The Thief and the Dogs Essay Questions

What role does the brief appearance of Said’s daughter play in the story, and how does her reaction to Said affect the course of Said’s behavior?

The role of Said's daughter, Sana, who appears when he first sees her after being released from prison, is ultimately a negative one. Said saw his thefts as attempts to make a brighter future for his daughter. While he was in prison he dreamed of being reunited with her, and perhaps starting a life together. Unfortunately, Sana has no memory of him, and the appearance of a strange man importuning her to embrace him as her father is more than the small child can bear. Her reaction is absolutely crushing to Said, who decides that revenge is even more important now that he's seen what Ilish and Nabawiyya took away from him.

Why is Said’s father’s history with the Sheikh relevant?

The Sheikh plays a role in Said's current life because of how important he was to Said's father Amm. The Sheikh and his home remind Said of his father due to their many visits, and he hopes that the Sheikh will be able to offer him the same sort of guidance. Unfortunately, the Sheikh's words are cryptic and ultimately hollow; they cannot help Said. Furthermore, the Sheikh's proclamation when Said was a child that he was going to be a "good man" stands in sharp contrast to what Said is now, solidifying just how far Said has travelled along his disastrous path.

What explains Said's fate?

There are a few things that can explain Said's tragic fate. First, there is the society he lives in—a society stratified by wealth, complicated by the coup, and unsettled by the legacies of colonialism, religious tensions, and wars. Said is poor and cannot do much to get ahead, so thievery is a career that is not only lucrative but, in one perspective, justifiable. Second, there is Said himself. While he thinks of himself as very intelligent, he is not very rational or circumspect. He retreats into his memories, which seem more and more suspect in terms of their veracity; he has no patience; he takes people for granted; he ignores counsel; he is self-aggrandizing; and he blames everyone and everything else for his condition rather than take any responsibility himself. Ultimately, in his single-minded quest for revenge, he destroys his own life.

What do we know about Nabawiyya?

Unlike Nur, the only other female character in the novel, Nabawiyya never appears in the action. She is confined to Said's memories and thoughts, at most being a ghostly presence for a few minutes while he is in Ilish's home. We know that she was beautiful, a servant, helped Said in his thievery, and left Said for Ilish. Those are the simple facts, but beyond that, everything we learn about her is filtered through Said's blinkered rage and sense of betrayal; for example, Said's language about her during their courtship and marriage is all about chastity, purity, and cleanliness, while in the present moment of the text he consistently refers to her dirtiness and rottenness. It is impossible to get a full, or even somewhat full, picture of Nabawiyya. As critic Michelle Hartman wonders, "What was the exact nature of Nabawiyya and Sa'id's marital relationship? Were Sa'id and Nur romantically and/or sexually involved before he went to prison? Did Nabawiyya know? Did Nabawiyya actually turn him over to the police? Is this simply a delusion on the part of Sa'id'? Could Nabawiyya simply be a single mother struggling to raise her daughter alone after her husband was taken off to jail? There are several possible answers to each of these questions and others raised throughout the novel."

Why does Mahfouz choose to incorporate stream-of-consciousness narration?

This is an effective way to truly let the reader into Said's thoughts. We are privy to his fears, his memories, his flights of fancy, his obsessions. We can see that he is not totally rational, allowing things to build in his mind so he feels that he has no choice to do what he wants to do. The memories, especially when contrasted with what is happening in the present, also allow us to doubt some of the things he is telling himself. This type of narration sheds fuller light on his character and helps explain why he is the way he is, and why his fate is what it is.