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Part 3, Chapter 2: The Blue Betta Fish
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Marginalization and Belonging
Time, Memory, and Transition
Gender and Power
Tradition and Change
Religion, Political Conflict, and Identity
Summary
Analysis
On what would have been Leila’s next birthday, the five decorate her old flat—where, together, they all now reside—to celebrate their late friend. After that day on the Bosphorus Bridge, Sabotage Sinan was fired and divorced, but he’s content in his new, honest life. Though their Istanbul is an eternal “liquid city,” always shifting and rarely offering any sense of permanence, the five find stability and buoyancy within one another. Now that Leila has become part of the waters that shaped this surprising, ancient city, her presence is always with them.
The group’s decision to move into Leila’s old flat suggests that, while Leila was at one point the fulcrum of their community, they’ve since found lifelong stability and support in one another. Istanbul’s description as a “liquid city” emphasizes the city’s transience, but their friendships remain permanent and unshakeable. Leila’s symbolic integration into the waters of Istanbul represents both her eternal presence in the city and her lasting influence on the lives of her five closest friends—her beloved water family.
Active
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