Chapter 11 Passage Analysis

The Sheikh greeted you with that sweet and kindly look of his. And how enchanted you were by his fine white beard! "So this is your son you were telling me about," he said to your father. "There's a lot of intelligence in his eyes. His heart is as spotless as yours. You'll find he'll turn out, with God's will, a truly good man."

Yes, you really adored Sheikh Ali al Junaydi, attracted by the purity in his face and the love in his eyes. And those songs and chants of his had delighted you even before your heart was purified by love.

"Tell this boy what it's his duty to do," your father said to the Sheikh one day.

The Sheikh had gazed down at you and said, "We continue learning from the cradle to the grave, but at least start out, Said, by keeping close account of yourself and making sure that from whatever action you initiate some good comes to someone."

Yes, you certainly followed his counsel, as best you could though you only brought it to complete fulfillment when you took up burglary!

The days passed like dreams. And then your good father disappeared, suddenly gone, in a way that a boy simply could not comprehend, and that seemed to baffle even Sheikh Ali himself. How shocked you were that morning, shaking your head and rubbing your eyes to clear away the sleep, awakened by your mother's screams and tears in the little room at the entrance to the students' hostel! You wept with fear and frustration at your helplessness. That evening however, Rauf Ilwan, at that time a student in Law School, had shown how very capable he was. Yes, he was impressive all right, no matter what the circumstances, and you loved him as you did Sheikh Ali, perhaps even more. It was he who later worked hard to have you--or you and your mother, to be more precise--take over Father's job as custodian for the building. Yes, you took on responsibilities at an early age.

This passage from Chapter 11 of the novel is flashback that Said is having as he remembers events and conversations from his past. In this passage the reader learns detail's about Said's tragic past as he recounts the death of his father and later his mother. From the perspective of both the reader and Said himself this passage is the pinnacle of dramatic irony.  Mahfouz creates a wonderful juxtaposition between Said's past and his present. This conversation with the Sheikh highlights the alternative path that Said could have taken had he not been driven to a life of crime and had not become obsessed with getting revenge. As the Sheikh says "His heart is as spotless as yours. You'll find he'll turn out, with God's will, a truly good man." one begins to wonder how exactly Said has strayed so far from his seemingly bright future. This scene also raises the question of to what extent is Said's current character and predicament due to situational or dispositional factors?

“Making sure that from whatever action you initiate some good comes to someone."

Again we see this contrast of what Said was taught as a boy and the way in which he lives his life in the present. After his release from jail and Sana’s rejection, Said’s actions are of his own self-interest and almost all of his actions result in someone else being harmed.

Furthermore, this passage serves to emphasize the strong bond that Said shared with his beloved mentor Rauf as the reader gains some insight into how the two met and under what circumstances. We see that Said truly looked up to Rauf who symbolized the missing father figure in his life following the death of his father. In the passage Said says “you loved him as you did Sheikh Ali, perhaps even more” which further highlights the deep connection Said felt to Rauf. This gives the reader a deeper sense of understanding as it makes it easier to see why Rauf’s apparent betrayal so deeply affected Said.

This passage is a prime example of Mahfouz’s unique narrative style and the specific way in which he chooses to reveal Said’s story to the reader. Prior to this passage, the reader did not know a great deal about Said’s past or his family. However as seen in this passage, Said’s history and tragic background have actually come to affect his character in a highly negative manner.  We see that following the death of his parents, the bright future that the Sheikh had predicted is exchanged in turn for a much darker future full of thievery and eventually even murder.