Beyaz Gemi Özeti ve Analizi

Written by Cengiz Aytmatov, The White Ship has fascinated many readers. The work, in which the concepts of human and nature are mentioned, contains quite dramatic elements. We also recommend this magnificent book.“White Ship Summary and Analysis” We will examine it under the title. Let's first look at the summary of the book together. Then, let's examine the points that need to be mentioned in the book analysis.

White Ship Summary

The White Ship conveys dreams and life through the eyes of a child living in a small village. There are three households in the San-Tash valley and only the child, his grandfather Mümin, his grandmother, Orozkul, Gülcemal, Seydahmet and Aunt Bekey live. In one of these houses, the child, his grandfather and his step-grandmother lived together. The San-Tash valley is a region located between gorges and slopes. The child has no friends here. His life is quite boring. The boy's biggest fun here is watching Issyk Lake with his binoculars. He would look at the white ship passing by. The child is someone who loves to live with dreams. Because his grandfather always tells him legendary tales. The child constantly dreams, believing in the fairy tales told by his grandfather. His mother and father left when he was young. He believes that his father works on that white ship and that one day he will become a fish and reunite with his father. The child's grandfather is a smart man. That's why he was nicknamed the Swift believer. His son-in-law Orozkul is an alcoholic and very angry. They work together with Mümin grandfather. Bekey, Orozkul's wife, is barren. Because he has no children, Orozkul drinks alcohol and beats Bekey every evening.

Orozkul's Promise

One day, while drinking alcohol with his friends, Orozkul makes a promise. He will cut the log, take it down from the tree, carry it across the stream and load it onto the truck. After he wakes up, he regrets his promise. But now it is too late. He has to remove the log because of his promise. From time to time, goods are left in the valley with a truck at a place called “Mashin Store”. Grandfather Mümin buys the child a school bag from here. A year later, the child starts going to school. The child, who loves his grandfather telling stories, constantly listens to the tale of “Mother Horned Maral”. According to his grandfather, their lineage goes back to Horned Maral Mother. In the tale, the maral left her child and went behind the San-Tash valley. However, he still continues to protect his child. The grandfather has been taking him constantly since the day the child started school. One day, while the child was playing with stones on the roadside, he saw five or six trucks coming to buy dry grass. The boy starts running after these trucks. Kulubeg, a young driver, stops when he sees the boy and talks to him. He says that he knows the child's grandfather and that he is a descendant of the Horned Maral Mother.

Marals Not Seen For A Long Time

While Mümin Dede and Orozkul are working together, they see the marals. But they cannot take care of the marals because they are too busy. On the same day, Mümin Dede asks permission to pick up his grandson from school. Orozkul does not allow it, saying that they have more work to do and they need to remove the log. No matter how hard they try, they cannot remove the log. Seeing the time passing, Grandpa Mümin goes to pick up his grandson without asking for permission. On the way, he sees that his teacher brought the child. He apologizes to the teacher and takes the child from him. The child quarreled with the grandfather. That's why he doesn't talk to her. The grandfather tells him that he saw Horned Maral Mother so that the child can make peace with her. The child gets excited when he hears this and begs his grandfather to go to the forest. However, it is very late and they have to go home. When they get home, they see that Orozkul is very angry. He also beat his wife Bekey again. The child feels saddened by this sight and goes to his room to sleep. That night, there is a big blizzard outside. That's why Kulubeg and his friends take shelter in Mümin Dede. They set out again in the morning. That morning, Orozkul's friends, whom he promised while drunk, arrive.

Removing the Log from the Tea

Orozkul and his friends, Seydahmet and Koketay, go to take the log out of the stream. Meanwhile, the grandfather follows them to ask for Orozkul's forgiveness. While removing the log, marals are seen again. But no one cares about the marals. Finally, the log is removed and loaded onto the truck. At night, they all return to Orozkul's house again. The child is sick that day. In the evening, he wakes up to the sounds of laughter and goes to the garden. He sees that everyone is very happy and drunk. Mümin Dede plays with fire over a cauldron full of meat. The child calls out to his grandfather. But the grandfather does not hear him. In this case, the child feels that something bad is happening. When he looks around, he comes across a deerskin whose blood has not dried. Orozkul is also busy breaking the deer's antlers. The boy guessed the whole thing. Unable to bear this terrible scene, he goes to his room and starts crying. Meanwhile, he dreams that one day Kulubeg will come and put Orozkul in his place. At that moment, the child warns again with laughter. Seydahmet begins to laugh and tell what happened during the day.

The Shooting of the Horned Maral Mother

After placing the log in the truck, Seydahmet and Mümin Dede go to the forest to work. Then they see the marals again. Seydahmet wants to shoot the marals, but Mümin dede opposes this. At that time, Seydahmet starts to follow the marals. He cannot aim because he is drunk. That's why he wants Mümin Dede to shoot him. Seydahmet intimidated his grandfather. Additionally, Mümin Dede unintentionally shoots one of the marals, thinking that Orozkul will forgive him. After hearing this, the child goes to his grandfather again. His grandfather collapsed on the ground. The child calls out to him. But Mümin Dede does not hear. Afterwards, the boy jumps into the water, thinking that he will become a fish man and reunite with his father. The water carries the child away. The child will never be able to become a fish man.

