The Thief and the Dogs is characterized by
Mahfouz through the genre of psychological realism, whereby the writer
implements more realistic writing which probes deeply into the complexities of
the character's thoughts and motivations. Unlike much more generalized and straightforward
genre's, psychological realism doesn't aim to establish duality between
characters, lacking the presence of a hero and villain. More-so, it aims to
portray the inner good and evil within us human beings.
Furthermore, he partners the genre with a unique
narrative technique known as the "stream of consciousness". The
purpose of this narration is to equip the reader with uncensored thoughts
within a character's mind and is present in Mahfouz's writing through the consistent
use of interior monologue's depicting Said's emotions, mental condition and
intellectual stability towards the readers. This is also followed by a third-person
omniscient narration to provide the reader with stability and ground them into
the objective world. As a result, the central effects of the stream of
narrative the stream of consciousness narrative is to relay specific characteristics
of Said Mahran and imply how context impacts the characters and plot of the
tale as well as the reader’s understanding of the text. In this response, evidence
will be substantiated from chapter four of the novel.
Firstly, the narrative allows an
insight into Said’s purpose and belief that vengeance need be obtained from
those that he believes has betrayed him. This is evident through the indirect
communication between Said and other characters through the internal monologues
aimed to shape the plot, evident in the lines “Hasn’t your conscience
bothered you even in the dark?”. “I wish I could penetrate your soul as easily
as I’ve penetrated your house” (pg. 47). Here, the author aims to amplify
conflict within the passage through the continuous use of rhetorical questions
and similes throughout the excerpt, whilst said further reveals his thoughts
through the continuous use of violent diction and a threatening tone in this internal
battle.
Moreover,
the narration also shapes Said’s antagonistic nature and characterizes Rauf as a
compassionate secondary character. This is present through the moment in the
text where the reader loses sympathy with the protagonist. At first, Said
encourages sympathy by the reader by stating that “[Rauf] made me and now
rejected me” (pg. 47). However, such diction then contrasts with his action
of robbing the house, symbolizing his greatly confused emotional and mental
stature and foreshadowing the extent to which his external conflicts conduct his
reckless behavior in the chapter.
The context of the text is grounded
towards that of Nasser’s revolution which was sought to establish a change in
Egypt aiming towards benefitting all individuals yet changing the lives of only
a few. Therefore, Mahfouz replicates this notion through the overturned partnership
between Rauf and Said, whereby encouragement towards burglary aided Rauf’s socio-economic
state whilst throwing Said into jail. This great contrast in the plot is the
pinpoint towards the conflict between these tow beings and Mahfouz uses his monologues
to hint his slight revulsion towards Nassar’s policies in lines such as “Rauf,
your pupil is coming, to relieve you of a few worldly goods”. In addition
to this, the physiognomies of the narration also suit Mahfouz’s style of
writing as it is unreliable and produces a singular perspective of the tale.
Overall, the narrative style is a
significant innovation and feature of the story as Mahfouz combines realism
with the stream of consciousness technique to craft psychological realism and
portray his viewpoint on the Egyptian revolution through the vital effects of the
narration.
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