Philothei

Philothei is the daughter of Polyxeni and sister of Mehmetçik, and is most notable for her almost unearthly beauty. From the moment Philothei is born in Eskibahçe in the year 1900, her intense beauty sets her apart from everyone else. Her appearance is so astounding, that she is blessed by the town’s imam the day she is born, which is an unusual thing to happen at the birth of a girl. Iskander describes Philothei as, “sweet-natured, Christian, vain and beautiful” (532), which highlights all of her most apparent characteristics. As she grows up, the constant attention she receives for her beauty does in fact cause her to become a bit self-obsessed. It is her beauty that gains her the affections of Ibrahim, which Philothei is immensely thankful for. However, it also her beauty that creates problems for her, as she is deemed as both a distraction to...