Passage

Chapter Seven

To kill them both--Nabawiyya and Ilish--at the same time, would be a triumph. Even better would be to settle with Rauf Ilwan, too, then escape, go abroad if possible. But who'll look after Sana? The thorn in my side. You always act impulsively, Said, without thinking, but you mustn't rush this time; you must wait until you've arranged things, then swoop like an eagle. But there's no point in delay either: you're a hunted man--you became a hunted man as soon as they knew you were coming out--and now, after the car incident, the search will be intensified. Only a few pounds in the wallet of the factory owner's son--another stroke of bad luck. If you don't strike soon everything will collapse. Who'll look after Sana, though? That thorn again. She rejected me but I still love her. Should I spare your unfaithful mother for your sake, then? I must find the answer right away.

He was hovering on foot in the pitch-darkness surrounding the house at the crossroads where two lanes met in Imam Way. The car was parked at the top of the road, back towards the Citadel square. Shops were closed, the road was deserted, and no one seemed to be looking for him: at such an hour every creature took shelter, blind and unsuspecting, in his hole. Said could easily have taken further precautions, but he was not going to be diverted from his purpose, even if it meant Sana's having to live alone all her life. For treachery, Mr. Rauf, is an abomination.

He looked up at the windows of the house, his hand clutching the revolver in his pocket. Treachery is abominable, Ilish, and for the living to enjoy life it is imperative that criminal and vicious elements be eradicated. Keeping close to the wall, he approached the door then entered the house and cautiously climbed the pitch-dark stairs, passing the first floor, then the second to the third. Right. And there was the flat, the door, snugly closed on the most rotten intentions and desires. If he knocked, who would answer? Would it be Nabawiyya? Was the police detective perhaps lurking somewhere? There was hell-fire for them both even if he had to break into the flat. He must act at once. It was not right that Ilish Sidra should stay alive for even one day while Said Mahran was a free man. You'll get away without a scratch, just as easily as you have scores of times: you can scale an apartment building in seconds, jump unhurt from a third floor window--even fly if you wish!

Analysis

This passage reveals Said Mahran's dark, true intentions, while simultaneously showing the character some of the inner conflict he experiences about his daughter, Sana. It is the beginning of chapter 7, which first features the typical stream of conscious, present throughout the novel to display the protagonist's inner feelings, then moves onto describing him lurking outside of the presumed house of Illish Sidra and his ex-wife Nabawiyya.

His inner conflict is clearly demonstrated as he initially thinks to himself about the pleasure of killing both Illish and Nabawiyya at the same time shown in the lines "To kill them both--Nabawiyya and Ilish--at the same time, would be a triumph." However, the stream then develops into concern about his daughter, which he mentions that he's concerned about "[…] who'll look after
Sana?" This characterises him as still being a caring father, despite clearly demonstrating what joy and success he would feel upon killing them both. Yet he then makes the realisation of what effect that would have on his daughter Sana.

Immediately after this inner conflict, he labells her as the "The thorn in my side." Naguib Mahfouz utilises a metaphor in the form of imagery to show the effect his daughter has on his life. In some form, Sana is described as being the rose in his life. A rose is typically a beautiful and valued flower in people's lives, hence, in that sense, Sana is that precious, innocent flower in his life. Just like any rose has thorns on its stem, so is the daughter the pain in his life. In all the beauty and innocence he finds within his daughter, she still pierces his plans and causes him trouble. This is a source of, and fuels, his inner conflict. This again characterises him as a person with immense amount of conflict in his life.

Once the segment on his stream of conscious ends, the setting then changes to the present, where he is chasing his first targets, Illish and Nabawiyya. The setting is described as being very gloomy and dark, much like the character of Said. There can be a comparison drawn between the setting and the character of Said. Said is shown to be of dark nature, which is clearly represented by the setting in this passage.