“Distant Relations,” by Orhan Pamuk, is a short story published in "The New Yorker." The story takes place in Istanbul and is a tale about a young man named Kemal who is buying a purse for his fiancé. His fiancé Sibel happened to spot a luxurious designer handbag while walking with Kemal. Kemal then returns to the boutique the next day to buy the handbag. The person that meets him behind the counter in the store, is a young girl named Füsun. As soon as he sees Füsun, he recognizes her as a distant family relation, but she immediately fascinates him. Later Kemal and Sibel find out that the handbag is a replica. Kemal then returns to the store to get a refund, but because of some complications, Kemal gets an excuse for arranging to meet up with Füsun in his mom’s empty apartment. It is then up to the reader to find out what happens from there. This essay will highlight norms and values in the short story, both the social norms and the norms of behavior. In addition, the essay will also include a characterization of the narrator concerning the division between the upper and working class. Kemal, who is telling the story, is a man from the upper class, and from a wealthy family. He graduated from a business school in America, served his military service and then he followed his brother’s footsteps and became manager in his father’s business, Satsat. Despite the fact of Kemal’s family’s wealth, he is still struggling with his own character. As Kemal says “In fact, I had never been one of those suave, chivalrous playboys who are always looking for the slightest excuse to buy women presents or send them flowers, though perhaps I longed to be."1 So on the one hand, he wants to act and be like the wealthy man, buying expensive purses for his girlfriend and eating at fancy restaurants. The wealthy man Sibel and his family want him to be. But on the other hand, he finds out after he meets his poor family relation, Füsun, he