How and to what effect does Mahfouz employ stream of consciousness narration in the novel?
'Stream of consciousness' is a narrative technique that allows an author to reproduce a character's constant feeling of emotion and internal thoughts towards the readers to provide an atmosphere that feels more rational. This style can be revealed through internal monologues, where the character's thoughts and emotions were to take over, providing a deeper connection between the way the character thinks and what is occurring throughout the novel. It gives an impression of what the character's mental/emotional stability is.
This technique is displayed effectively in the psychological realism novel, The Thief and the Dogs by Mahfouz. Mahfouz deviates from the traditional conventions of narration by depicting stream of consciousness and combining it with realism. Through this, it puts the readers into the protagonist's (Said) mind where they become exposed to it, communicating his impressions and thoughts. This raw exposure to Said’s mind of which is not mentally stable throughout the novel shows the readers a deeper understanding of the deterioration of his character throughout the novel. Due to the unstableness of the protagonist's mind, Mahfouz additionally uses third-person narration to balance against the conscious narration.
With the variety of internal and external conflicts (betrayal, revenge, love, etc.) that the protagonist experiences, they are projected throughout the novel to further characterize Said. Through his consciousness, we are given glimpses of his past, most of which comes in the form of evoked recollection of memories or flashbacks. These specific reminiscences and flashbacks are non-linear purposefully in this unchronological order to emphasize the protagonist's instability. The unfiltered rage and anger of the character in this narrative technique expose to the readers the character's continual betrayal. This unstable characteristic was derived from previous events such as Said being rejected by his daughter a, conflicts with Rauf, having internal conflicts with his previous relationship to the point where it affects how he perceives other people like Nur. Through all of his frustration that is depicted through the stream of consciousness in The Thief and the Dogs highlights the psychological realism that reflects the characters emotional struggle that pushes him on edge constantly throughout the novel.
Hey Jess! This was an enjoyable read because you were able to link the stream of consciousness to the protagonist by expressing how: "Due to the unstableness of the protagonist's mind, Mahfouz additionally uses third-person narration to balance against the conscious narration." I agree with your statement: "This style can be revealed through internal monologues" because, the character's thoughts and emotions take over essentially crafting a realistic genre for the readers to understand. You state that "we are given glimpses of his past" However, do you think Said writes this way for the sake of portraying Said's past, or is it also his future and present emotions? What effect might this have on the readers understanding Said's complex character? Something that stands out to me is when you express how "Mahfouz deviates from the traditional conventions of narration", essentially making him an influencing author in Arabic literature. This reminds me of your blog post of China Achebe that focuses on Aristole's Tragic Hero Archetype as Achebe similarly portrays his protagonist Okonkwo through a lens of politics. It is important to note that you were able to make relations of styptics choices such as his relationship with Nur however, including more evidence would further improve your analysis. All in all, this was an interesting blog post and I wish you the best of luck :)!
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