Stream of Consciousness

In his novel, "The Thief and the Dogs," Naguib Mahfouz seamlessly weaves in the literary mode of stream of consciousness as a ubiquitous element that amplifies the characterization of the protagonist, Said Mahran. Through the use of this uniquely modernist narrative technique, Mahfouz effectually invites the reader to indulge in the illusion that the reader is privy to Said's innermost thoughts and impulses, therefore establishing a dynamic rapport between the reader and the protagonist as the plot progresses. The reader specifically is enabled to comprehend Said's responses to his external realities as the access to his personal thoughts and emotional surges act as a medium of important revelation to the reader. One such moment in the text is evident in Chapter 4 when Said attempts to break into Rauf Ilwan's ostentatious mansion: “Hasn’t your conscience bothered you even in the dark?”// “I wish I could penetrate your soul as easily as I’ve penetrated your house”. It can, hence, be gleaned that Said views his act of breaking into Ilwan's house as one of deserved vengeance for dissociating with the ideology he goaded Said to embrace. In a purely linear and descriptive narrative, the reader would jump to the conclusion that Said is an incorrigible thief who has returned to his ways as soon as he got out of prison. Yet, with the integration of the stream of consciousness style, the reader witnesses the internal conflicts that fuel the external conflicts that ensue.

In the wake of the context of production— post-revolution Egypt— Naguib utilizes the stream of consciousness style as a conduit to express his own perplexities vicariously through Said who epitomizes a tragic hero grappling with the paradigm shift in Egyptian society under Nasser's regime. Naguib particularly employs direct and indirect interior monologues and soliloquies as a means of executing the stream of consciousness narrative, which manifest from the very onset of the plot. For instance, forming a part of the exposition of the plot in Chapter 1, immediately following Said's release from prison, an interior monologue is presented in which Said muses, “Nabawiyya. Ilish. Your two names merge in my mind...You'll be watching now, but I won't fall into the trap. At the right moment, instead, I'll strike like Fate.” Through this quote, the reader is acquainted with the protagonist's sense of animosity towards the characters of Nabawiyya and Irish without even being introduced to them. While this instigation of the stream of consciousness technique serves the purpose of foreshadowing the development of conflict within the plot, it also creates an atmosphere of suspense and excitement that urges the reader to further engage in the thrilling nature of the text. Thus, in incorporating the stream of consciousness narrative, Naguib abandons the normative linear narrative to adopt the modernist tradition of "breaking away from the old technique of meticulous details and panoramic narration." In doing so, Naguib also pioneers the genre of psychological realism, the first of its kind in Arabic literature, as the complexities of Said's motivations elicit in the reader a sense of sympathy  for the tragic hero and his fate. 

Another facet intrinsic to the stream of consciousness narrative adopted in Naguib's novel is the subtle inclusion of non-chronological flashbacks in his writing, which further enhances the reader's commiseration for the protagonist. In chapter 11, Said recounts his father's encounters with the Sheikh, his mother's death, and his initial relationship with Rauf Ilwan through the use of flashbacks, granting the reader a greater understanding of Said's situation. 

While the stream of consciousness narrative style is crucial in Mahfouz's novel, the former style is coupled with a third person omniscient narrative that provides a more objective and stable relaying of the events in the novel. A similar narrative style is employed in China Achebe's, "Things Fall Apart," a colonial counter-narrative. Like Mahfouz's, "The Thief and the Dogs," Achebe's, "Things Fall Apart," is penned as a response to shifting political spheres in the nation. Both these novels shed light on the complexity of the human experience to psychologically adapt to societal changes. Subsequently, both these novels then also act as important socio-political commentaries that highlight the importance of subversive literature.