Honour

Description

Elif Shafak is a celebrated Turkish-British author, and “Honour” is one of the novels published in 2012 that deals with family and culture conflicts between tradition and modernity. The story itself is poignant, focusing on questions of identity, migration, and, most importantly, honor-based violence.

Short Summary:

The novel is set by Pembe and Jamal, who hail from a Kurdish-Turkish family living in London, and informs as to how their lives are regulated within the confines of cultural expectations and the concept of “honor.” The story creates a change of pace as it moves between different time periods and locations-which span a small village in Turkey and a multicultural neighborhood in London.

Pembe has three kids and is struggling between her traditional upbringing and the modern world in which she lives. Her son, Iskender, seems highly affected by the general concepts of honor that finally cost him and his family an awful experience. He thinks his mother has brought down the dignity of his family by not acting according to their family traditions, and thus he does something that cannot be altered and ends up being a disaster for the family.

Through the various narratives and timelines, the novel explores the heavy burden of cultural expectations upon women and how patriarchal ideals of honor can destroy families.

Core Themes:

Honor and Shame: The book is a scathing critique of how the very notion of “honor” has been used to subjugate women in patriarchal countries.

Family and Tradition: The contradiction between modern values and the traditional way of doing things serves as a great influence on the characters’ lives and choices.

Culture and Immigration: The novel brings out issues of cultural identity, most specifically in the immigrant who tries to navigate the expanse between their old world and this new world they have come to reside in.

Women and Gender Issues: The novel undertakes issues of females within strict gender expectations and the disastrous effects of misogyny.

Summary:

“Honour” is an incredibly thought-provoking novel which, in the context of its plot, will shake readers to pieces, for it sculpts out the devastating effects on a family wrought by violence based on honor. Using the framework of a Kurdish-Turkish immigrant family, Elif Shafak raises powerful questions about tradition, culture, and the human cost of honor run amok for patriarchs. This novel is both family drama and critical indictment of oppressive societal norms, broaching the limits of forgiveness and cultural values.