Essay: The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz

In the novel The Thief and the Dogs, a man named Said Mahran get out of a four year prison sentence only to come home to nothing. His wife, Nabawiyya, marries the man who put him in prison, stole his fortune, and took his family, Ilish Sidra. Said’s daughter no longer recognizes him and because of this, he is left with nothing but the thirst for revenge. He quickly returns back to his old ways of thieving and kills the man who turned him in and took his wife and fortune. Said learns that he cannot control his need for retaliation and begins to kill and punish the people who have wronged him.
The main character of this novel is Said Mahran. In the beginning of the novel, his want for punishment and revenge on the people who wronged him gets in the way of the his morality and cognizant thinking. While the police dogs kill Said in a cemetery, he came to realize that he went down this vicious path for vengeance all for nothing when he remembers his daughters face. Said is not given the chance to display his new attitude and is faced with a violent death by dogs.
This story reveals how the need for revenge can cloud someone’s judgement and push them to take violent action, eventually leading to a steep, vertical downfall with a deadly conclusion. Said chooses to give up his freedom and happiness to go on a hateful path of retribution because his daughter rejects him. This ultimately leads to Said Mahran’s death only seventeen days after he returns home from prison.This story is trying to promote the need for cognizant thinking before going down a violent path due to anger. No amount of anger is worth throwing away freedom or happiness. Step back from your emotions and assess the situation before taking action.
The novel takes place in Cairo, Egypt. The first event that takes place is when Said Mahran attempts to break in and rob his long-time mentor, Rauf Ilwan’s villa. This villa is located in the central district and is surrounded by wealth and businesses. He describes the villa as “a palace” that has four sides, three of which were open and the fourth containing an immense garden. Inside the villa hangs a beautiful chandelier, a decorated ceiling, and objets d’art, which caught Said’s eye. The second event, when Said think he murdered his wife’s new husband but actually murdered the new tenant, occurs at Said’s old house at night in the Citadel Square. The setting can be important thematically when Said talks about the setting as if he is still a thief, analyzing points of entry and the surrounding areas.
Third person omniscient point of view- a narrator tells the story and short excerpts of Said Mahran’s thoughts about a specific situation or person are added in italics.
In the novel, the narrator has a calm and unbiased tone. The narrator is not hostile or satiric, but it not tender either. He simply explains what actions Said Mahran takes. Said’s thoughts are added in italics throughout the novel and in those pargraphs, Said’s tone is very hostile.
Dogs are a key symbol of this novel. Throughout the story, Said Mahran refers to the people who betray him as dogs. Ilish Sidra, Nabawiyya, and Rauf Ilwan are the dogs, while he is the lion. He mentions his confusion about why Nabawiyya would leave the lion, Said, for the dog, Ilish Sidra. Said chases the dogs but the dogs end up killing him in the end, which portrays the idea running from the malevolent actions taken out of anger, can lead to a steep downfall where the deserved consequences will eventually catch up to you.
Graves and cemeteries are another important symbol in The Thief and the Dogs. Said Mahran says, “The graves remind you that death cheats the living. They speak of betrayal..(p.89).” The graves remind Said of how his friend, mentor, an wife were all disloyal to him. They ultimately foreshadow Said’s death by the dogs in a cemetery, yet again referring to Nabawiyya, Ilish, and Rauf and their betrayal.
Said used the Sheikh’s house as refuge after he gets out of prison and has nowhere to go. He also goes to the Sheikh’s house everytime he commits murder. In the novel, Said’s father was a very close acquaintance of the Sheikh’s. Said spent time there to pray when he was little before his father passed away. His house represents safety and security and also represents a place of worship to Said where he can apologize for his mistakes and sins.
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