Madonna in a Fur Coat, in my view

So much so for yearning for someone you ended up ruining other people too,

is a phrase that describes Madonna in a Fur Coat, in my opinion. First of all, I very much love how Sabahattin Ali portrayed a human. Ali managed to catch humans in their turf without glassing or perfecting it by adding characteristics of how an ideal human should be. From the first point of view, we are shown how losing something — a job, in this case — can make a person feel so small. With Ali introducing us to another person first and seeing Raif and this character build a relationship, it actually foreshadowed what Raif’s character could be. Or why Raif could turn that way. It is interesting, because we were led to think Raif was a quiet guy who’s just doing his job, but his bosses somehow will find something to scold him. Actually, when you first see how his bosses scolded him, you might think he did something unforgivable. The thing is, he just stayed quiet and calm. He didn’t defend himself. However, when you finished the book, you will know why Raif behaved that way.

Entering Raif’s POV, you will see a different person. Wholly different. Young Raif is a naive boy who wanted to know what human he could be. He read as many books as he could read. Making his knowledge broaden with that many books he drowned. Unfortunately, he walked further away from a bookworm supposed to be. He turned delusional. He imagined his life as a character in the book. ‘Dude, it’s a real world. Act like you live in it, please,’ is something I would say to him. I was so annoyed at him for just imagining things and did absolutely nothing to realize it. Even after he went to Berlin, he continued to be a freaking second generation young master who did nothing and lived after his family’s money. But thank God, Maria brought better to him.

Maria is that girl. A baddie who practically could do everything on her own. She is the embodiment of her own painting, Madonna in a Fur Coat. Raif fell in love with Madonna in a Fur Coat at first sight. Which, completely fine. Everyone loves a painting at some point. It’s just, we don’t bring our impression of a painting and tie it with the painter. It means, Raif just lived in his imagination again. He did indeed love Maria, but the second he knew Maria was the one who painted the painting he fell in love with, he associated Maria with the woman in the painting. It didn’t come as clear as that, it’s settled in a subtle way. Over time, it dawned upon you that Raif yearned for the concept of the woman in the painting, not Maria as a person. Yes, they got together. Yes, Maria solved her commitment issue and trusted Raif’s love. But, in the end, it’s just Raif’s imagery of a woman, who coincidentally matched up with Maria. Raif still couldn’t live in reality.

As expected, Raif’s world fell apart when Maria didn’t reply to him. Raif straight away assumed Maria was leaving him and with that, his life ended. He didn’t just lose his trust towards Maria, but people too. He decided his social life ended after Maria. Raif couldn’t bring himself to trust another person. He lived his life like it was just a formality because he was still breathing. However, I can’t accept how Raif trapped another person into his lost-self. You are absolutely allowed to wallow in your despair. I don’t even care if you destroyed yourself. The problem is, Raif decided to marry and have kids with another woman, who he married out of obligation to a man his age. It is unfair. The woman unknowingly had to marry a man who didn’t even want to interact with a person, let alone living with them for a lifetime. You can never make me sympathize with Raif. He chose that life himself, and after knowing the truth, he deserved to live with his guilt.

For me, Madonna in a Fur Coat is not a tragic love story. It is a price of your own choice. You chose it, you lived with it.

Still, this book is a really good read. Like I said before, Ali portrays people in a very natural way. You can relate to every emotion he describes—you can feel the sadness, hesitation, and anger the characters go through. You might even find yourself getting carried away by those feelings, but that’s exactly what makes this book so fascinating.