“19502”
The title of the story “19502” refers narratively to the file number associated with the suicide victim in official government files. Obliquely, however, it is a sly reference to the revolution of 1952 and the number becomes symbolic of the failure of the revolution to carry through on the promises leading to it. The man commits suicide after a Kafkaesque tale in which he has literally lost his face and more broadly lost his identity. The symbolism puts the burden of identity loss not on the man, however, but on a government which fails to recognize the very citizens it was supposedly fighting for.
Mustaches
Mustaches take on much greater importance in the works of Egyptian writers than American writers. Especially at the time in which he was writing, a male who did not sport a mustache was uncommon. The association between facial hair and symbolism is situated in the patriarchy, of course, as the ability to grow a thick mustache is heavily connected to issues of masculinity and male supremacy.
“The Wallet”
The title object of this story is one of the more memorable symbols to appear in a singular story. The wallet become the object of a young son’s determination to break the bonds of poverty with his plan to sneak into his parents’ bedroom as they sleep and steal enough to attend a movie with friends. When he opens it to see there is nothing inside, the full revelation of the extent of conditions of poverty on his social conditions hits like hammer to head and the symbolism becomes powerful enough to inform other stories pursuing this theme.
Games
Games are often referenced in the author’s stories and in every instance there is a symbolic association. Whether games mean backgammon or sports or competition, the game itself is symbolically a microcosm of the larger issues at play in the real world.
Police
Policemen routinely populate the stories of Idris and very often they take centerstage as the protagonist. Typically, the figure of the police officer is a symbol of authority, but Idris does not make this simple. His use of police symbolically is complex in that while as a collective unit they represent oppression, individually they are usually members of the exploited working class who suffer many of the same economic and existential concerns as non-authority figures
