The Sheikh

In the novel 'The Thief and the Dogs,' the protagonist, Said Mahran, is portrayed as a criminal. He walks out of prison, after being jailed for four years. He waited for the moment that he could seek revenge against those who betrayed him. He was a man of evil intentions. Yet, in the midst of these wrong doings, Naguib Mahfouz introduces a degree of morality within the duration of the novel. This morality is represented by Sheikh Ali Al-Junaydi, Saids late fathers spiritual advisor. If anything, this character is the moral voice of the novel, overflowing with wisdom. He is very religious, and is identified as a Sufi Muslim. His character and dialogue suggest his faith within the pages of the novel, as well as his peaceful and meditative nature. 

His first interaction with Said is immediate proof of the personality the Sheikh possesses. His first words to Said: "peace and Gods compassion be upon you." After realising that Said required food and shelter, the Sheikh proceeds to give Said advice for the strengthening of his Muslim faith. "Take a copy of the Qur'an and read...Also repeat the words: 'Love is acceptance, which means obeying His commands and refraining from what He has prohibited and contentment with what He decrees and ordains.'" 

Had Said been more open minded in his approach, he may have considered the Sheikhs suggestion and may not have killed an innocent man at the door of Ilishs old apartment. However, he is unable to accept the moral guidance of the Sheikh, and continues, through his free will, to pave the way to his own downfall. After the killing, Said visits the Sheikh again, and ignores the morning prayer of the Sheikhs followers, and instead falls asleep. The Sheikh notices. "You've had a long sleep, but you know no rest...your burning heart yearns for shade, but continues forward under the fire of the sun."

These are a few examples of the wisdom that the Sheikh possesses as the novels voice of morality. He speaks of and advises Said constantly to carry out actions that are considered ethically correct. Perhaps the Sheikh is the only opportunity for Said to escape his fate. However, he fails to comprehend the sheer wisdom that the Sheikh has, and proceeds to murder another. After the killings outside Ilishs and Raufs homes, the sympathy of the public begins to fade. This is how ignoring the advice of the Sheikh contributed greatly to his downfall, as through failing to listen, he failed to change his fate while he could.

Thus, the Sheikh contributes to the theme of fate vs. free-will. He's role in the novel highlights Saids flaw, and how his own free-will may have set his path to self destruction. He also further characterises Said as a tragic hero, while Saids rejection of moral advice emphasises on his imperfections, and his ignorance results in his end. 

Chapter 11 Passage Analysis

Passage:

As he neared the house in Sharia Najm al-Din he saw light in Nur's window. It gave him a sense of security for the first time since he'd left the coffee-house. He found her lying down and wanted to caress her, but it was obvious from her face that she was terribly tired. Her eyes were so red it was obvious that something was amiss. He sat down at her feet.

    "Please tell me what's wrong, Nur," he said.

    "I'm worn out," she said weakly. "I've vomited so much I'm exhausted."

    "Was it drink?"

    "I've been drinking all my life," she said, her eyes brimming with tears.

    This was the first time Said had seen her cry and he was deeply moved. "What was the reason, then?" he said.

    "They beat me!"

    "The police?"

    "No, some young louts, probably students, when I asked them to pay the bill."

    Said was touched. "Why not wash your face," he said, "and drink some water?"

    "A little later. I'm too tired now."

    "The dogs!" Said muttered, tenderly caressing her leg.

    "The fabric for the uniform," Nur said, pointing to a parcel on the other sofa. He made a gesture with his hand affectionately and in gratitude.

    "I can't look very attractive for you tonight," she said almost apologetically.

    "It's not your fault. Just wash your face and get some sleep."

Analysis:

In this excerpt from Chapter Eleven of the novel 'The Thief and the Dogs,' Saids internal conflict reaches a changing point. In the majority of the novel, Said Mahran, the protagonist, experiences inner desires of revenge since his release from prison. This attitude of immense anger is shown towards many characters in the story, through internal and external conflicts, sometimes leading to murder. This is what leads home to his downfall at the end of his story.

Here, however, another side of Said is revealed. Said finds Nur outside the cafe, badly hurt. In reaction to this, he demonstrates a feeling of sorrow. There is a degree of pathos shared here, as the sight of Nur crying made Said feel 'deeply moved.' "Said was touched." More proof of his rare sense of affection in this excerpt is in his hand gestures, described through third person narration. "He made a gesture with his hand affectionately and in gratitude." 

The theme of love is  covered in this chapter. When Said finds that Nur is badly hurt, he begins to feel passion for her, as it is indicated that Said “wanted to caress her.” While Said has expressed sympathy for Nur before, this is the first time that Said has felt an emotional urge to comfort and console her. 

This is clear evidence of Said leaning more towards a feeling of affection and love, demonstrating a rapid change in his personality. Through this, Mahfouz is able to further characterise Said, while adding more complexity to his character, and perhaps getting rid of any preconceptions made of Saids ruthless character by the reader, based on the events leading up to this passage. 

