The Thief and the Dogs- Style Analysis

How, why, and to what effect does Mahfouz use stream-of-consciousness narration in the novel?

• the stream of consciousness narrative technique and how it is used to characterize Said Mahran
• specific elements of language and style and its effect
• Mahfouz’s context of production
• Mahfouz’s literary context

Firstly, it is important to know what the meaning of stream of consciousness narration means before connecting it to the novel by the author Mahfouz. Stream of consciousness narration is described as the flow of thoughts and emotions in the minds of the characters. The novel The Thief's and the Dogs, was the first arabic novel that was published using the stream of consciousness narration, hence, pioneered psychological realism in arabic fiction using this uniquely modernist narrative technique . In this novel Said Mahran, the main character, has many instances where the author uses stream of consciousness narration. The consciousness arises from evoked reminiscences or flashback which does not have to be arranged in a chronological order. From the first page of the novel, the author introduces us with a stream of consciousness, this happens when Said is walking the streets after being released from a four year sentence in jail. Said sees the freedom as a way to haunt him because of his past, which allows the reader to understand how the protagonist is feeling and the inner conflicts and problems he is going through. These thoughts that arise in the protagonist mind happen because of an interior monologue, this internal monologue is directly how the character thinks either in a unorganised or scattered way portraying to the reader the characters mental conditions and emotional stability.

Additionally, there are specific elements of language and styles used by the author to enhance the use of stream of consciousness narration. Mahfouz uses realism fiction to connect the stream of consciousness narration with third person omniscient to provide stability when the reader is reading the novel. Mahfouz, does not stick to one style in his writing, but he implements a mix between his narration and his consciousness. When the reader is more concentrated into the essence of the novel, they realise how desperate Said is to get revenge and how that mentality is the way his violent and angry thoughts are articulated. This is mostly seen is his monologues throughout the chapters of the novel, Said is driven to think and act in a negative and dangerous way which drives his motivation to commit crimes to get what he wants. This keeps the reader in suspense as to whats gonna happen next and what are the action Said is going to take after his internal monologue and chain of thoughts on a certain subject. Going back to the third person omniscient, Said uses this style in addition to the stream of conciseness to express a different side as to what the event in the novel are all about. 

Henceforth, using the stream of consciousness was a very clever style to keep the novel interesting to the reader as this style really suits the context of the novel. Mahfouz wanted to convey a important time period in Egypt that drove and influenced Mahfouz to write such novel, this was the post-revolutionary period in Egypt. Therefore, Mahfouz used stream of consciousness to make the reader tied up with that the protagonist is feeling and thinking during that time period in Egypt.

Extension- When comparing the Thief and the Dogs with Achebe's novel Things Fall apart, both authors have used third person omniscient, however Mahfouz uses stream of consciousness narration, which Achebe presents character's private thoughts and mentions through the third person omniscient narration. Thus, Achebe has multiple approaches and characters to deliver the mentally and duality. However, Mahfouz decides to focus on the duality between reality and Said's multitudinous impressions. 

Overall, Nagiub Mahfouz uses stream of consciousness to portray to the reader how the protagonist is thinking about certain events and as well as conveying internal and external conflicts of certain characters to make the novel more understanding to the readers.