The Thief and the Dogs Passage Analysis

Chapter 14 – Page 128

"But you go outside so carelessly. You're obsessed with killing your wife and this other man.

You won't kill them. But you will bring about your own destruction."

"What did you hear in town?"

"The taxi-driver who brought me home was on your side. But he said you'd killed some poor innocent fellow."

Said grunted irritably and forestalled any expression of regret by taking another big swallow, gesturing at Nur to drink too. She raised the glass to her lips.

"What else did you hear?" he said.

"On the houseboat where I spent the evening one man said you act as a stimulant, a diversion to relieve peoples' boredom."

"And what did you reply?"

"Nothing at all," Nur said pouting. "But I do defend you; and you don't look after yourself at all. You don't love me either. But to me you're more precious than my life itself; I've never in my whole life known happiness except in your arms. But you'd rather destroy yourself than love me."

She was crying now, the glass still in her hand.

Said put his arm around her. "You'll find me true to my promise," he whispered. "We will escape and live together for ever.”

Analysis:

Towards the end of the book, Said’s mental stability is questioned by the readers and the characters surrounding him. In this passage, Nur is preaching to Said about his destructive behavior and he is denying it. Nur seems to be the only person who knows about how he’s gone crazy and cares about it as well. This passage shows a clear internal struggle from both Said and Nur. Said almost cannot allow himself to love another woman because the emotions of betrayal and anger are so strong that he cannot feel another emotion. At the same time, Nur treats him better than anyone and he begins to have a soft spot for her. With that being said, he is not giving her the love she deserves, making the reader question him as a character.

This passage also allows for the characterization of Nur. Firstly, Nur means light in Arabic – as seen in this passage, Nur seems to be the only light in Said’s life. But he is pushing her away. So although he has a possible source of light and happiness, he’s bringing himself back into the dark, again forcing the reader to question him as a character. Similar to how Nur is telling him that he is the only reason for his own destruction, the reader begins to think similar thoughts. The reader also gets to know Nur fully. Although Said does not treat her as he should and as well as she treats him, she still longs for him – showing an innocent, lonely, and vulnerable side of herself. Said takes this vulnerability and exploits it in order to keep her in his life. With that being said, the way Said treats her foreshadows the possibility that she may end up leaving him as a result of his poor treatment of her.

This passage is significant because it is a defining moment for Nur and Said’s relationship. With that being said, this is a moment in the novel where the audience begins to question Said’s actions, morals, and emotional stability. Specifically, the question of whether Said brought on his own destruction is mentioned. Specifically in this passage, him not allowing Nur in shows that he is blocking his own happiness. His intense thoughts of hatred and revenge are bringing his moral compass down. He also is clearly exploiting Nur’s feelings. Although he doesn’t let her in, she is still a place of security for him. He needs her for a house and food and some emotional stability. Yet, he will not love her back and is using her. The relationship between Nur and Said highlights his internal struggles and shows his tragic flaw. 

The Thief and the Dogs - Stream of Consciousness

        Stream of consciousness is a technique used by the writer to show inside the mind of the main character. In The Thief and the Dogs, the readers are exposed to the twisted mind of the main character, Said. Mahfouz uses stream of consciousness as a way to develop the main character and the overall theme of the novel. When going inside Said’s head, the reader is able to understand the theme of revenge and hatred on a level that could not simply be understood through the narration. From the first page of the novel, the change in text to italics signals the beginning of Saids thoughts. Throughout the novel, italics are used to go inside Said’s head. Being released from jail marks his quest for hate fueled revenge. It is important to know that the original book in Arabic did not have italics. The English translation then used the italics to switch from indirect to direct monologue, thus enriching the stream of consciousness present in the novel. Through being able to go in his head, the reader is able to sympathize with Said. With that being said, it’s difficult not to question Said’s sanity. . The stream-of- consciousness technique used in “The Thief and The Dogs,” is generally different then Naguib Mahfouz’s other work- which tends to be grounded in a more realistic fiction idea.

            The book is very fast paced and switches between several types of narration throughout. The most commonly used form of narration is indirect narration. Soliloquys and direct narration are italicized throughout then novel and go into Said’s thoughts directly. There are abrupt shifts in narration. Throughout the novel, it is clear that Said’s thoughts are evolving as he becomes more fueled by anger and hatred. There is a shift in tone after Said’s daughter rejects him. The narration switches to indirect right after he is rejected and it is clear that it marks the time that Said loses a part of his sanity. His thoughts switch from hatred and turn into anger and a desire of revenge. The one thing that kept him sane was the thought of his daughter and the loss of that drives him over the edge.

