Sheikh Ali Al-Junaydi

What does Sheikh Ali Al-Junaydi represent in the Thief and the Dogs? How is he significant to the characterization of Said Mahran? How does he contribute to the theme of the text?

After Said is released from prison, Mahfouz portrays Said as a man desperate to find meaning in the world he feels is completely corrupt, Said believes the guilty prosper while the innocent fall. He seeks the company of his late father's spiritual advisor.

Al-Junaydi is significant to the development of the plot and the enhancement of the Fate vs Free Will theme. Naguib implements Al Junaydi in order to provide the protagonist Said with a second choice, which is to pursue his religion and avoid leaning towards the darker side which was what eventually led to his downfall. The sheikh provided Said with an alternative getaway choice, but he failed in doing so and Said eventually assassinated two innocent people.

Sheikk Al-Junaydi acts as Said's final desperate resort . During the beginning of the novel, Said seeks refuge in the sheikh's house, after his failed attempt at killing Ilish he re-visits the Sheikh once again, and finally during the last chapters of the novel, Said revisits his father's spiritual advisor for the final time before his inevitable downfall. It was during his last visit to the sheikh in which he commented: "I am alone with my freedom, or rather i am in the company of the sheikh who is lost in heaven." Said conveys signs of regret through contrasting both his and the sheikh's abstractness in the world, one is in heaven and the other in reality.

Last but not least, Sheikh Al-Junaydi acts as a foil to the protagonist Said Mahran and helps progress the characterization of Said. Firstly, Said's recollection of memories portrays the sheikh to be an old friend of the family and is not intending to turn his back on Said despite his vigorous actions, instead he helps him and provides Said with a glimmer of hope and kindness to counteract the distress that Said is currently in. The sheikh acts as Said's guardian angel providing him with ways of escaping his fate and bitter feelings towards those he feels betrayed him, however Said decided to choose against this (turning to the dark side) which led to his imminent downfall. This further illustrates the apparent contrast between the characters, allowing for better understanding of the protagonist and his contradicting thoughts.

Choose Your Fate: Analytical

Naguib conveys Said to be at the lowest point in his life as a result of his unfortunate fate, all the tides were turning against him as he feels he was betrayed by the very own people he used to trust (His best-friend, His wife, and his daughter). Throughout the entirety of the novel, Said's character was diffused with hatred and anger towards those he feels were traitors, having said that, Said constantly refers to these traitors as dogs and uses harsh words and depressing tones, one instance is the grave scene, Naguib implements this  dull scene to show that a man can not control his happiness with a pre-determined fate. Knowing that the "traitors" are on the loose, Said doesn't witness a glimpse of happiness throughout the novel. Said can't control what is happening to the people who betrayed him As a result, Naguib portrays fate to be the biggest determiner of one's happiness. 

Practicing Thesis Statements

Thesis Statement: Through the implementation of recurring instances from his past through the stream of consciousness technique, Naguib is able to communicate how the ideas of Said's past control the present and how Said's actions are provoked through his past experiences in which he feels them to be a burden he must carry on.

Said Tragic Hero

1) What is Said's tragic flaw?

The Chief flaw that led to the novel’s tragic ending was Said’s lust for revenge. Throughout the entirety of the novel, Said’s actions are fueled by his desire to get revenge upon those who he feels betrayed him.  As a result of this hunger, Said accidentally assassinated two-men in cold blood which eventually led to the departure of his companion (Nur) and his death at the end of the novel.

2) How does he display excessive pride?

Said displays excessive pride through his enforcement of blame on other characters, for instance he blames Ilish for going to prison, he blames Rauf for changing his personality which led Said to believe that he betrayed him, he also blames Sana for her rejecting him.

3) When is his reversal of fortunes?

His reversal of fortunes begins when Said figures out that he killed an innocent man instead of Ilish, this is then later enhanced when he goes to kill Rauf and winds up killing Rauf’s doorkeeper, this also provoked Nur into leaving Said.

 4)At what time in the text does he recognize that the reversal was due to his own actions?

He recognizes that while staring and contemplating his past at Nur’s house, he also reminisces his upbringing while at the Shaikh’s house and was led to believe that he chose his own path, and finally during the last chapter while he was being hunted down by the police, he contemplates about his past and how it all led to this.

5) Is his fate greater than he deserved?

His fate was not greater than what he deserved, his actions throughout the entirety of the novel ultimately led to his death.