti prostitutionperselingkuhan anddan adulteryprostitusi.{{sfn|Taum|2008|p=113}} Alisjahbana wrote that it was fatalistic and defeatist as he felt it did not portray the freedom of spirit necessary for people to choose their own destiny,{{sfn|Teeuw|1980|p=121}} and he decried the plot as lacking causality.{{sfn|Balfas|1976|p=68}} According toMenurut Teeuw, the initial mixed reception wasresepsi dueini indipengaruhi partoleh tosifat Indonesianpembaca readersIndonesia, havingyang beenterbiasa accustomedmembaca tokarya readingsastra idealizedyang literaturediidealkan, beingmenjadi shockedsyok byatas thekenyataan realisticyang portrayalsdicerminkan indalam ''Belenggu''.{{sfn|Teeuw|1980|p=121}}
LaterKritik-kritik reviewsyang havelebih generallymutakhir beencendurung morelebih positivepositif. Literary documentarian [[HB Jassin]] wrotemenulis inpada tahun 1967 thatbahwa, althoughbiarpun the characters cametokoh-tokoh acrossbertindak assebagai caricatureskarikatur, ''Belenggu'' wasmampu capablemembuat ofpembaca makingtermenung readersatas stopkenyataan and think aboutsosial modern conditions.{{sfn|KS|2010|p=99}} InPada tahun 1969 the novel received an award for outstandingini literaturediberi frompenghargaan thedari Indonesianpemerintah governmentIndonesia;{{sfn|Mahayana|Sofyan|Dian|2007|p=83}} thatpada sametahun year,yang Indonesiansama, writerpenulis anddan literarykritikus criticsastra [[Ajip Rosidi]] wrotemenulis thatbahwa thebuku novelini waslebih moremenarik interestingdaripada thankarya-karya earliersebelumnya workskarena becausepenyelesaiannya itsbersifat ending was open to interpretationmulti-tafsir.{{sfn|KS|2010|p=99}} IndonesianMenurut poetpenyair anddan literarykritikus criticsastra [[Muhammad Balfas]], wroteyang inmenulis 1976pada thattahun 1976, ''Belenggu'' wasadalah "innovel everyIndonesia respectterbaik thedari best novel of pre-warsebelum Indonesianperang literaturekemerdekaan".{{sfn|Balfas|1976|p=69}} InDalam hisbukunya 1980tentang booksejarah onsastra IndonesianIndonesia literature,yang Teeuwterbit wrotepada thattahun despite1980, severalTeeuw flawsmenulis inbahwa, thebiarpun psychologicalada portrayalkekurangan ofdalam thepenggambaran mainpsikologis tokoh-tokoh charactersutama, ''Belenggu'' wasadalah the onlysatu-satunya novel fromIndonesia beforedari thesebelum [[IndonesianPerang NationalKemerdekaan RevolutionIndonesia|Perang Kemerdekaan]] inyang which a reader from thebenar-benar Westmenarik woulduntuk feelpembaca trulydari involvedBarat.{{sfn|Teeuw|1980|p=121}} Tham wrotemenulis inpada tahun 1981 that thebahwa novel wasini theadalah bestcermin reflectionterbaik ofakan thetimbulnya growingkesadaran consciousnessdalam ofmasyarakat theIndonesia Indonesianbahwa peoplenilai-nilai thatBarat Westernbertentangan valuesdengan such as individualism and intellectualism contradicted with traditionalnilai-nilai valuesTimur.{{sfn|Tham|1981|p=112}}
