East-West Encounter and Protean Identities in Orhan Pamuk's The Museum of Innocence and The White Castle

The question of identity and a need to understand it in relation to changing political and cultural scenario has acquired a great urgency in today's world. The quest for identity becomes more pertinent in a country like Turkey, which forms a cusp between Europe and Asia. From the Ottoman Empire ruled by aristocratic Sultans to the formation of the Republic of Turkey, individual and cultural identity in this country has seen a world of change. Keeping the political scenario in perspective the article attempts to unearth the ramifications of the encounter between the east and the west in two novels namely The White Castle and The Museum of Innocence. The author confronts the themes of identity, the modernisation of Turkey and the ensuing conflict both at interpersonal and intrapersonal levels. The two novels are symbolic of the effect of the coming together of the east and the west. Whereas the former depicts the collaboration and positive aspects of this encounter, the latter portrays a crisis of identity for the Turkish people.