My Name is Red

“Listen to me. When I was an apprentice, I too feared and thus ignored underlying truths and voices from beyond. I’d joke about such matters. But I’ve ended up in the depths of this deplorable well! It could happen to you, be wary.”

Elegant’s corpse attempts to persuade readers that religious commitment and adherence to traditional Muslim values is vital. He uses ethos to argue that his experiences mocking religious truth and being murdered should influence more serious contemplation of and adherence to tradition.

“I was told that scoundrel and rebels were gathering in coffeehouses and proselytizing until dawn; that destitute men of dubious character, opium-addicted madmen and followers of the outlawed Kalenderi dervish sect, claiming to be on Allah’s path, would spend their nights in dervish houses dancing to music, piercing themselves with skewers and engaging in all manner of depravity, before brutally fucking each other and any boys they could find.”

Black provides important context, allowing for a greater understanding of the city of Istanbul. Here he describes the conservative factions in the city as well as those individuals who rebelled against the main tenets of the Islamic faith. The setting Black describes is chaotic and points to the various conflicts within the city. These elements in turn reflect the tensions between different artists.

“I do, however, know this: When you love a city and have explored it frequently on foot, your body, not to mention your soul, gets to know the streets so well after a number of years that in a fit of melancholy, perhaps stirred by a light snow falling ever so sorrowfully, you’ll discover your legs carrying you of their own accord toward one of your favorite promontories.”

Black’s style here—imaginative, melancholy, and aware of the beauty of the world—reflects his character. While absent for 12 years, Black appreciates the city of his birth and feels drawn to Istanbul just as he is drawn to the beautiful Shekure.

“I would’ve preferred to resolve this unexpected and awful dilemma without having to do away with anybody, but I knew there was no other choice. I handled the matter then and there, assuming the burden of responsibility. I couldn’t let the false accusations of one foolhardy man endanger the entire society of miniaturists.”

The murderer reveals his motivation for killing Elegant, as well as his character. In this passage, the murderer insists that he needed to murder Elegant to protect himself and his fellow miniaturists. He establishes himself as part of a community of artists and espouses his belief in their work.

“You realize, in fact, that I’m explaining all these things because they relate to my predicament. But if I were to divulge even one detail related to the killing itself, you’d figure it all out and this would relieve me from being a nameless, faceless murderer roaming among you like an apparition and relegate me to the status of an ordinary, confessed criminal who has given himself up, soon to pay for his crime with his head.”

Expressing himself through the form of a dramatic monologue, the murderer simultaneously hides and reveals his identity to an implied reader. This passage, which is a metareference, allows the murderer to express his awareness that he is a character in a work of fiction being observed and evaluated. Wanting to remain unknown, the murderer still insists on detailing his thoughts about his situation.

“The Venetian virtuoso had made the nobleman’s picture in such a way that you would immediately know which particular nobleman it was […] The Venetian masters had discovered painting techniques with which they could distinguish any one man from another—without relying on his outfit or medals, just by the distinctive shape of his face. This was the essence of ‘portraiture.’”

Enishte's didactic speech, directed at Black, informs him—and the reader—about the methods of European painters. By providing an overview of “Venetian” style, Enishte allows for a more nuanced understanding of the differences between traditional Islamic and European art styles, which is a central theme of the novel.

“I’m an attractive and intelligent woman, and it pleases me that I’m being watched. And if I happen to tell a lie or two from time to time, it’s so you don’t come to any false conclusions about me.”

Shekure’s intelligence and ability to manipulate other characters is revealed in this statement. While outwardly she appears to be a traditional Muslim woman, Shekure’s narration frequently alludes to her awareness of being read and watched; she is able to control the way she is seen and understood by others.

“Of course, I could’ve immediately come back here to the house of my father, but according to the kadi judge my husband was legally alive, and were I to anger my in-laws, they might not stop at forcing my children and me back to my husband’s home, but humiliate us further by having me and my father, who had ‘detained’ me, punished.”

Shekure expresses her dismay at her lack of agency under the Islamic legal system. She is trapped by tradition and religion and this passage highlights her fraught situation as well as providing context to understand her later actions.

“Because this dilemma bound me to that house and that marriage, my in-laws preferred my having a ‘missing’ husband, and the continuation of this vague situation. For lest you forget, I saw to all their household chores, I did everything from their cooking to their laundry, and furthermore, one of them was madly in love with me.”

Employing pathos, Shekure describes the ways that marriage customs enslave her, remove her agency, and cause her suffering. Additionally, Shekure implies her awareness of an audience reading her story, which further strengthens her pathetic appeal by making her situation personal.

“I thank Allah that I, the humble tree before you, have not been drawn with such intent. And not because I fear that I’d been thus depicted all the dogs in Istanbul would assume I was a real tree and piss on me: I don’t want to be a tree, I want to be its meaning.”

The drawing of a tree explains its agreement with and attitude towards traditional Islamic philosophy regarding artistic representation. Rather than representing a unique and individual object, the tree wants to depict a concept of the object, which is the goal of classically trained Islamic miniaturists.

“As long as the number of worthless artists motivated by money and fame instead of the pleasure of seeing and a belief in their craft increases […] we will continue to witness much more vulgarity and greed akin to this preoccupation with ‘style’ and ‘signature.’”

