Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in My Name is Red, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Storytelling, Identity, and Perspective
Creation vs. Representation
Life, Death, and Consciousness
Virtue vs. Sin
Love, Desire, and Greed
Summary
Analysis
In the morning, Shekure writes a note to Black telling him to meet her at the house of the Hanged Jew and she gives it to Hayrire to give to Esther. When the boys wake up, Shekure tells them that Enishte is better and has gone to the Mustafa Pasha district. At the house of the Hanged Jew, she tells Black that Enishte was murdered, and adds that the murderer stole the final picture from the book. She explains that, with Enishte dead, she will be legally required to return to Hasan’s house and that this is why she is hiding her father’s death. Immediately, she begins to arrange her and Black’s marriage, setting out conditions which include a demand that Black not sleep with her until the murderer is caught and the book is finished. Black agrees to the conditions, and Shekure explains that “love comes after marriage” and that they will be happy this way. Shekure tells Black to arrange for a certain sympathetic judge to hear her case and have her first husband be ruled dead. If he does so by the afternoon, they can get married in the evening and all stay at Enishte’s house together that night. Black agrees and tells Shekure she is beautiful; she replies that she is glad to be praised for her intelligence.
Despite being in mourning and in fear of the murderer who killed Enishte, Shekure wastes no time in taking next steps to ensure the safety and well-being of herself and the boys. Her assertiveness in this chapter demonstrates the fact that women, despite having few legal rights, still end up bearing huge responsibilities. Furthermore, because Shekure has little structural access to power, she must do everything via proxy—for example, by giving the note for Black to Hayrire and Esther, and by sending Black to the judge in order to establish her husband’s death. While the extent to which Shekure plans her route to marrying Black down to the tiniest detail seems extreme, this makes sense in light of the fact that she is not able to execute almost any of the steps herself, but rather has to trust others to carry out her wishes for her.
Themes
