YÜKSEK ÖKÇELER | ÖMER SEYFETTİN

SESLİ ÖYKÜLER - Nisan Kumru

11 Jun 202005:49

Summary

TLDRHatice Hanım, a wealthy widow who married an older man at a young age, has developed a disdain for marriage. She is obsessed with cleanliness and high-heeled shoes. Her strictness extends to her servants, who she supervises rigorously. After taking a doctor’s advice to wear soft slippers, she notices her servants' behavior deteriorates, catching them in various misdemeanors. In her frustration, she fires them all. Realizing her peace lies in ignorance, she resumes wearing her high heels, choosing comfort in oblivion over the harsh truth.

Takeaways

👩‍🦳 Hatice Hanım became a wealthy widow at a young age after marrying a 66-year-old man when she was only 13.
😒 She developed a deep hatred for marriage and lived a life focused on cleanliness and chastity.
🏠 Hatice Hanım lived in a mansion in Göztepe, which she kept spotless with the help of her maid Gülter and cook Mehmet.
👠 She had an obsession with high heels, which she wore even inside the house, causing her various health issues.
🧼 The doctor advised her to switch to soft slippers, which improved her health but led to unforeseen consequences.
😱 Within two days of wearing the slippers, she noticed her previously trustworthy servants engaging in theft and other immoral behaviors.
🗝️ She started locking everything to prevent further thefts, but the issues persisted.
👂 Hatice Hanım overheard Gülter and Mehmet discussing their thefts and lamenting the loss of the high heels, which had helped them keep track of her movements.
🔥 In a fit of rage, she fired all her servants, unable to tolerate their betrayal.
👠 Ultimately, she returned to wearing high heels, preferring the visible thefts over the hidden betrayals, finding peace in the familiar sound of her heels.

Q & A

Who is the main character in the story and what is her background?
-The main character is Hatice Hanım, a wealthy young widow who was married at the age of 13 to a 66-year-old man, leading her to develop a strong dislike for marriage.
What are Hatice Hanım's main obsessions?
-Hatice Hanım is obsessed with cleanliness, morality, and wearing high-heeled shoes (yüksek ökçeler).
How does Hatice Hanım enforce cleanliness and morality in her household?
-She personally inspects her home daily, cleans it with her maid Gülter, shaves her cook Mehmet, and makes sure all her servants adhere to strict cleanliness and moral standards.
What health advice does Hatice Hanım receive from the doctor, and how does it affect her?
-The doctor advises her to stop wearing high-heeled shoes and switch to soft slippers, which alleviates her physical discomfort but leads to her discovering her servants' misconduct.
What misconduct does Hatice Hanım discover among her servants after changing her footwear?
-Hatice Hanım discovers multiple instances of theft and improper behavior, including Gülter using her toothbrush and Mehmet eating extra food.
How does Hatice Hanım react to her servants' misconduct?
-She becomes furious and immediately fires all her servants after catching them in various acts of theft and misconduct.
How does Hatice Hanım's mental state change after dismissing her servants?
-Despite her wealth, she becomes increasingly distressed and weak due to the constant stress of managing her household without trustworthy servants.
What decision does Hatice Hanım make regarding her footwear after experiencing distress from her servants' behavior?
-Hatice Hanım decides to resume wearing high-heeled shoes to avoid hearing her servants and ignoring their misdeeds, which brings her a sense of peace.
What is the symbolic significance of Hatice Hanım's high-heeled shoes in the story?
-The high-heeled shoes symbolize Hatice Hanım's attempt to maintain control and distance herself from the unpleasant realities of her household.
What broader themes does the story of Hatice Hanım explore?
-The story explores themes of control, illusion, the burdens of wealth, and the psychological impacts of strict moral and cleanliness standards.

Outlines

00:00

💔 Hatice Hanım's Struggles with Cleanliness and Morality

Hatice Hanım, a young widow, despises marriage after being married off at a young age to an elderly man. She is meticulous about cleanliness and morality, constantly inspecting her home and staff. She imposes strict rules and even has her cook shaved daily. However, despite her vigilance, she becomes distressed by the moral decline of her servants after switching to more comfortable footwear. Her obsession with cleanliness and high heels symbolizes her attempt to control her environment and the people within it.

