Thief and the Dogs Passage Analysis

Passage, Chapter 15

Back in the center of the room he took off his gown. The room was hot, the wine had raised his body heat. His wound throbbed beneath the bandage, but the pain convinced him it was beginning to heal.

 

 "I'm not like the others," he said, staring into the dark, "who have stood on this stand before. You must give special consideration to the education of the accused. But the truth is, there's no difference between me and you except that I'm on the stand and you're not. And that difference is only incidental, of no real importance at all. But what's truly ridiculous is that the distinguished teacher of the accused is a treacherous scoundrel. You may well be astonished at this fact. It can happen, however, that the cord carrying current to a lamp is dirty, speckled with fly shit." 

He turned to a sofa and lay down on it. In the distance he could hear a dog barking. _How can you ever convince your judges, when there is a personal animosity between you and them that has nothing to do with the so-called "public welfare"? They're kin to the scoundrel after all whereas there's a whole century of time between you and them. You must then ask the victim to bear witness. You must assert that the treachery has become a silent conspiracy: "I did not kill the servant of Rauf Ilwan. How could I kill a man I did not know and who didn't know me? Rauf Ilwan's servant was killed because, quite simply, he was the servant of Rauf Ilwan. Yesterday his spirit visited me and I jumped to hide in shame, but he pointed out to me that millions of people are killed by mistake and without due cause."

Yes, these words will glitter; they'll be crowned with a not-guilty verdict. You are sure of what you say. And apart from that, they will believe, deep down, that your profession is lawful, a profession of gentlemen at all times and everywhere, that the truly false values--yes!-are those that value your life in pennies and your death at a thousand pounds. The judge over on the left is winking at you; cheer up!

Analysis:

This passage that was extracted from chapter 15 from the novel “The Thief and the dog”, where we see how far the protagonist has developed, as it is now nearing the end of the story.  This passage explores the thoughts of Said, their evolution, and how through his actions, he has twisted his morals and understanding of right from wrong.

Firstly, we notice just how obscure his thoughts have become, when the protagonist places himself in a fictional trial, stating “I'm not like the others," he said, staring into the dark, "who have stood on this stand before”. Through this line, he has now removed himself from the normal thief, proposing the idea that he is greater, or should not be classed together with them. In doing so, Mahfouz creates a scenario where the reader will question their personal thoughts about the protagonist, whether he is wrong or right. The passage progresses, reaching a point where Said begins his justification, why he is different, with the line "I did not kill the servant of Rauf Ilwan. How could I kill a man I did not know and who didn't know me? Rauf Ilwan's servant was killed because, quite simply, he was the servant of Rauf Ilwan”. Said has now placed the blame on another, yet again, trying to remove himself from the fault, going as far as to blame Rauf, someone who had no connection to the guns.  The character that had betrayed him, and their beliefs, a traitor, and how he should be viewed as the villain instead of the “innocent” Said.  

These thoughts show how far his conflict with Rauf has developed, it has consumed him, reaching almost all aspects of his life, even his thoughts while he has spare time. Through this conflict, Mahfouz can keep developing Said, pushing him further and further, right up until his demise. This push, has ultimately caused the protagonist’s thoughts to corrupt, as they constantly change, however with this passage we see that he has convinced himself of his innocence, and that others will agree with him, “Yes, these words will glitter; they'll be crowned with a not-guilty verdict”.  With this, Mahfouz has created a scene where his readers can create assumptions as to how the novel will end, simply due to how Said thoughts are the complete opposite of what the outcome will be.