Stream of Consciousness Narrative in The Thief and the Dogs

Stream of consciousness narration is described as “a type of fiction in which the basic emphasis is placed on the exploration of the pre-speech levels of consciousness for the purpose, principally, or revealing the psychic beings of the characters”. This form of narration places emphasis on the thought pattern of an individual and immerses the reader in the innermost thoughts of the character. Through this narration the reader is exposed to the character’s emotions and thoughts in an unfiltered manner, thereby adding depth to the character.

Through an intricate intertwining of realism and stream of consciousness, Naguib Mahfouz establishes and explores his main character Said and his perception of reality in the novel The Thief and the Dogs. Mahfouz employs stream of consciousness narration in order to giving the reader insight into Said’s inner conflicts. To quote one of our readings that I think put it best:  “Access to Said Mahran’s internal experiences enhances the reader’s understanding of his external reality.”

Stream of consciousness narrative also gives the reader a clearer idea of the emotional stability or instability in the case of Said Mahran. In the first chapter of the novel Said ponders that its likely his daughter does not know anything about him however, when faced with her eventual rejection his reasoning and logic become irrational as he feels that Sana rejected and betrayed him. This reaction seen within Said’s thoughts hints at how he may react to similar situations later in the novel. When Said ventures to find his old friend and mentor Raush and discovers that his socio-economic status has been elevated, he once again jumps to hasty conclusions. In this interaction between mentor and student, Said’s previous feelings of paranoia and distrust resurface as he feels that Rauf has also betrayed him. Mahfouz’s style of an alternating narrative voice prompts the reader to establish a closer connection with Said and evokes a deeper sense of sympathy than what may have been achieved through a simple third or first person narration. However as the novel progresses, this sympathetic connection is tested as Said’s thoughts become irrational and his actions become morally unacceptable to the reader.

While this narrative technique does give the novel a unique flair, it also comes with some limitations. The reader’s perception of characters and events can become highly skewed due to the biased portrayal in Said’s thoughts. The reader is never given the opportunity to experience the story from another character’s perspective and therefore their perception of reality within the novel is tainted by Said’s obvious and strong bias. As seen in the novel, it can be difficult to attain an unbiased perspective of certain characters such as Nabawiyya whom Said describes as “that woman who sprang from filth, from vermin, from treachery and infidelity”.

Both Mahfouz and Achebe utilize a distinct form of storytelling in their novels. Mahfouz uses stream of consciousness narration which presents the reader with a highly subjective perception of reality within the novel. While there is some use of an unbiased third person narrative voice, the reader is generally left to establish events and characters through the eyes of Said Mahran. On the other hand Achebe employs third person narration throughout his novel which creates a different effect for the reader. This allows Achebe to present an unbiased view of the story and furthermore allows the reader to make their own moral judgement instead of relying on that of the narrator or a specific character.  Achebe makes it very clear that Okonkwo is a flawed character through the unbiased narrative form. However, the narrative technique used by Mahfouz does not necessarily highlight the flaws of Said but instead leaves the reader to establish this for themselves.