Stream of consciousness narration

In the world of literature, it is important to recognize that authors like Naguib Mahfouz began to subvert basic connections of earlier prose fictions by challenging aspects we take for granted in our everyday life. Mahfouz is known for being a revolutionary and influential writer as his novel "The Thief and the Dogs" pioneered psychological realism in Arabic fiction through the use of a distinct modernist narrative technique, known as the stream of consciousness. Specifically, the Thief and the Dogs is an example of what is considered a modern-day text that shows the absurdity of the social structure and hypocrisy of the Cairo revolution. Through this narration, Mahfouz is cunningly able to create an illusion of Said’s uncensored thoughts mind, essentially allowing readers to understand the gradual mental deterioration of his character. This is portrayed through an interior monologue where the characters emotions always heighten, inevitably leaving no room for romanticizing perfect fantasies but rather, a more realistic realm during the time of the Egyptian revolution. Undoubtedly, his writing occurred during the paradigm shift from romantic to realism of which allowed Mahfouz to follow the conventions of modernism by combining realism and stream of consciousness. By doing so, he is able to inspire and develop Arab literature by crafting a unique piece of literature that delves into psychological realism. Being known for “breaking the old technique”, narrating through the stream of conscious allows Mahfouz to break boundaries in Arabic literature as he endlessly aspires to open room for flourishing new ideas, that focus on different topics.

Taking into consideration Mahfouz’s context of production specifically, writing this novel after the Egyptian revolution ultimately impacts the mood of the story, in addition to the characterization of the protagonist. We know this because, Said’s character is revolved around the idea of betrayal, hate and revenge within the world of Egyptian diplomacy. Rebellious movements, corruption and Nasser’s political regime all play a crucial role in the novel where characters are catered to the essence of his political agenda. The purpose of the plot is to showcase the destructive reality that civilians had to endure, through exemplifying the variety of the characters sides categorized on the spectrum. For example, Said is a caring father as he always seems to be asking about his daughter however, we also are able to acknowledge him being a thief. Though we are able to sympathize with his internal conflicts, it becomes increasingly challenging to make a clear judgement of character as his intentions are never clear. This lack of transparency is what makes this novel unique, as we are faced with the true realm of reality he is facing on a daily basis.

Within chapter seven, the readers can acknowledge specific streams of consciousness that characterize Said as an in-denial man whom is so far from reality as he believes he “must wait until he’s arranged things, then swoop like an eagle”. He then follows this up by expressing how he is a “hunted man” in order to exemplify how he is being controlled by his ego. To justify, this further drives the plot by emphasizing the internal monologue through the exposure of his continual sense of paranoia and betrayal. This is also apparent in chapter 9 where Mahfouz uses internal monologue by expressing how: “You might perhaps be thinking you’ve got rid of me forever now, Rauf! But with this revolver, if I have luck, I can do wonderful things. The readers are already deeply experiencing all his future schemes, his desires of being a thief and his inner turmoil due to the state of revenge we are exposed to. Furthermore, Mahfouz expresses his unfiltered rage and anger through internal monologue as he depicts how: “Your turn will come, Nabawiyya. There’s no escape from me. I’m the devil himself,” Clearly, the use of dark imagery such as the devil further adds value to the disturbing characterization of Said as we are exposed to his gradual mental deterioration. Through his consciousness we are given glimpses of his past, most of which come in the form of evoke reminiscences.

Although both Achebe and Mahfouz use third-person omniscient, Mahfouz is able to thereby further challenge the reader to a harder degree through the use of stream of consciousness, in contrast to Achebe that showcases all his characters thoughts. Achebe has a purpose of diverging from the extreme danger of having a single story therefore embraces every characteristic of his characters. Taking into consideration the crux of the matter, this is unlike Mahfouz that focuses the story on the protagonist in order to mimic his own personal thoughts and experience of the Egyptian revolution. Similarly, both authors are influenced by their political background inevitably allowing their perspectives to shape the way they exemplify certain protagonist's like Okonkwo and Said Mahran since, the novel Things Fall Apart was published during a time of change and political shift as well. 

All in all, Mahfouz takes advantage of implementing the stream of consciousness technique with a touch of a realist style for the sake of achieving his mission, that is embracing the truth of his political agenda. By unraveling different insights of Said’s mind, we are able to experience and engage with his internal conflicts.