Other Themes

Ka goes to Kars to find happiness and to fall in love with Ipek. But, he soon finds out that in order to find those things, he must find himself first.

• "...but in the beginning, as he lay in bed with Ipek's arms around him, he didn't even know how happy he was; he felt peace with the world, and this sense of peace seemed so nautral that he had a hard time remebering why so much of his life up until this point had been sorrow and tumult" (284).
• "...a long strange silence followed. Ka found it very soothing. For the first time in years, he had felt part of a family, in spite of the trials and responsibilities of what was called family, he saw now that it was grounded in the joys of an underlying togetherness, a feeling he was sorry to have knonw so littl of in his life" (328).

Character Development

Religion and Philosophy

Through religion and philosophy, the town of Kars gets burried beneath the snow as well as their own beliefs. While the struggle of wearing headscarves was dealt with everyday, many disregarded their feelings and the suicides continued on. As the snow continued to fall, so did the women of Kars, and the suffering persisted.

Religion is directly connected with the theme of the novel because not only is it shown with the suicidal women, but it is effecting the town of Kars, ultimately creating a secluded and depressing place.

• "This suicide was one of the famous "head-scarf girls." When the authorities had outlawed the wearing of head scarves in educational institutions across the country, many women refused to comply..." (18).
• "But everyone knows that her in Kars there's no such thing as free choice; all people want is to escape from the next beating, to take refuge in the nearest community" (431).

Biography of the Author

Orhan Pamuk

• Born on June 7, 1952 in Istanbul


• Nobel Prize winner as a Turkish Novelist (2006)


• Comparative Literature professor at Columbia University


• His work has been translated into more than fifty languages


• winner of international and national literary awards


• First Turkish novelist to win Nobel Prize

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orhan_Pamuk

Music Connection

"Let it Snow"

Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
It doesn't show signs of stopping,
And I've bought some corn for popping,
The lights are turned way down low,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
When we finally kiss goodnight,
How I'll hate going out in the storm!
But if you'll really hold me tight,
All the way home I'll be warm.
The fire is slowly dying,
And, my dear, we're still good-bying,
But as long as you love me so,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

• The line "there is no place to go" is representing Ka and how he has no place to go in Kars.
• Ka loves the snow and is starting to realize how much he gets out of it, that is why the lines "let it snow" make sense because Ka wants it to keep snowing.
• The line "and when we finaly kiss goodnight" can represent Ka's love for Ipek.
• The line "the weather outside is frightful" goes along with the setting of Kars. As the snow continues to fall the weather gets more and more dangerous.

Depending on the mood Ka is in, the snow can represent different things. The situation he is in is what he makes of it. Overall, he seems to be pleased to be stuck in the depressing town of Kars.

www.lyrics.com

Poetry Connection

Before entering Kars, Ka was struggling with his poetry, but when he arrives in Kars he discovers that the secluded town gives him an inspiration he cannot deny. As the snow continues to fall, the peaceful setting and quiet town allows him to go into deep thoughts. While poetry continues to come up throughout the novel, Ka sees the secluded world of Kars as an open mind to poetry.

Setting

Haiku:
the snow is falling
lost souls trapped in the city
where can they all go?

The novel takes place in Kars which is a secluded town in Turkey. The town is known as a gloomy place filled with poverty. While Ka is there, Kars becomes isolated because of the snow; all roads to neighboring towns are closed. There are continuous clashes among political parties and religious views. Because of this, the roads are often empty due to the curfew set upon by the military.

Summary

Ka, a troubled poet, returns to Kars to unfold the mysteries behind the suicidal women of his town. Beside the interest in these woman, Ka returns also for his lost love Ipek. While in Kars, Ka discovers inspiration for poetry among many things including the overwhelming snow. Through massacre and undefined moments, Ka begins to find himself and realize that God may be the answer to all his questions.