Here, there is no incidence of internal monologue, direct or indirect, but his change in personality is clearly depicted through third person narration, as his feelings of affection and care for Nur are effectively described to the reader. 

Overall, the main purpose of this extract is to develop the theme of love as an internal quality of Said, and also the characterise him in this excerpt as a complex character, as more than an agrivated character, but one with an affectionate nature.

Stream of Consciousness

In literature, stream of consciousness is a relatively intimate and revealing form of narration. Also referred to as internal monologue, it is a form of narration that provides insight into the thought process of a character, and this can reveal a lot about the characters personality and emotional state. Internal monologue can be either direct, which are, quite literally, the actual thoughts of a character being spoken out loud, or indirect, where these thoughts are rather narrated to the reader. 

Naguib Mahfouz, in his iconic novel 'The Thief and the Dogs,' decides to incorporate this style of narration. In the spectrum of Arabic literature, it is the first novel to have consisted of internal monologues, as all works prior to it, including those of Mahfouz himself, were written in a realistic style. However, in his novel, Mahfouz is able to combine the sense of realism and stream of consciousness in the novel, and bring the reader in close proximity with the protagonist, Said Mahran, and his thoughts, intellect, and emotional state. The narrative technique seems to decrease the distance between the character and the reader, just as Mahfouz would have intended to achieve.

In the novel, Said is released from prison, with a burning passion to seek revenge. It is this mind set that brings him closer to his own downfall and self destruction. This is particularly obvious to the reader, as his journey to self destruction is revealed through his thoughts of hatred and volatile emotions. Slowly, he loses his own self control. Because the reader is often given direct insight into Saids mind, the reader is able to empathise with him, as the style of narration creates a more intimate literary relationship between Said and the reader. At the same time, however, the reader would begin to question Saids sanity, as his thoughts become more irrational with the progression of the novel.

In addition to revealing the internal struggles of the main character, Mahfouz may also have intended to reveal the external struggles of Said through his use of stream of consciousness in the novel. The thoughts in Saids mind could be seen by Mahfouz as a method of social commentary of the Egyptian revolution, which is where his combination of stream of consciousness and realism is particularly evident. This is where his genius comes into play, as through Saids mindset, Mahfouz is able to share his own political view point, and his dissatisfaction with the outcomes of the revolution. This is how Mahfouz manages to use stream of consciousness to highlight external struggles, in addition to those with are internal.

The use of internal monologue does carry several disadvantages. Two in particular are the decay of character and the death of the plot. The death of the plot refers to the absence of a chronological series of events. Most events are recalled directly from Saids mind through occasional flashbacks. This is much like the first half of 'Things Fall Apart,' where there is no linear plot, but an abundance of flashbacks of past events in the mind of the protagonist. Because of this, there is not true unity between space and time, and more focus is on the psyche of the character than on the development of a linear plot. Another in the decay of the character. In previous novels, the habits, physical appearance, and manners of the characters were clearly depicted. This is not the case for The Thief and the Dogs. With this technique, all focus is on the subconscious or unconscious mind of the character, and modern authors, such as Mahfouz, chose to create an internal war in the characters mind. In this way, the character begins to decay.

Despite the downsides, Mahfouz is successfully able to reach the objectives of his use of stream of consciousness in his novel, which is to emphasise on the internal and external struggles of Said, and to provide direct and indirect insight into the mindset of the character, and the reader can follow along with Said to his own mental self destruction. 

Value in Translation

Studying texts in translation opens a new window of understanding, and it provides multiple advantages in the study of literature, particularly in relation to the learning outcomes of Part 3 of the course. Texts that are translated from some other foreign language provides insight into their context. Beliefs and values may differ depending on the culture in which the text originates, and this may come through in its translation. What may also give insight into the context of a translated work are the ideals that are shared through it. It can tell us a lot about the authors views and the political conditions surrounding the writing of the original novel. Such is the case with the Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz, as the translated text gives the reader a view on the political standpoint of Mahfouz, and his dissatisfaction with the outcomes of the Egyptian revolution, through the characterisation of Said, the main character of the novel. These are just a few advantages in the study of translated texts.

The main argument against the translating of texts is the loss in its meaning. Often, the original language his high degrees of meaning embedded within it that no other language can accurately replicate. With a loss of meaning comes of loss of authenticity, which is a disadvantage.

However, in the article titled 'Why won't English Speakers read books in translation?' which we discussed in class, the author Hephzibah Anderson argues that translated texts should be encouraged. She begins be stating that only 2-3% of English publishers output consists of texts in translation, and follows by statistically proving that translated texts are successful. But she ends it by arguing that to increase the output of texts in translation is to "preserve the variety and pungent authenticity that local fiction encapsulates." That is the ultimate advantage.