Previous
Tarkan
The woman semi-affectionately nicknamed “Bitter Ma”—or “Sweet Ma,” if she’s within earshot—is the madam of the brothel in Istanbul where Leila works. Tough, experienced, and opportunistic, she nonetheless develops a soft spot for Leila over time. She gives her the best room in the brothel and allows her to come and go freely, trusting she will not run away. When Leila is attacked by the customer with sulfuric acid, Bitter Ma feels guilty, largely blaming herself for what happened. Later, she agrees to let Leila leave the brothel after marrying D/Ali, who pays a handsome sum for her freedom. Still, Bitter Ma’s sincere happiness for the new bride is evident. And when D/Ali tragically dies, leaving Leila with no choice but to return to the brothel, Bitter Ma eagerly welcomes her back, providing Leila with a strange but comforting source of stability.
Bitter Ma/Sweet Ma Quotes in 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
The 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World quotes below are all either spoken by Bitter Ma/Sweet Ma or refer to Bitter Ma/Sweet Ma. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 1, Chapter 1: One Minute Quotes
In the first minute following her death, Tequila Leila’s consciousness began to ebb, slowly and steadily, like a tide receding from the shore.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 1, Chapter 16: Ten Minutes Twenty Seconds Quotes
But it wasn’t out of sheer kindness or an admission of some unconfessed guilt that Bitter Ma had given her much-needed blessing. D/Ali had paid her a hefty sum—an amount unheard of on the street of brothels. Later on, when Leila would pressure him about where he had got the money from, he would say his comrades had chipped in. The revolution, he claimed, was all for love and for lovers.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Bitter Ma/Sweet Ma Character Timeline in 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
The timeline below shows where the character Bitter Ma/Sweet Ma appears in 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1, Chapter 3: Three Minutes
...smoke. Just outside her bedroom window hangs an abandoned wasps’ nest. Her madam—known as “ Bitter Ma ” or “Sweet Ma,” depending on whether she’s within earshot—is a stern woman who does...
(full context)
...provides guidelines for customers regarding condom usage and preventing sexually transmitted infections. Inside the brothel, Bitter Ma instructs the girls to appear casually interested in potential customers, but not desperate or cold....
(full context)
...She’s plagued by the sensation of “invisible parasites” crawling on and inside her body, though Bitter Ma insists she’s merely imagining things.
(full context)
Part 1, Chapter 11: Eight Minutes
Eight minutes into her death, Leila can smell sulfuric acid. One evening in March 1966, Bitter Ma calls Leila to the brothel’s lobby, introducing her to her next client—a man previously banned...
(full context)
Part 1, Chapter 12: Zaynab’s Story
...working in a hair salon for over a year, one of the salon’s regular customers, Bitter Ma , offers her a cleaning job at her brothel. She promises better hours, better pay,...
(full context)
Part 1, Chapter 13: Nine Minutes
As Leila composes a letter to Nostalgia Nalan, she overhears Bitter Ma yelling at a customer downstairs and leaves her room to investigate. A young, college-aged man...
(full context)
...of her, replacing the acid scar on her back with a butterfly. He even paints Bitter Ma , in a bid to win the madam’s favor and make visiting Leila easier. D/Ali...
(full context)
Part 1, Chapter 16: Ten Minutes Twenty Seconds
...of her, he insists that one’s past is entirely separate from their future. He compensates Bitter Ma handsomely to allow Leila to leave the brothel for good, and many spectators from the...
(full context)
Part 1, Chapter 17: Ten Minutes Thirty Seconds
...death, Leila thinks of single-malt whisky, the last drink she ever had. In November 1990, Bitter Ma informs Leila about a new client—a gay man whose father has arranged for his marriage...
(full context)
