Abstract:

Refik Halid Karay, who dealt with the depressive years experienced in the Turkish society at military, political, economic, and social levels with a realist attitude under the influence of his journalism occupation, mentions the painful aspects of the transition process from an empire to a republic, especially in his articles and novels. One of the author’s 20 novels, Ekmek Elden Su Gölden is a novel in which corruption is conveyed in ethical, economic, societal, and individual dimensions by placing the individual and the society at the center. Sticking to a realistic perspective along with being critical and humorous in the novel, the author handles social stratification based on materialism, which was the prevailing tendency of the 1940s, the exploitative figures that turn people’s labor into an opportunity for themselves, and mentality that is far from values and dependent on individuals desires and urges by building on fictional characters. The author, who at the same time emphasizes the importance of cultural values against the tendency of the individuals and the society towards corruption, alludes to his ideal of the society and human being as well. In the present study, based on the characters of the novel in question, the effect that sense of self and living creates on individual and social structure will be discussed in the context of corruption.