            When the reader is able to psychologically understand Said, they are able to understand his external problems that contributed to his internal struggle, thus helping the reader understand this revolutionary counter narrative and the flawed society that Mahfouz is writing about. Because it was a heavy time of censorship, Mahfouz used his characters crazed mind to skillfully explain the problems that he is facing. As Said’s thoughts become more irrational, the reader crafts an idea of his external struggles. In this way, Mahfouz used Said’s internal thoughts as a social commentary of the post-revolution Egypt.       

            With this all being said, several problems arise when and author decides to use a stream of consciousness technique. Firstly, a decay of plot is possible because writers become so entangled in the thoughts and experiences of the character that they often forget to complete a plot. Secondly, the character itself becomes so tangled in the deep psychological thoughts that the writer often disregards the outward appearance that the character is. The writer often believes that the most inner thoughts of the character is impossible to depict to the outside reader, often causing a clash of thoughts in the writer. When these things change, the theme then will change as a result and will lose its meaning.

            Overall, Mahfouz revolutionized Arab writing through his use of the stream of consciousness in The Thief and the Dogs.

            

Literature in Translation

Lately, there has been an increase in the study of literature in translation from languages that were not recognized on a global basis before. The IB requires one translated text to be studied in order to allow for an enrichment in international knowledge. In order to think about why it is important to study translated literature, it’s important to know why we study literature in the first place. Literature helps us know the world around us and allows us to be more mindful and aware of other cultures and their struggles. It allows you to empathize and sympathize with characters who are not real and yet mirror the lives of many humans around the world. Translated literature works in the same way but on a global scale. In countries where one culture dominates all other, such as most countries in the world, reading translate literature allows students and all people to be acquainted with cultures in deeper and richer ways that previously known. It is important to remember that in order for translated literature to be studied effectively, minor previous knowledge about context and culture should be known in order for people to me familiar with the cultural and linguistic devices present instead of placing the book into their own cultural schema. That way, people are able to connect with characters that come from a different culture and a different background and they can begin making connections with their own culture and the culture of the literary text being studied. With that being said, there are complications to studying translated literature. Firstly, no piece of literature can ever be fully translated. Many translators do not try to translate the text word for word, but rather use their own interpretations in order to put across the cultural message that is trying to be conveyed. This poses the risk of main ideas and cultural staples being lost. Secondly, translated books do not have an introductory chapter explaining the cultural significance of the text. This may make the book illogical and lose meaning. With that being said, if studied correctly, translated texts can provide a basis for understanding another culture in depth. 

Paper 2 Things Fall Apart Outline and Thesis

In literature, a foil is a character that contrasts with another character, often to reveal particular qualities of the other character. With reference to at least two literary texts that you have studied, compare and contrast literary characters to show how their differences reveal competing social or moral values.

Thesis:

In Things Fall Apart, Achebe uses Okonkwo as a foil to characters such as Unoka, Nwoye, and Obierika in order to contrast their moral and social values and emphasize how they approach situations differently to demonstrate how clashing values within the tribe led to its ultimate destruction and the success of Western colonialism.  

Outline

Body 1- Okonkwo and Unoka

Despite their familial relation, Okonkwo and Unoka strongly contrast in their moral and social values within society, thereby enriching their characterization in order to display the faults of the clan which ultimately led to its destruction.

·         Different ideas of masculinity and femininity

·         Different social status

·         Treats the traditions differently

·         What they equate happiness with is different

·         Levels of respect from tribe differs

·         He ended up dying like his father

Body 2- Okonkwo and Nwoye

Similar to Unoka’s incompatibility and Okonkwo’s devotion to the Igbo culture, Okonkwo’s and Nwoye’s contrasting opinions demonstrates the increasing rift in society which was exploited by Christian colonists upon their arrival.  

·         Nwoye can also serve as a foil for Unoka

·         Nwoye reminds Okonkwo of Unoka

·         Masculine vs. Feminine

·         Nwoye wants to do things differently than the tribe

·         Ends up converting

Body 3- Okonkwo and Obierika

By possessing different ideologies about the traditions of the tribe, Okonkwo and Obierika’s fate differs in the manner that they approach situations in their community.

·         Both look at the values differently

·         They gain respect in different ways