Narrative Style

Naguib Mahfouz's 'The Thief and the Dogs' is considered to be a modernist novel as it focuses on the effect of a changing societal time, which reflects Egypt's transition from a monarchic rule to a republic in 1953. Furthermore, Mahfouz subverts from basic conventions by breaking up the narrative continuity, departing from the standard ways of representing characters, and violating the traditional syntax and coherence of narrative language. The novel follows Said Mahran's journey for revenge after being released from prison. Blinded by vengeance, his choices led him on a path of destruction demonstrated by his murderous streaks. In the first incident, he had shot into Ilish’s and Nabawiyya’s apartment expecting to have eliminated his traitors but finds out through the news that he killed innocents instead. The second incident was when he shot Rauf’s doorkeeper – intensifying the hunt for Mahran. Said’s actions make him a dislikeable character; however, readers are introduced to a different side to him through Mahfouz’s narrative technique of ‘stream of consciousness’ of which he has pioneered in Arabic literature. Stream of consciousness is a psychological projection which shatters a sense of the traditional villain and hero stereotypes, welcoming the idea that there is no good or bad side to a character. This technique aimed to reproduce the continuous flows of a character’s mental state. Part of his stream of consciousness are flashbacks – events happening beyond the borders of the story - which makes the reader empathize for this tragic hero. For example, the flashback in chapter eleven conveys that Said did not have a stable parental figure due to their deaths. The lack of parental support could have influenced him to look up to Rauf, who was a revolutionary and mentored Said, taking over his father’s place. Moreover, it emphasizes the betrayal that Said felt seeing Rauf’s desertion from his past revolutionary ideology that he taught Said.