How does Mahfouz illustrate how fate is a major determiner of one’s happiness in life?

Fate is interpreted as one’s divine destiny and is a factor which is determined to occur, being an uncontrollable variable in any individual’s life. Within the novel Mahfouz uses Said to depict the true nature of fate and free will by relaying a proportionate relationship between the two variables. The readers are able to observe Mahfouz’s objectives through the main protagonist Said and the variety of pathway choices he is provided with during the opening of the tale through the themes of love and belongings and spirituality in the text. As a result, Mahfouz aims to illustrate the fact that free will is a major counterpart which responds and establishes situations through which fate can later be implied as the resultant for happiness. This can mainly be depicted through major examples in the text, as expanded upon below.

Mahfouz grounds fate through free will within Said’s character centrally through flashbacks and reflections of his past which influence his decisions as the book progresses. Initially, we catch a glimpse of this through Said’s reflection of his father’s mysterious death and mother’s illness whereby she was rejected treatment at a luxurious hospital and eventually died as well, symbolizing economic injustice. This early orphanage and lack of social stability in Egypt exposed Said’s hamartia, which was expressed through Rauf Illwan’s charismatic, persuasive and father-like figure that caused Said to join the pathway of thievery and burglary, as seen in the text “there was a strange power in you that I found nowhere else, not even in Sheikh Ali Al Junaydi.”

Said Mahran’s fate is also influenced by the actions of secondary characters which justifies his chosen pathway towards revenge and expose his hamartia as a tragic hero. At the opening of the tale, one of the key moments which inflates Said’s rage upon his double-edged companions, who were the cause of his prison sentence, is his desire to see and retrieve his daughter Sana and after she rejects his welcoming, his rage and crave for vengeance progresses further. In addition to this, Said’s astonishment to seeing a change in Rauf Illwan’s personality from one who disliked the indolent rich, upper class to an individual who submersed into their customs and lifestyle drove greater distaste towards his darker character, being the central reason that his first attempted robbery was aimed at Rauf illwan’s dwelling. Furthermore, the revolutionary change in Egypt and Said’s lack of flexibility to turn around a new leaf and choose two offered pathways neglecting his previous acts, those of spirituality from the Sheikh and love from Nur, compelled his murderous acts, as he implemented free will to pick the road of revenge. As a result, this inclusion of secondary characters was the main justification of the two accidental crimes Said was involved in, whereby he killed two innocent beings in an attempt to dispose of Illish Sidra and Rauf Illwan. These attempts were the pinpoint portrayal of the shattered fate and destiny Said had experienced through his selected path, eventually leading to his downfall and death.

Overall, Mahfouz attempts to showcase the reader that fate can prove to be a major factor which can influence one’s happiness centrally through upbringing and the external environment as well as the company an individual is surrounded by.

Characterization of Said Mahran in Chapter 11

The following blog post focuses upon Said Mahran's flashback in chapter 11 (Pages 101 - 105). Within this chapter of the novel, Mahfouz expands upon Said’s background tale through the use of a flashback revolving around Said's parents lives and deaths as well as the introduction of Rauf Ilwan and how he became a significant figure in Said's criminal life.

Mahfouz deeply portrays the deaths of Said's parents through vivid and detailed descriptions and depictions to shift the audience's perspective of the cruel and corrupt character. He places this event within the novel in an attempt to portray the background and context behind the development of our protagonist. This is present in the line “There’s a lot of intelligence in his eyes. His heart is as spotless as yours. You’ll find he’ll turn out, with God’s will, a truly good man.”, whereby Sheikh Ali Al Junaydi compliments Said as a young child, using a simile to express the purity of his heart as well as convey the great intelligence he possessed. Furthermore, this passage contributes to Said's nature as a man who was destined for greatness and success, yet nonetheless, contrasts the true establishment of his destiny, creating sympathy within the readers towards Said. Furthermore, the quote “You almost died yourself during your mother’s illness,” uses amplification to create a solace tone in the narration, providing the readers with the impression that Said Mahran did once behold the quality of modesty.

Moreover, another significant factor which contributes to Said's character is his easily convinced personality and lack of clarity towards wrong and right deeds. As a result, this allows Mahfouz to blend his protagonist's identity with a charismatic yet misleading individual who he is greatly impressed by. In the quote “The fact is, I consider this theft perfectly justified. … however, convincing your motives, because he too, will be protecting himself. Isn’t it justice,” Rauf uses contrast in order to depict the myth between justice and theft, taking control of Said's young and tender mind. Thus, the addition of Rauf within this portrayal depicts, not only the importance the man had to Said's imprisonment, yet also shows that our protagonist is unable to think with a clear mentality in terms of distinguishing his loved ones from his traitors.

Overall, the passage allows the readers to understand Said's previously nurtured character and view how corruption swayed and influenced his purity, providing us with some context into his character.

Practice Paper 2 Outline

Prompt: ‘With regards to Thief and the Dogs, explain why Naguib Mahfouz may have chosen to depict events in a particular sequence or order.’

Thesis: Mahfouz aims to relay certain events in the story using the narrative technique of flashbacks with the goal of maintaining a realist viewpoint in the tale, relaying the context of the novel and developing an effective plot.

Topic Sentences: 

The genre of Psychological realism is implemented and grounded through Mahfouz's use of flashbacks and stream of consciousness narrative.

The context of the tale can be signaled through the use of Said's inner monologues, which provides Mahfouz himself with an opening towards expressing his own perspective upon Nasser's revolution.

The recurring presence of flashbacks in the novel provide the readers with a pathway towards learning more about Said's background alongside enraging Said's emotion which leads to the establishment of conflicts within the plot.

How and to what effect does Mahfouz employ stream of consciousness narration in the novel?

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.