Stream of Conscious - The Thief And The Dogs

The stream of conscious in literature allows the reader to tap into the mind of a character or characters in the story or novel. In the case of Naguib Mahfouz in “The Thief and the Dogs”, the main character Said has such a stream of conscious, which gives the reader insight into his mind. Occasionally, Naguib utilises the stream of conscious to show how Said reflects on his past to fuel his inner conflict, whereas other times, Said discusses his next plan of action due to the consequences of his actions, such as when he thinks he kills Illish Sidra. However, the stream of conscious, specifically in this novel, are used to take breaks and form context in the novel, between all the built tension and climaxes of the story. Naguib Mahfouz was the first Arabic author to employ the very modernist technique of showing a character’s inner thoughts, and has managed to write an outstanding novel with stream of conscious in the foreground of the novel.

When observing the character of Said, one might perceive him as a villain, who is fuelled by rage and revenge to hunt down his three new enemies. Without any flashbacks or external context provided by the stream of conscious, he is a very dislike-able character.  However, when the stream of conscious is introduced, it becomes increasingly clear that Said may even be considered as deserving of empathy. This means that the reader becomes familiar with his past life, his mentor who betrayed him, and his internal conflict, amongst other struggles. Therefore, it can be said that the flashbacks almost serve as a basis of pathos for the character. An example of this occurs in chapter 1, where Said reflects on his daughter, and characterises him as a loving father still, despite his murderous intent. "As the thought of her crossed his mind. The heat and the dust, the hatred and the pain all disappeared, leaving only love to glow across a soul as clear as a rain-washed sky.” This example employs imagery to characterise Said.

Mahfouz also uses the stream of conscious to develop the themes and motifs throughout the novel. One such example is the motif of the graveyard, serving as foreshadowing in the story. In chapter 11, Said reflects upon his parents being buried in one such graveyard. Another common motif expressed in this novel is that of betrayal. Said is a character who has been locked up for 4 years, and when released, finds himself in a new world. His previous mentor, Rauf, has now left what he stood for and became what he fought against. His now ex-wife and previous close friend Nabawiyya and Illish Sidra have now married. His daughter is scared of him and wants nothing to do with him. His life now crumbling apart is an important aspect in the novel, expressed by his inner thoughts written in the book, evoking empathy in the audience, sympathising for an unlikeable character.

Alongside this, if the stream of conscious were not to be used throughout the novel, Said would, needless to be said, be seen as a character with almost no emotions. Therefore, applying this s-o-c shows the reader the internal conflict which Said is facing, granting the novel much greater depth. One such example of this can be seen in chapter nine, when Said thinks about his relationship with Nur, reflecting on both love and heart ship. This is one of the first moments in the whole book in which Said’s weakness can be seen. This is a clear deviation to the classic literature version of a hero or protagonist. Without the stream of conscious, the character’s vulnerability would be hidden from the audience.