White Ship Character Analysis

Cengiz Aytmatov examines the relationship between humans and nature in The White Ship. The characters in the book are actually types that we constantly encounter in life. Cengiz Aytmatov tried to show the bond between nature and humans with the characteristics he attributed to the characters. This situation has sometimes been seen in a child's dream and sometimes in a person's ego. Let's look at the characteristics of the characters in the book together.Child: It is the representation of innocence in the book. Traumatized by the departure of his parents, the child takes refuge in the fairy tales told by his grandfather. He dreams and waits for the moment when he will one day reunite with his father. When he sees that his grandfather does not react to him, he throws himself into the water. Again, he hopes to reach that moment he dreams of. But the reality is different.Mümin Dede: It shows very well the bad consequences of the good intentions within a person. Even though he doesn't want to shoot the maral, Orozkul's forgiveness and intimidation causes him to shoot the maral. Here, the conflict that man experiences with himself is revealed. Mümin Dede cannot bear the remorse he feels anymore.Orozkul: The book clearly shows what a person's ego can cause. Orozkul is someone who only thinks about himself and does not understand anyone. His malevolence also harms others and nature. We can also say that it represents patriarchy for Orozkul. He constantly beats his infertile wife and puts psychological pressure on her because she has no children.Bekey: She is Orozkul's wife and Mümin Dede's daughter. In the work, she is described as a very patient and tolerant woman. Despite his wife's attitude towards him, he continues to maintain his calm.Seydahmet: Seydahmet, a lazy and ugly person, is the person known for his cruelty in the work after Orozkul. He is someone who intimidates people and threatens them to project his own power. He only thinks about himself and his fun by shooting the rare maral.Gulcemal: She is Seydahmet's wife. She spends most of the days taking care of her grandmother, her daughter, and helping Bekey.Family: He is a young driver. He is good with children.Koketay: He is a large and cruel man. He is Orozkul's friend.

White Ship Book Analysis

When the work is examined especially in terms of conflict of values, the most common phenomenon is the conflict between nature and humans. In this respect, the author reveals the bond between nature and humans. This is sometimes given by the dreamer of a child and sometimes by the ego of the most intelligent being, the human being. Again, the conflict between men and women also comes to the fore in the work. What happened between Orozkul and his wife is one of the examples of patriarchy. Another point encountered in the book The White Ship is the differences between children and other adults. The child shows the good in man through his sheer innocence and imagination. However, other adults are individuals who always think about their own interests. Grandfather Mümin, grandmother and Bekey try to do everything Orozkul says just because he gives him a salary. For example, grandmother and Bekey react strongly to Mümin Dede who goes to pick up his grandson.

Human-Nature Conflict in the White Ship Artwork

When the work is examined, it is seen that the main subject is the conflict between nature and humans. Its main value is love of nature. The love of nature was discussed with Mümin Dede and the child, along with values ​​such as love of animals and forests. Again, the act of going against nature is shown with Seydahmet and Orozkul. Here, it is taken into consideration how man's power and love of wealth harm the nature. Here, it is only seen how Mümin Dede contradicts himself after a certain point. Although he actually loves nature, the fear he experiences and the reaction from Orozkul has overcome his love for nature. Even though shooting Maral resulted in remorse, it did not change this situation. Maral died and Mümin Dede had to face the torment and contradiction he experienced. Seydahmet, on the other hand, regards marals, which are rare in nature, as prey. Therefore, hunting a maral will be enough to give people a feast. People's ambition to acquire property is revealed in all its nakedness in the book. Again, although nature is defeated in the work, the author presents to the reader that what is right will win in the end. In the context of human-nature conflict, values ​​such as right, justice and goodness are processed in the work.

Conflict between Men and Women in the White Ship Artwork

The White Ship was also transferred to the big screen in 1976. In this photo, we see Sabira Kumushaliyeva, who portrays the grandmother. There are two female figures in the work White Ship. The first of these is Aunt Bekey, who is constantly oppressed by her husband and does not react at all. He is shown as someone who has fully accepted patriarchy. The other is the grandmother who takes advantage of her husband's calmness and silence and tries to put pressure on him. It can be said that in both characters, women see money as their main power. Bekey endures all his wife's torture because she takes care of him. The grandmother is also grateful to her husband for giving him a job. Another female character is the child's mother. He also wants to save money by working elsewhere. In this way, she will be able to take her child with her husband if he has permission. However, as can be seen, there is a situation where male dominance is dominant. A woman must obtain her husband's consent to have her own child. In addition, Orozkul shows male oppression in the best way in the work. Orozkul is an arrogant, tyrannical and cruel person in the work. He constantly uses his wife's infertility as an excuse and commits violence against her. Bekey also sees not having a child as a curse. This situation shows the impact of social pressure and patriarchy on women. Because Bekey always blames himself for the situation they experience. In fact, the fact that he is such a helpless person in the work is a role given to him by society.

Child Psychology in The White Ship

The situation experienced by the child in the work is extremely tragic. The fact that his parents left him is the first trauma the child experiences in the work. The child has no friends. His only refuge is the tales told by his grandfather. That's why he thinks the legendary stories are real. He always dreams of the day he will be reunited with his father. The child, whose love of nature was instilled by his grandfather, was shocked when he saw the dead deer. When he hears what happened, he wants to talk to his grandfather. However, his grandfather's lack of an answer makes him want to run away as soon as possible. That's why he throws himself into the water, thinking he will become a fish man. However, nothing happened as he dreamed. The water started to take him and drag him away. The child had to face the truth painfully. If you like reading book reviews, we have another good suggestion for you: Murder on the Orient Express Book Summary and Review.