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Chanel Cruz and Kaylee Kim
Mr. Moungey
AP Literature and Composition
19 February 2025
A Tale of the Young Boy Orhan
In Pamuk’s My Name is Red, the narrator Orhan, a boy aged six, plays a crucial role in
threading the story’s complex narratives. His curious perspective provides an essential contrast
to the adult world, filled with difficult themes such as tension, betrayal, and love. Orhan’s
narration links past to present, shedding light on relationships between characters like Black
and Shekure. Through his eyes and narration, readers can experience the unfolding drama with
a newfound sense of purity and a fresh perspective that underscores the dark world they live in.
Orhan becomes both a symbol of innocence as well as a vital narrative tool, offering insights into
the emotions and connections that drive the story forward.
The narrator Orhan holds great significance to the overall story, bringing an air of
innocence to the novel and serving as a link between Black and Shekure. He holds immense
weight in connecting the novel’s complex layers of love, betrayal, and art. Orhan is a six year-old
boy living in the present day, serving as a lens through which the reader can experience the past.
His age and affection for new experiences showcases his innocence in relation to the other
characters in My Name Is Red. In their society, there are complicated emotions and dangerous
sentiments surrounding murder and art. A complex contrast between traditional Ottoman
techniques and the westernization of art remains a wide theme in the novel. The adults have a
constant battle about the interconnectedness of the two art forms, and there is always a looming
tension. Orhan is different from other narrators: “This is Orhan. He’s six” (Pamuk 28). Orhan’s
age and perceived innocence adds to the importance of his narration. He is seemingly untainted
from the intricacies of the adult world, which is full of turmoil about art and scary topics. His
role in the story highlights an untouched perspective, which allows him to perceive events as
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they come without predisposition biases. Orhan represents a stark contrast between the
importance of childhood purity and the reality; a brutal adult world. He is fully unaware of the
violence and uncertainty that surrounds his family’s history, as well as the relationship between
his mother Shekure and Black. Orhan’s brother Skevket, another symbol of innocence, asks
“Mother, why did you wear your fine purple blouse” (Pamuk 42). The boys don’t realize that
their mother is trying to look her best in the face of Black. As a result, Shekure changes to seem
like she isn’t trying as hard to win his approval. These innocent points of view serve as a
powerful tool of narration throughout the novel. Their narratives provide a humanizing point of
view to reflect the severity and significance of certain situations. In addition, Orhan also serves
as a link between both Shekure and Black. Orhan’s narration allows for them to connect when
they don’t necessarily want to directly. For example, Orhan keeps listening to Enishte and
Black’s conversations. Soon after, he travels into the room of Hayriye and finds his mother
Shekure there: “What were they doing?” (Pamuk 29). Shekure asks her child for information on
Black’s behavior and words, using him as sort of a messenger. Shekure and Black indirectly
interact through similar ways. Orhan then goes on to mock Black and Initiates conversation,
demonstrating again the innocence of Orhan in the face of a situation with extreme emotional
gravity for his mother. In addition, the narrator is another indication of Shekure and Black’s
attachment to one another: “When I first laid eyes on her child, I knew at once what I’d long and
mistakenly recalled about Shekure’s face” (Pamuk 31). Black sees only his love Shekure in her
son Orhan’s face. He realizes that he has falsely remembered her face, and gets disappointed.
Orhan directly links Black to the memory and the reality of Shekure’s appearance. Overall,
Orhan is a narrator that brings innocence and a fresh point of view to My Name Is Red. He
allows for a childish and untainted view of issues with emotional implications, all while linking
the audience to the relationship between Shekure and Black. He is seen as a middleman who
gives each of the characters information that furthers the plot. Orhan’s age embodies purity in a
world rooted in complexities. His perspective provides readers with a lens that is unpainted
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from the historic tensions of the times. This contrast highlights the generational divide but also
the role of innocence in unearthing deeper truths about characters like Black and Shekure. His
curiosity allows for new information to be revealed. As he moves throughout the setting, his lack
of understanding highlights the psychological motives behind the adult characters. His function
as a bridge between characters serves as a foil for Black and Shekure, providing the reader
critical insight into their relationships. Orhan’s role as middleman shows how his role allows
two otherwise unconnected characters to interact. Orhan also connects the past, or Black’s
memories of Shekure, to the present reality, his perception of his love’s son. Orhan offers a
narration technique to the novel that adds to character development and event analysis.
The significance of the selected scene is the connection that Orhan offers to the entire
novel. The scene that was depicted in the artwork was chosen because of its significance not only
to the plot, but also in regards to the overarching themes in the novel. The multi-layered box
represents the many different layers to the novel that we wanted to touch on. For example, the
way that the art opens up to many different illustrations shows the complexity between
characters and their true intentions. It opens to a photo of Orhan’s resemblance to the mother,
but has a keyhole to show Orhan peering through, watching Black’s interactions. This scene was
chosen as it was the main part of Chapter 6 and displayed the main values of the narration.
