My Name is Red

by

Orhan Pamuk

The Coin Character Analysis

The coin is another character that the storyteller impersonates at the coffeehouse. The coin initially boasts about being a genuine gold coin, before confessing that it is, in fact, a counterfeit. It meditates on the irony of the fact that Europeans are fans of realist painting and yet have flooded Istanbul with fake money. It also argues that Istanbulites are all incredibly greedy and materialistic, even though they pretend not to be.
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The Coin Character Timeline in My Name is Red

The timeline below shows where the character The Coin appears in My Name is Red. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 19: I Am a Gold Coin
Storytelling, Identity, and Perspective Theme Icon
Creation vs. Representation Theme Icon
Virtue vs. Sin Theme Icon
Love, Desire, and Greed Theme Icon
The narrator introduces itself as a genuine 22-carat gold coin drawn by Stork at the coffeehouse. In the past month, Stork has earned 47 gold... (full context)
Chapter 21: I Am Your Beloved Uncle
Storytelling, Identity, and Perspective Theme Icon
Creation vs. Representation Theme Icon
Life, Death, and Consciousness Theme Icon
Virtue vs. Sin Theme Icon
Love, Desire, and Greed Theme Icon
...illustrations, including a depiction of Death, a tree, Satan, a horse, a dog, and a coin. Enishte considers telling Black he wants him to marry Shekure, knowing that they are planning... (full context)