05:00

👠 The Return to High Heels and Ignoring Dishonesty

After dismissing her dishonest servants, Hatice Hanım struggles to find trustworthy replacements. Feeling helpless, she resorts to wearing her high heels again, choosing to ignore the dishonesty of her new staff. This decision brings her peace of mind, though she remains aware of the underlying issues. The high heels symbolize her desire for control and the lengths she will go to maintain her sanity amidst the chaos.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Hatice Hanım

Hatice Hanım is the central character in Ömer Seyfettin's story 'En Yüksek Ökçeler.' She is a young widow who married an older man at the age of 13, which led her to detest marriage. She is portrayed as someone obsessed with cleanliness and propriety, heavily influencing the behavior and attitudes of those around her.

💡Yüksek Ökçeler

Yüksek Ökçeler, meaning 'high heels,' are symbolic in the story as Hatice Hanım's obsession. Despite her short stature, she wears very high-heeled shoes, which are impractical and cause her physical discomfort. The high heels represent her attempt to elevate her status and maintain control over her household.

💡Temizlik

Temizlik, or 'cleanliness,' is a major theme in the story. Hatice Hanım's extreme obsession with cleanliness is portrayed through her daily routines and the strict cleanliness standards she imposes on her household. This obsession drives much of the narrative, revealing her need for control and order.

💡Namusluluk

Namusluluk, or 'honor,' is another critical theme. Hatice Hanım's preoccupation with honor and propriety governs her actions and those of her servants. Her stringent expectations lead to a facade of propriety that crumbles once she stops enforcing her rules with the same vigilance.

💡Mehmet

Mehmet is the cook in Hatice Hanım's household, representing obedience and propriety under her strict rules. However, when Hatice Hanım starts wearing soft slippers instead of her high heels, Mehmet's true nature is revealed as he begins to neglect his duties and indulge in improper behavior.

💡Gülter

Gülter is Hatice Hanım's maid, who also symbolizes the facade of propriety maintained in the household. Once Hatice Hanım's strict supervision is lessened, Gülter's behavior changes, revealing dishonesty and a lack of respect for Hatice Hanım's rules.

💡Hırsızlık

Hırsızlık, or 'theft,' becomes a significant issue in the household once Hatice Hanım stops wearing her high heels. The story highlights numerous instances of theft and dishonesty among the servants, underscoring the collapse of moral standards without strict oversight.

💡Doktor

The doctor plays a pivotal role by advising Hatice Hanım to stop wearing her high heels due to the physical discomfort they cause. This advice inadvertently triggers the unraveling of the household's facade of propriety as Hatice Hanım's vigilance decreases.

💡Kilit

Kilit, meaning 'lock,' symbolizes Hatice Hanım's attempt to reassert control over her household. After discovering the misbehavior of her servants, she resorts to locking everything up, illustrating her desperate measures to maintain order and prevent further theft.

💡Ökçesiz Terlikler

Ökçesiz terlikler, or 'heel-less slippers,' signify Hatice Hanım's brief period of comfort and relaxation. However, they also lead to a significant decrease in her control over the household, as the servants take advantage of her lessened supervision. This shift marks the turning point in the story, revealing the true nature of the servants and the instability of the household's facade.

Highlights

Hatice Hanım, a young and wealthy widow, marries a 66-year-old man at the age of 13, leading her to hate the concept of marriage.

She develops an obsession with cleanliness and chastity, strictly supervising her house and servants.

Hatice Hanım's extreme cleanliness habits include daily inspections of her home and ensuring her cook, Mehmet, shaves every day.

She wears high-heeled shoes indoors, which causes her health issues, leading a doctor to advise her to wear soft slippers.

After switching to slippers, Hatice Hanım notices a drastic change in her servants' behavior, catching them in numerous acts of theft and misconduct.

Mehmet and the maid, Gülter, are caught stealing and engaging in inappropriate behavior, prompting Hatice Hanım to fire them.

Hatice Hanım experiences deep emotional distress from the servants' actions, despite regaining physical comfort.

She eventually reverts to wearing high-heeled shoes, preferring not to hear the servants' misdemeanors.

The story highlights the extreme measures Hatice Hanım takes to maintain order and her eventual acceptance of imperfection.

Hatice Hanım's strict rules extend to forbidding her servants from interacting with neighbors or other servants.

Despite her efforts, she finds it difficult to find trustworthy servants, leading to a constant cycle of hiring and firing.

Hatice Hanım's obsession with cleanliness and propriety isolates her from others, emphasizing her loneliness.

The narrative portrays the challenges and isolation faced by a woman trying to control her environment.

Hatice Hanım's story reflects broader themes of control, obsession, and the consequences of extreme behavior.

The shift from high heels to slippers symbolizes Hatice Hanım's internal struggle between physical comfort and emotional turmoil.