Nearly a year after last meeting Fusun in his engagement party, Kemal is able to find her. Although Fusun is already married, Kemal often comes over and
has dinner in her house. However, when the dinner is over and it gets late, Kemal is unable to stand up and leave. While the majority of people find it easy to get up
from sitting still, Kemal seems paralyzed, as highlighted in the quotation. Murphy
mentions that a character’ s characteristics can also be shown
through reactions to a situation 1972: 168-170. In the above quotation, even after forcefully order
himself to leave following the end of the dinner, he feels as if he can not move. His need to exhort himself tens of times proves his lack of will power.
Being a weak-willed person, Kemal does not seem to be ambitious in
many aspects in his life. It is shown in the way he manages his father’ s company.
Although he is a general manager who is in charge of the company, Kemal does not seem to care about its profit. It can be seen in the below quotation.
“They’ re resorting to trickery just to make a bit of loose change. It’ s not worth thinking about.”
“There’ s more than a bit of loose change at stake—
this could be quite lucrative, you know, or your brother would
n’ t bother. You shouldn’ t sit by
and let them exclude you, or deny you your share. You have to stand up to
them, challenge them.” “I don’ t care what they do.” p. 199
According to Murphy, a character’ s characteristics can be seen from
speech 1972: 164. In the quotation, Sibel tries to encourage Kemal to challenge
his brother, but he chooses not to do so. Kemal even clearly states that his brother can do whatever he wants, as he is too lazy to intervene the business deal. Another
proof that Kemal is weak-willed in terms of work can be seen in the following quotation.
“
Returning to my office at Satsat, I felt at peace with myself, and for PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
the first time in ages turning myself over to work, I took pleasure from making money p. 75
”.
Although Kemal is of a very wealthy family in Istanbul, he is not a hard-working person himself. In fact, he does not seem to be driven by ambition.
Murphy 172:173 said that a character’ s characteristic can be seen from the character’ s mannerism. In the above quotation, Kemal
recalls that he hardly feels enthusiastic doing his work and making money. It is as though he spends his
whole time working half-heartedly, thereby proving his lack of ambition and drive.
2. Irresponsible
Kemal is a grown up man, aged 30, when the story begins. However, he is still rather irresponsible in some ways, even to himself. One of the examples is
that Kemal does not take a good care of his appearance. The quotation below depicts how his long serving housemaid warns him to cut his nails, as the
housemaid always does since Kemal is a child.
“Listen to me, Claw Nails,” she said, using one of her nicknames for me when I was a child, “if you don’ t cut your nails, you won’ t own a single
sock without a hole in it. I’ m not darning these for you anymore—
t
hat’ s final.” p. 76
As stated by Murphy, a character’ s characteristic can be shown through
the eyes and opinion of another character 1972: 162. The above quotation shows
Kemal’ s irresponsible trait through what his housemaid says when she talks to
him. It is implied that Kemal always forgets to cut his nails since he was a kid. As a grown up man, never bothering to cut his own nails is a proof that Kemal is
irresponsible to himself. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Another proof of Kemal’ s irresponsibility can be drawn from the below
quotation which shows a conversation between Kemal and Fusun in one of their
secret meetings. It occurs just after Kemal’ s lunch with his father, in which his
father gives Kemal a pair of pearl earrings. His father has demanded that Kemal gives the earrings to Sibel.
“Where is my earring?” “It vanished into thin air, and then one morning I looked at my bedside,
and there it was, with its mate. I put them both into this velvet box to
reunite them with their beautiful owner.” “I’ m not a child. These are not my earrings”
“They are in spirit, darling—as I see it, anyway.” “But this is something you’ ve given me to replace my earring. . . If you
hadn’ t lost the one I left behind, you would never have brought me these.” “I’ m sure it will turn up one day, in some drawer at home.”
“One day. . . How easily you say that. How irresponsible you are. When do you expect it to turn up exactly? How long will I have to wait?”
“Not very long,” I said, scrambling to save the moment. p. 95
Several days before, Fusun loses her earring. Kemal pockets the earring
but losing it in his home. According to Murphy, a character’ s characteristic can be seen from the character’ s speech 1972: 164. Here, Kemal’ s irresponsibility is
palpable in more than one way. First, Kemal goes against his own promise to give
his father’ s pearl earrings to Sibel. Second, Kemal goes a long way to seduce and
flatter Fusun by explaining the origin of the pearl earrings as in a fairy tale. Lastly, when Fusun rejects the pearl earrings and asks for her beloved earring back,
Kemal answers carelessly that someday and somehow it will turn up in his home.
Kemal’ s irresponsible characteristic is known by quite many people
closest to him. It can be drawn from their remarks related to his attitude and behavior.
When Kemal loses Fusun’ s earring, she says that Kemal is irresponsible for not trying to find it. Another remark is the one said by the wife of Kemal’ s
