Fate and Free Will in The Thief and the Dogs

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

Within the novel, Mahfouz communicates the idea that fate is closely linked to someone's happiness. Simultaneously fate influences someone's free will. Fate is presented as the ability to act in whatever way someone wishes to without feeling any form of restraint. However, in The Thief and the Dogs, Mahfouz demonstrates the complexities of this. Each person is brought up differently, which can have a massive impact on their view of fate. When looking at the novel, Said's upbringing impacts the way his life progresses throughout the story, which is closely linked to the Marxist theory. Since Said is brought up in a poor family, it is unlikely that he will become someone or achieve something other than his destiny has laid out for him. Regardless of having the free will to go and explore different life opportunities, the social circumstances may not always give us the freedom to do so. For example, once Said's parents have passed away, Rauf influenced the decisions Said made later on in his life, such as becoming a thief. Due to the internal conflict of Said, we are able to see his mental instability. This eventually leads to more conflict once karma comes into play. Throughout the novel, we are able to see Said's obsession with revenge. Even though he has the free will to chose a different path after killing an innocent man, he proceeds with his harmful actions, where karma eventually destroys him completely. These examples relate back to Mahfouz's purpose in emphasising the idea that fate is related to someone's state of happiness. Said has a measure of his own free-will, which can be used to abuse of enrich the lives of others. 

The Thief and the Dogs - Characterization

Passage: Chapter 10, pg. 89-90

What a lot of graves there are, laid out as far as the eye can see. Their headstones are like hands raised in surrender, though they are beyond being threatened by anything. A city of silence and truth, where success and failure, murderer and victim come together, where thieves and policemen lie side by side in peace for the first and last time.

Nur's snoring seemed likely to end only when she awoke in late afternoon.

You'll stay in this prison until the police forget you. And will they ever really forget? The graves remind you that death cheats the living. They speak of betrayal; and thus they make you remember Nabawiyya, Ilish and Rauf, telling you that you yourself are dead, ever since that unseeing bullet was fired.

But you still have bullets of fire.

At the sound of Nur's yawning, loud, like a groan, he turned away from the window shutters towards the bed. Nur was sitting up, naked, her hair dishevelled, looking unrested and run down. But she smiled as she said, "I dreamed you were far away and I was going out of my mind waiting for you."

"That was a dream," he observed grimly. "In fact you're the one who's going out and I'm the one who'll wait."

She went into the bathroom, emerged again drying her hair; and he followed her hands as they recreated her face in a new form, happy and young. She was, like himself, thirty years old, but she lied outright hoping to appear younger, adding to the multitude of sins and sillinesses which are openly committed. But theft unfortunately was not one of them.

"Don't forget the papers," he reminded her at the door.

When she'd gone he moved into the reception room and flung himself down on one of the sofas. Now he was alone in the full sense of the word, without even his books which he'd left with Sheikh Ali. He stared up at the cracked white ceiling, a dull echo of the threadbare carpet, killing time. The setting sun flashed through the open window, like a jewel being carried by a flight of doves from one point in time to the next.

Your coldness, Sana, was very disquieting. Like seeing these graves. I don't know if we'll meet again, where or when. You'll certainly never love me now. Not in this life, so full of badly-aimed bullets, desires gone astray. What's left behind is a dangling chain of regrets. The first link was the students' hostel on the road to Giza. Ilish didn't matter much, but Nabawiyya--she'd shaken him, torn him up by the roots. If only a deceit could be as plainly read in the face as fever or an infectious disease! Then beauty would never be false and many a man would be spared the ravages of deception.

Analysis:

This passage reveals Said’s moral understanding of justice towards his actions. We are exposed to Said’s raw emotions and opinions through his interior monologue. His darker thoughts are triggered by the graveyard outside of Nur’s appartement. In this passage, we can see that there are some gaps regarding Said’s understanding of the world. Said speaking of the bullet: “ever since that unseeing bullet was fired”, further demonstrates this. The fact that he is still contemplating his actions shows how Said is unable to get rid of his wants for revenge. 

