In The Thief and the Dogs, the reader is often conflicted in
forming opinions about characters because as the protagonist, Said, evolves, how
we view the secondary characters changes. With that being said, most of the
secondary characters had many negative traits and were generally considered “bad”
people. For example, Rauf and Ilish betrayed Said and were always portrayed as
negative characters. The two characters that were portrayed to be “good
characters” were Nur and Sheik al Junaydi. Good characters meaning that they
could have helped Said have a more fortunate ending and help lead him away from
his destruction. Sheik and Junaydi is a Sufi Muslim – Sufism being a sector of
Islam that focuses primarily on the “transmission of divine light from the
teacher's heart to the heart of the student”. Specifically, they focus on the
mystical side of Islam – hoping to gain a sense of self peace. Sheik Al Junaydi
is a Sufi Muslim and was Saids father’s mentor. When Said needed a home and
food, he sought after the Sheik. With
that being said, the Sheik always attempted to give him advice on how to get
better and how to move on with life – thus acting as the moral voice in the
novel.
Although Said goes to the Sheik for food and a roof, it is clear
that he does not go there for comfort and for advice on how to get better –
showing the reader that he might not be aiming on relieving the feelings of
anger and hatred that he has. In fact, although he keeps doing wrong things,
the Sheik continues to give him advice. The Sheik knows that Said aims to, “seek
a roof, not an answer”. When Said has access to a moral voice and someone who
is attempting to help him and yet ignores it repeatedly, the reader begins
questioning Saids actions. Specifically, they begin to question whether he has
a positive moral agenda and the concept of whether Said is a “hero” comes up
quite often. Although Said had a moral voice, his tragic flaw – being pride and
the desire for revenge – were too strong to listen to it.
The secondary characters in the novel, such as the Sheik, act
as static characters in order to develop the character of Said. The Sheik shows
the difference between Saids fate and free will. The reader often questions
whether Saids downfall is a result of his fate or freewill. It is difficult to
say that it was a result of his own actions and freewill because the reader is
set up to have an emotional connection to Said and spend a large portion of the
novel cheering him on. But when secondary characters like the Sheik are looked
at, it seems more likely that his downfall is a result of his own actions and
freewill, rather than his fate. His selfishness and hatred blinded him from
caring for and listening to people who attempted to guide him on the right path,
such as Nur and the Sheik.
