Stream of Consciousness Narration in The Thief in the Dogs

The Thief and the Dogs consists of a complex narration whereby Naguib Mahfouz alters between third person narrative, soliloquy and interior monologue – both direct and indirect. Mahfouz intentionally creates such a diverse dialogue to enhance the level of interaction between the character Said Mahran and the reader. Mahfouz wrote this novel to bring to light his own personal confrontations with the new Egyptian regime and the conscience suffered by the Egyptian intellectuals during that period of prevalent disaffection. This encouraged Mahfouz to experiment with an impressionistic writing style rather than realist, and represents his psychological implications through a “stream of consciousness”. Said Mahran, the central figure of the story, essentially becomes Mahfouz and personifies his mental agony in which he seeks revenge against the corrupt society of Egypt at the time.

The “stream of consciousness” narration is quite suitable to communicate the uncensored inner thoughts of the protagonist before him/her has formulated them in a rational way. The style of this narration is known as direct interior monologue whereby the narrator disappears and the thoughts of the character are presented as if this person was speaking aloud. The interior monologue further amplifies the character’s connection to the reader, as the audience is exposed to exclusive emotions and views that define and justify the character’s personality. Example: “You must pull together all the cunning you possess, to culminate in a blow as powerful as your endurance behind prison walls. Here is a man – a man who can dive like a fish, fly like a hawk, scale walls like a rat, pierce solid doors like a bullet!” The reader is provided with the protagonist’s despair when it comes to Ilish (also referred to as ‘the dog’) but meanwhile – throughout the rest of the novel – the reader also obtains intimate and authentic impressions of the values and structures of Egyptian society of the period: “Where have all your principles gone now, Rauf? Dead, no doubt, like my, father and my mother and like my wife’s fidelity.”

Another reason to as why Mahfouz chose to write The Thief and the Dogs in a stream of consciousness narration is because the world of literature was shifting from a classical, direct presentation of the character’s lives to a vivid, psychological portrayal. A prominent advantage for author’s who adopted modernist writing styles – especially regarding the stream of consciousness technique – is that the writer is free to "neglect unity of time and place".