Said’s mention of Nabawiyya reveals the important role Said’s wife played in his life. Throughout the novel, it becomes clear that Said shares a strong feeling of hatred towards her. However, in this passage, the importance of Nabawiyya’s presence and the impact on his future life is shown. His thoughts are drawn towards the early stages of their relationship. This creates strong contrast between what we know to be Said’s feelings towards his wife, as opposed to the much more compassionate thoughts present in this passage. Moreover, this demonstrates the love he felt for her in comparison to the hatred he holds of her now. 

Through the interaction between Nur and Said it becomes clear that Said is developing a sense of affection towards her. His relationship with Nur reveals a softer side of Said, rather than the harsh character that is enforced through his actions. It is almost as if Said takes a break from the desire for revenge when he is with Nur. This is seen as he moves away from the window, demonstrating gratefulness for Nur. Even though Said did not cherish Nur earlier on, Nur’s dream of reinforcing love and acceptance for him is part of Said’s daily life.

Furthermore, we are exposed to Said’s love towards his daughter Sana. As soon as Nur leaves the appartement, Said’s thoughts immediately go back to Sana. He talks about the last time he saw her as “disquieting, like seeing the graves”. This reveals a feeling of regret, as he realises that his actions have denied him a relationship with his daughter. We are further exposed to Said’s remorse for his actions.

Stream of Consciousness in The Thief and the Dogs

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

In the novel The Thief and the Dogs, Naguib Mahfouz breaks away from the old narration technique, seeking for modernism. His work follows a complex narration, involving stream of consciousness. Mahfouz chose to move towards modernism, adapting to the conventions of realistic literature rather than romantic literature. On top of that, Mahfouz also placed high focus on exploring psychological complexity within his novel. He wanted to create something that the reader can adapt to. His main aim is to have the audience exposed to the protagonist's inner thoughts, and how Said's brain works. With this novel, Mahfouz brought psychological realism to arabic fiction, as he mimics the continuous flow of ideas humans have.

Mahfouz creates diverse dialogue consisting of third person narrative, soliloquy and interior monologue in order to highlight interaction between the protagonist Said and the reader. The third person narration provides a sense of stability whereas the interior monologue brings light to the characters internal thoughts and implications. Mahfouz's aim in writing this novel is to enhance his personal feelings towards the new Egyptian regime. He wants to present Egypt in a way that no one has seen before, hence why he deliberately choses to expose the reader to Said's thoughts and internal struggles. As a result of this, Mahfouz incorporates change to his writing style, making him one of the first writers in the world of arabic literature to do such a thing. Through a stream of consciousness, he is able to represent the psychological implications, which can be seen in the character's thoughts and emotions taking over. Said is essentially a replication of Mahfouz, demonstrating the desire for revenge against the corrupt government in Egypt during the 20th century. 

The technique of "stream of consciousness" allows Mahfouz to communicate the inner thoughts of the protagonist before the character is able to make sense of them. This technique can be further categorised as interior monologue in which the author makes it seem as if the narrator is gone, and the thoughts are spoken of out loud. By doing so, the connection between the reader and, in this case, Said is further intensified. This is due to the fact that the reader is exposed to emotions and beliefs that define the character, and possibly justify his/hers actions. For example, in the first chapter of the novel, the stream of consciousness narrative characterises Said's sense of paranoia. This is seen in the lines "This social visit will tell you what they've got up their sleeves. So study the road carefully, and what's on it." 

The historical time period also plays a large role in Mahfouz choice of incorporating a stream of consciousness narration into his work. During the time that Mahfouz was writing The Thief and the Dogs, the world of literature was changing. It switched from a direct presentation of characters and their lives to a much more psychological portrayal. Adapting to psychological realism enabled authors like Mahfouz to freely neglect time and place, creating an accurate image of Egypt. Mahfouz made use of internal experiences as a way to portray and shape an understanding of the outside world. As a whole, Naguib Mahfouz followed the conventions of modernism by combining realism and stream of consciousness narrations in order to create a unique piece of psychological realism.