Orhan is a direct link and representation of the relationship between Black and Shekure,
displaying their interdependence on Orhan. We had mainly chapter 6 to pull from, and it was
the most significant event throughout it. Orhan is described as beautiful like his mother,
providing for a good photo. Orhan’s youth is described as plump. The tension through the wall
shows the harsh relationship between them. Orhan, oblivious, furthered the plot in this way.
This scene was important to depict because it shows the tumultuous relationship between two
adults. Spiritual ties were added to depict the unseen, and a remembrance of culture. Orhan is
shown as a physical link to the two, as well as a spiritual connection, seeing the unseen through
the form of artistic creation. This scene was a major catalyst for the rest of the story and
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redefines the relationship between major characters. The many layers represent the many ideas
that the scene brings up. Orhan’s narration is best represented with a multi-media work, as his
impact is multi-faceted. Culture is also represented through the vibrant colors and traditionalist
designs. The constant pressure between two art forms in the Ottoman empire is another aspect
for the scene that made it necessary to depict. This scene represents the main ideas that Pamuk
wanted to explore by introducing the narrator Orhan, inducing a feeling of necessity for the
reader to understand.
Between the two characters, Shekure and Black. Orhan is depicted as listening to the
conversation between Black and Enishte, eavesdropping on their conversation: “In the back of
the closet there was a peephole through which you could see my grandfather’s workshop”
(Pamuk 29). This is represented by the peephole that is drawn to represent a sentiment of
“spying”. Orhan listened to the private conversation and eventually told his mother what he
heard. This is shown through the illustration of Orhan with facial similarities to his mother as
mentioned in the text, as well as noticed by Black. In example, “Meeting Shekure’s youngest son
and speaking with him, seeing his face up close and kissing him, aroused in me a restlessness
peculiar to the luckless, to murderers and to sinners” (Pamuk 32). Black see’s the facial
similarities between Shekure and her six year-old son, influencing the emotions he felt in the
face of Orhan. The front page of the work depicts Orhan’s facial similarities with his mother,
Shekure. In addition, the patterns around the outside of the artwork represent the miniaturists
and their preference for traditional art. This showcases Orhan’s interconnectedness with his
family and pressure to become a miniaturist in the future due to familial ties. The arabesques
show a wide range of traditional Ottoman art features, tying into the idea of traditional versus
western artwork. Art, religion, and power were intertwined in the Ottoman Empire, reflecting
these values. For Orhan’s family and other miniaturists, their work was an act of extreme
devotion to their craft. The individual identities of artists were tied to their traditional works, as
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it was woven into the cultural and religious fabric of the times. The deep reds and arabesques
display aspects of the miniaturist style.
The complicated familial relationship between Black, Shekure, and Enishte dates back
more than twelve years to when the story’s date is set. Black’s “absence of twelve years”
markedly reinvigorates the tension between him and Enishte’s daughter (Pamuk 6). Shekure
had the effect where “everyone including many who never laid eyes on her– fell in love with his
daughter, the belle of belles” (Pamuk 24). Arriving back after years of having fallen and
remained in love with her, Black and Shekure’s relationship is a touchy subject since Enishte
had denounced such a love. With such a tension between the two, the depiction of the scene
needed to reflect the barrier between a burning tension. While Orhan’s narration embodies his
childlike perspective of seeing a foreigner, his connection with Black provides a deeper context
of adult thoughts. Upon meeting Shekure’s son, Black admits that “seeing [Orhan’s] face up
close and kissing him, aroused in [Black] a restlessness peculiar to the luckless, to murderers,
and to sinners” (Pamuk 32). The articulation Black espouses supports a vivid fetishization of a
woman he has not seen for around twelve years. Due to this idea, the front of the artwork shows
one physical face made up of a young boy Orhan and a mature and beautiful Shekure. To Black,
Orhan is not just Enishte’s grandson who he has glady conversed and met with but rather a
drawn-out embodiment of a woman he is infatuated with. By demonstrating at the front of the
art piece, the facial similarity of the mother and son, the artwork links the two in a way that
shows why Orhan’s presence is important in the novel, since it is the first tangible connection
that Black contrives in his mind about Shekure and that will later on be the motivation for
pursuing Enishte’s work with the miniaturists.
The text not only works out the disturbed perspective of Black upon meeting Orhan that
day but also about Shekure and her usage of her son Orhan’s information to think about Black.