Butterfly relates his understanding of the threat European art’s influence poses for Islamic artists. His statement highlights one of the central conflicts in the novel—the struggle between Western and Eastern approaches to art.

“Through our colors, paints, art and love, we remember that Allah had commanded us to ‘See’! To know is to remember that you’ve seen. To see is to know without remembering. Thus, painting is remembering the blackness.”

This passage, spoken by Master Osman, explains the connection between art and religion explored in Pamuk’s novel. In short, Osman believes that painting should be an act of remembering the world through concepts and reliance on the divine, rather than by looking at an actual animal, object, or human and trying to realistically represent what is observed.

“I stood in the middle of the snowy street as evening fell and gazed down the dark road which had been abandoned along with me to jinns, fairies, brigands, thieves, to the grief of fathers and children, returning home and to the sorrow of snow-covered trees.”

The murderer explores his feelings of isolation, revealing that while he cannot regret the murder of Elegant, he recognizes his own sadness and inability to connect with others. The tone of the murderer’s musings shows his character is capable of suffering.

“Let me describe for you how our embrace might’ve been depicted by the master miniaturists of Herat, if this tragic story of mine were one day recorded in a book.”

Shekure considers her experience kissing Black in terms of how it would be conveyed by miniaturists. Allusions to specific works of art and scenes from famous romances as well as imaginative creations of events as illustrations are frequent throughout the text. Through these repeated allusions, Pamuk pays homage to the artwork that influenced his novel.

“To God belongs the East and the West.”

This statement, uttered by Enishte as he unwittingly entertains the murderer, elucidates his conception of art. These words, taken from the Quran, explain Enishte’s attempt to combine Eastern and Western techniques, which he believes will create new and exciting art forms. By referencing the Quran, Enishte employs ethos, establishing his statement as true due to its reliance on a holy text.

“At that very moment, it was of course the Devil prodding me to drive that inkpot down with all my might onto this conceited old man’s faulty brain.”

The murderer here equates his desire to kill Enishte to the Devil’s prompting. By explaining his reasoning, the murderer reveals two facets of his personality. First, he justifies himself by blaming a supernatural force. Second, the murderer shows his judgmental character through his negative description of Enishte as proud and illogical.

“You murdered him because you wanted to paint as you wished, without fear.”

Enishte offers insight into Olive’s murder of Elegant, claiming that the killer’s central motivation was his desire for artistic freedom. He posits, therefore, that Olive’s fatal flaw is wanting to emulate the European methods and develop his own style.

“Verily and truly, I’ve been everywhere and am everywhere.”

The color red, a reoccurring symbol in the novel, explains not only its ubiquitous presence in the world, but also refers to its importance in the novel. From the title of the work to the visions of the afterlife experienced by Enishte, red symbolizes the life force and the divinity shared by art and human beings alike.

“Why do they take pride in simply rendering thousands and tens of thousands of horses in the same way without ever truly looking at us? I’ll tell you why: Because they’re attempting to depict the world that God perceives, not the world that they see.”

The drawing of a horse explains the purpose of traditional Islamic art, which is to represent the divine world of concepts rather than the world seen by human eyes. Representing the progressive view on art, the horse uses enthymeme, or a rational deductive argument, to show that the way traditional artists render horses is flawed.

“I went to Kalkiye’s house, doing everything within my power to persuade her that it was in her best interest to give me the picture. The page was on poor Elegant Effendi’s body when he was removed from the well. Kalkiye swears that nobody had commissioned her husband […] to draw horses. So then, who made them?”

Shekure’s intelligence is highlighted in her letter to Black. Her understanding of the picture’s importance alerts Black and Master Osman to important clues regarding the murderer’s identify. Her quick thinking and astuteness allow for the discovery of Olive’s role in the deaths of both Elegant and Enishte.

“I had the urge to say, ‘It was Satan who first said “I”! It was Satan who adopted a style. It was Satan who separated East from West.’”

The murderer reflects on his reaction to the storyteller’s decision to tell Satan’s story. He attributes to the Devil the creation of an individual style and the desire for recognition for his work. By attributing these characteristics to Satan, the murderer equates himself with the Devil, revealing that his two tragic flaws are the desire for his own unique style and his need to be distinguished and known by his work.

“‘The old masters,’ Master Osman said, ‘would suffer pangs of conscience about changing their talent, colors and methods. They'd consider it dishonorable to see the world one day as an Eastern shah commanded, the next, as a Western ruler did—which is what the artists of our day do.’”

Master Osman clearly explains his position on art and provides context on the development of his ideas. Osman bases his understanding on the works of the old master miniaturists who learned one style and never deviated from it. According to Osman, European ways of looking at the world are influencing the creation of art. He outlines, therefore, the book’s central conflict and his personal attitude towards his work.

“As I leafed through a disorderly album I'd chanced upon […] I was struck by the image of a horse in a picture of a bridal procession painted on cloth. My heart skipped a beat. There before me was a horse with peculiar nostrils carrying a coquettish bride. The beast was looking at me out of the picture. It was as though the magical horse were on the verge of whispering a secret to me.”

In this moment of anagnorisis—or the time in a work of fiction when a character makes an important discovery—Black finds a drawing of a horse with split nostrils. His recognition of the unique aspects of this picture allows him and Osman to pinpoint the miniaturist who drew the horses found on Elegant’s body and discover the murderer.