Recalibrating Identity through the Doppelganger Concept in the Novels of Orhan Pamuk
S.P. Anuja, Research Scholar, Karpagam University, Coimbatore
Dr. K. Pramila, Head, Department of English, PSG Institute of Technology and Applied Research, Coimbatore
“To write, to read, was like leaving one world to find consolation in the other world 's otherness, the strange and the wondrous.” - Orhan Pamuk
Ferit Orhan Pamuk , powerful literati in the realm of Turkish Literature was conferred the Nobel Prize for Literature in the year 2006 for his comprehensive post- modern approach on writing and for his realistic portrayal of life in contemporary Turkey illuminated by its historical past. He is one among the writers who could quicken one’s reading
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From that very moment he is much drawn towards the book and the girl. Soon he grabs a copy of the book and finishes reading it in one sitting. In the course of reading he is captivated by the intensity of the book and falls in love with Janan but Janan is in love with Mehemet. Janan means ‘soul mate’ in Turkish. She becomes his guardian Angel and everything for him. The impact is so deep on him that its very essence keeps resonating in his body, soul and spirit. The startling revelation from the book keeps him going much deeper wherein he finds what the book has in store for the rest of his life. He basks in the incandesance of the book. The book is not explicitly explained but it is the experience which creates an …show more content…
In The White Castle it is Hoja an Astrologer in the Sultan’s court, who takes the place of an Italian scholar at Venice to live the rest of his life in the disguise of the scholar and Osman in The New Life goes in pursuit of his friend’s lover Mehemet where he understands he is Mehemet whom he has been searching for. It is at this juncture their identity gets recalibrated when there is a shift in identity through the doppelganger ideology. The doppelganger concept acts as a catalyst which moves these plots to the culminating point where their identity gets recalibrated.
Orhan Pamuk a chronicler has intertwined the essence of doppelganger concept with his work and has presented a new testament on gaining new identity. The doppelganger concept seems to be the matrix which takes these novels in the light of self exploration and Meta detective perspectives. The doppelganger concept is deeply enrooted to the spiritual exploration of the
This is a major event because it shows that his outlook and opinion of reading books has shifted, making him think it should be legal due to him hiding the fact that he has one. Therefore, as a result of him finally finding the source of his unhappiness, he decided to finally do something about
He reflects on the indescribable pain, sadness, and loss that he had to endure during this horrific
While reading the book many epiphanies become visible such as people will turn away from even their family, the disbelief which slowly turned to fear, and most predominant, the strong urge for humans to fight for survival. As you read through the book
A main theme all throughout the book was inhumanity. “The Kapos were beating us again, I no longer felt the pain.” found on page 36. It says that the Kapos were beating them again, so they have done it before, and his body has adapted to the pain that he doesn’t feel the pain. On page 62, he writes, “I heard the pounding of my heart.
In all these stories, the characters struggle with their identities at first, but later realize who they really are through significant moments in the story. Sometimes in life we struggle with are identities, and try to be someone we are not, someone different. But, we must understand that no matter what we do we will always remain our true
Throughout the book, those people begin to lose faith in those things that had helped keep them alive: their faith, their loved ones, and themselves. Often, we find ourselves facing events in our lives that force us to redefine ourselves. Such circumstances try to break the heart of the human nature in us. It is at that time, the humanity in us either shatters apart, or it transforms into a strong bundle of compassion.
The Question of Identity According to Shahram Heshmat, author of “Basics of Identity”, “Identity is concerned largely with the question: “Who are you?” What does it mean to be who you are? Identity relates to our basic values that dictate the choices we make…”. But sometime within every human being’s life, a situation arises where someone is not able to identify themselves, and because of this they can act strangely and sometimes hostile.
The cremations he witnesses that day are his first encounter with fire, and it leaves a lasting impression on him. The flames did not initially burn and turn his faith to ashes, but is rather the first step in his slow but steady descent into a spiral of disbelief and loss of faith in
Thus, this essay will examine how identity is portrayed in each novel. Firstly, the representation of the Other in The Icarus Girl is evident as Jessamy struggles to associate with one identity because of her mixed cultural ethnicity. It must be acknowledged that the fear of her identity from arises from the impact of post-colonialism, as the text illustrates how Jessamy is “haunted by the colonial experience and its aftermaths” (Mafe 23). The possibility of associating with her Nigerian heritage makes her uncomfortable because she is unfamiliar with everything that her heritage represents: “It was Nigeria.
In academic article “Who Am I” by Beverly Daniel Tatum; she talks about the complexity of identity, which defined as a person. She describes the multiple identities of different kinds of people and their significance in the community. She illustrate the how person past, historical event, family background, experiences, and thought of person has impact on the personal identification. The concept of past, present, and future, those characterize the person identity. She explains how gander of person is the part of identity, which build identity.
Subjective identity is the idea that an individual can imagine an entire and static identity in view of individual perception and experience alone. Horace Walpole 's The Castle of Otranto convolutes the probability or unwavering quality of a subjective identity. Walpole 's utilization of the third individual exhibits the intricacy of identity, since it shows that one individual can 't watch and experience synchronized occasions. The third individual lights up a split between what the characters know and what is actually occurring. As a full scope of recognitions interaction, the reader can witness various occasions, responses, and mistaken assumptions.
Throughout literature the constant theme of identity has been explored, with Northrop Frye even suggesting “the story of the loss and regaining of identity is, I think, the framework for all literature.” For characters, true identity isn’t always apparent, it needs to be searched for. Sometimes the inner struggle for identity stems from ones need for belonging. Whether one finds their sense of identity within friends, family, or in a physical “home”. It’s not always a place that defines identity.
“I could hardly feel his hand at all. It was just like the wind blowing against me” (page 114). This shows the state he is at, how numb he is from all that he’s learn, and he doesn’t know how to cope. This built more suspense because we didn’t know at what time he was going to regain his senses and what the outcome would have been.
The book My Name is Red, published by Turkish writer Orham Pamuk in 1998 and translated into English in 2001, presents a story set in Istanbul during the reign of Sultan Murat III in the 16th century. Covering a timeframe of about nine days, two main events set the story forward: the murder of the renowned illuminator Elegant and the return to Istanbul of Black after being in exile for 12 years. Instead of telling the story from one single point of view, the plot is narrated by multiple people who are identified in the title of each chapter. Pamuk also examines the cultural tension between the East and the West by centering it on two different theories of art. On one side is the Western style of portraiture and on the other the Eastern miniature tradition.
He realizes he is in exile and there really is nothing he nor anyone else can do about it. By accepting his life, (luck and fate in all) of being in exile, it makes for a much calmer journey(for the time that these emotions