When Orhan leaves his grandfather and Black, he goes to see his mother and he observantly
notices an interesting behavior from his mother: “[Mother] knew where I’d been. In the back of
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the closet there was a peephole through which you could see my grandfather’s workshop. And if
its door were open, the wide hallway and my grandfather’s bedroom across the hall by the
staircase- if, of course, his bedroom door were open” (Pamuk 29). Although this passage is brief,
the frankness of Orhan's perspective introduces an extremely implied rationale. The observation
Orhan has of his mom using the peephole demonstrates the effectiveness of this passage since it
allows the audience to see that the curiosity of the forbidden relationship is not just one-sided
on Black’s part, but reciprocal since Shekure is seen spying on him. This moment is crucial to
the development of My Name is Red and the subtlety of this revelation can truly only be
captured by a little boy who is unaware of the history between the two. As this part captures a
mutual interest that even Shekure shares about Black, the depiction in the art work
demonstrated this symbiotic relationship. As previously mentioned, the faces of Orhan and
Shekure seemed to be merged to show Black’s perspective of Orhan, yet there is also another
facet to this relationship that is linked to the front of the art. Shekure’s captivation of Black is
shown through a paper scene of her using the peephole right behind the front image. Her eye,
though, is connected to the eye on the front image to symbolize the interconnectedness of this
scene which all relates to Orhan’s uninspired involvement in being in the house. The quote of
Shekure looking through the peephole to lessen the amount of empty space but draw very
explicitly the connection Orhan’s point of view brings to this scene.
With Orhan’s narration, there was less of a lack of details and more of a sense of
obliviousness with the observations of the child that left gaps or ideas that had to be mentally
connected by the audience. The most clear support to the supposition that Orhan was the first
almost tangible connection between Black and Shekure and was consciously sought out for as
the link between their relationship is Esther’s narration. Known as the town gossip, this large,
illiterate, and Jewish woman has a comparable role to Orhan in connecting the two forbidden
lovers, yet her account is more explicit, which fills in the gaps about whether Orhan’s narration
was truly an attempt by Pamuk to primarily and slowly begin the complicated relationship of
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Black and Shekure. The exact same day where Enisthe and Black are conversing, Shekure who
seems to be spying on Black also later enlists the help of Esther to deliver a message. Referring
to herself in the third person, Esther assumes responsibility for the letter Shekure gives her and
thinks to herself: “Esther was mad with curiosity, and in the end, [Esther] did succeed in reading
it” (Pamuk 36). The deliverance of this line reveals why Esther, too, has importance in
forwarding the plot as her “mad curiosity” leads to meddling in the affairs of Shekure, thereby
getting her to read the letter which was a detailed explanation of Shekure’s detached and
dismissive attitude towards any of Black’s sentiments which he has shown in the past. The very
purpose of the letter and the chronological time frame of this letter bring forward a few ideas.
First, the letter was clearly written to Black and showed how Shekure was thinking about him.
This very notion of the main character of her letter is best seen in the context of Orhan’s
narration since by asking her son “what [Black and Enishte] were doing” in a sweet voice
Shekure reflects that she has a profound curiosity of the guest in her house. The letter sealed this
idea that she was interested in Black and that was concreted with her conversation and scene
with Orhan since his narration led the audience to this conclusion. Second, Esther is known as
the town gossip and Shekure would know this. After the scene where she was spying on Black
and her father, she decides to get help from Esther. Since this occurs chronologically after her
observations with Orhan, Esther’s narration is clear support to the disconnect of purpose that
Orhan’s chapter dealt with. Since the implication of what Orhan saw was supported by Esther’s
chapter, this allowed the art box’s depiction to show on the back a drawing of Black and Shekure
being spiritually tied together through Orhan. The drawing shows the three characters, but only
Orhan being colored while the other two are blank and colorless. There are many squiggly lines
around all three of them to show the artistic depiction of the connection between Black and
Shekure. The lack of color on the foreigner and mother but only on Orhan serve to represent
how Orhan, who although is a child, was a crucial link to the both of them and the squiggly lines
also depict this. The couple are also making eye contact with each other even though that never
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occurs in the novel and are only physically touching Orhan showing that Orhan was a medium
for the mental interaction between the two.
​
“Thus, we come to understand that a particular maiden won’t be permitted to marry us
or that we’ll never reach such-and-such a station in life” (Pamuk 124). These wondrous words
spoken by the murderer whose identity remains unknown at this part of the book also allows us
to fill in some gaps with Orhan’s narration. Our depiction of the scene of Shekure spying on
Black is markedly riddled with tension of a relationship a long time ago. Yet, the murderer also
takes part in identifying another facet of bachelors who were in love with Shekure since he tries
to relate to Black by saying that her hand in marriage is very far off from the reach of both of
them. This scene is similar to the scene we chose to depict since the unseen tension seems very
tangible especially when stated explicitly. While Orhan does not seem to be a part of the
Murderer’s mental plot and dialogue, his discovery of a passionate air of feelings between Black
and Shekure mirrors the frank idea that Black’s love had been one-sided and, therefore, there is
a connection between the two narrators.
​
Overall, the narration of Orhan is essential to My Name is Red, as it provides a nexus
point for the reader to have a deeper understanding of characters and their connections. Orhan’s
disposition and natural curiosity as a child brings a much needed lightness to a novel that deals
with intense themes. Characters like Black and Shekure wouldn't have had contact without the
help of Orhan’s narration. Pamuk strategically uses different types of narration to showcase
different aspects of his storytelling, and the way in which he furthers the plot line. His various
narrators like Black, Shekure, Corpse, and Orhan reveal different aspects of the story in order to
create a complex setting and world in which his plot unfolds.