Memed, My Hawk: Analysis of Major Characters
"Memed, My Hawk" is a novel by Yaşar Kemal that explores themes of oppression, love, and rebellion through its major characters. The protagonist, Memed, is an eighteen-year-old young man shaped by a harsh upbringing that leaves him physically stunted yet resilient. His love for Hatçe drives him to confront the local tyrant, Abdi Aa, leading to his transformation into an outlaw who seeks justice for the oppressed rather than engaging in indiscriminate violence. Hatçe, Memed's beloved, endures her own trials, including captivity and ultimately tragedy, as she is killed during a violent confrontation.
Abdi Aa serves as the story's antagonist, a cruel landowner who exploits his tenants and manipulates justice to serve his interests. Supporting characters like Veli, Abdi's nephew, and Mad Durdu, a notorious bandit, contribute to the narrative's exploration of morality in a corrupt society. Other figures, such as Deuneh, Memed's mother, and Iraz, offer glimpses into the lives of those oppressed by Abdi's regime. Through these characters, the novel reflects on the struggles of the rural poor, the nature of justice, and the profound impact of love and loss.
Memed, My Hawk: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Yasar Kemal
First published: Ince Memed, 1955 (English translation, 1961)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Turkey
Plot: Folklore
Time: Probably the 1940's
Ince Memed, or Slim Memed, a young man who is eighteen years old when he takes up his calling. During the difficult early years of his life, when he experienced beatings and privations, he became physically stunted and somewhat gnarled; he never grew to his full height. He has developed into a hardened, bitter young man who nevertheless can manage an ironically cheerful smile much of the time. He falls deeply in love with Hatçe, and his attachment to her leads to a violent confrontation with Abdi Aa and his minions. Memed becomes an outlaw, but of a special sort; rather than subjecting innocent wayfarers to suffering and indignities, he decides to avenge acts of oppression and injustice Abdi has perpetrated. Toward the end, he rejoins Hatçe and marries her. She is killed in a gun battle. In a final act of bold defiance, he rides up to his rival's house and shoots Abdi dead.
Deuneh, Memed's mother. She grows wheat and is compelled, at a rate more unfavorable than that imposed on others, to turn three-fourths of her crop over to Abdi. When Memed and Hatçe run away from the authorities, Abdi and Veli trample Deuneh to death.
Hatçe, a young woman. After an adolescent courtship, she becomes Memed's lover. At about the age of sixteen, she leaves Veli, her nominal betrothed, behind; when fighting erupts, she is captured by Abdi's men and accused, falsely, of murder. After Memed rescues her from captivity, she remains with him and becomes his wife. She gives birth to his infant son but later is killed during an armed confrontation.
Abdi Aa, a powerful local landowner. He has a long, sharp face; small, calculating eyes; and pink cheeks, as well as whiskers that have brought him the disparaging epithet of “goat beard” among the villagers. He is unusually cruel and grasping even by the standards of such potentates. He demands rental in kind that reduces his tenants to penury, and he feels few qualms about beating and kicking those who will not yield easily to his demands. He is also capable of craven manipulations to bring about the perversion of justice; he recruits witnesses who will perjure themselves in an effort to show that Hatçe, whom he holds in prison, actually killed his nephew. He hires various desperados and unsavory characters for the purpose of reducing Memed to submission. He is taken by surprise when his youthful opponent finally kills him.
Veli, Abdi's nephew. Hatçe's parents are induced to offer Hatçe to Veli in marriage, but Memed kills Veli before the marriage can take place.
Mad Durdu, a well-known bandit. He is relatively young, but his features seem twisted with the wrinkles and long reddish scar that are the most distinctive parts of his appearance. Durdu takes an unseemly delight in forcing travelers to undress, and he imposes this treatment indiscriminately on those who are unfortunate enough to encounter him. Memed joins him for a time, but later he and others rebel against this practice. Durdu dies ignominiously during a conflict elsewhere.
Sergeant Recep, a man over fifty years old. Although much about his past is murky, it is known that he has operated as a bandit for some time. Memed meets him with Durdu. Later, Recep assists the young outlaw in various ways, until he dies from wounds received in one encounter.
Kerimolu, a nomad leader. He receives Durdu hospitably but protests when he is robbed and told to turn over his own underwear. Memed comes to his support, and they force Durdu to back down.
Ali Safa Bey, a former lawyer who has given up his practice. He is adept at obtaining title to land through underhanded pretexts, and he later becomes associated with Abdi Aa in various schemes.
Kalayc Osman, a local outlaw who has connections with Ali Safa Bey. His main claim to infamy is the murder of some forty men, including the killing of his own cousin on the man's wedding night. Abdi Aa enlists him during his campaign against Memed, but Kalayc Osman is mortally wounded instead.
Iraz, a woman whom Hatçe addresses as an aunt. She is imprisoned as a result of Abdi's machinations, but she assists in Hatçe's escape from her captors, and she aids Memed during the later fighting with Abdi's men. She proves to be stalwart and courageous under difficult conditions.
Sergeant Asim, a local police officer. Because during an earlier clash Memed had spared his life, he will not accept the outlaw's surrender when the child of Memed and Hatçe is born.