The Thief and The Dogs: Passage Analysis (Chapter 2!)

Chosen Passage (from Chapter 2)

From inside the room he could hear a man concluding his prayers. Said smiled, slipped in carrying his books, and saw the Sheikh sitting cross-legged on the prayer carpet, absorbed in quiet recitation. The old room had hardly changed. The rush mats had been replaced by new ones, thanks to his disciples, but the Sheikh's sleeping mattress still lay close to the western wall, pierced by a window through which the rays of the declining sun were pouring down at Said's feet. The other walls of the room were half-covered with rows of books on shelves. The odor of incense lingered as if it were the same he remembered, never dissipated, from years ago. Putting down his load of books, he approached the Sheikh.
"Peace be upon you, my lord and master."
Having completed his recitation the Sheikh raised his head, disclosing a face that was emaciated but radiant with overflowing vitality; framed by a white beard like a halo, and surmounted by a white skull cap that nestled in thick locks of hair showing silvery at his temples. The Sheikh scrutinized him with eyes that had been viewing this world for eighty years and indeed had glimpsed the next, eyes that had not lost their appeal, acuteness, or charm. Said found himself bending over his hand to kiss it, suppressing tears of nostalgia for his father, his boyish hopes, the innocent purity of the distant past.
"Peace and God's compassion be upon you," said the Sheikh in a voice like Time. What had his father's voice been like? He could see his father's face and his lips moving, and tried to make his eyes do the service of ears, but the voice had gone. And the disciples, the men chanting the mystical dhikr, "O master, the Prophet is at your gate!"--where were they now?

Passage Analysis

This passage depicts the first time Said encounters the Sheikh, further characterizing Said as a good person at heart and introducing the Sheikh, who is to become a prominent figure in Said's refuge. The extract includes a number of interesting elements, such as the distinctly intellectual description of the Sheikh's residence, the characterization of the Sheikh, and Said's flashbacks to his father's presence.

Mahfouz's novel is set in 1956, four years after the 1952 Revolution. One of the most prominent characteristics of that era was the class struggle between the intellectuals and the working class. In The Thief and the Dogs, Said essentially represents the working class, while Rauf represents the intellectual (this is, of course, an oversimplification). This passage reflects Said's desire to be a part of that 'intellectual class' (or perhaps the desire of the working class to be heard?) in a number of ways. He slips in "carrying his books", into a room where the walls "were half-covered with rows of books on shelves". This paragraph also illustrates the "rays of the declining sun were pouring down at Said's feet". Light is often associated with knowledge, furthering the establishment of Said's thirst for knowledge, or change.

One can also consider the significance of the Sheikh's residence as a religious area. Religion is the ultimate form of knowledge, going beyond the 'intellectual' class to a place of enlightenment. Later in the chapter, the Sheikh makes multiple attempts at offering Said this knowledge, but he repeatedly refuses - choosing instead to focus on revenge and on those who have wronged him. By doing so, Said indirectly reveals the result of one of his internal conflicts: Self vs. Revenge.

The significance of the Sheikh's description lies in how different he is in spirit compared to Said. The Sheikh is described as "radiant with overflowing vitality", having "eyes that had not lost their appeal, acuteness or charm", and with a beard "like a halo". He fits the archetypal old and sage character, and indeed delivers on this archetype through the (sometimes convoluted) wisdom he provides to Said. The Sheikh could be seen as a representation of the virtues of religion, as he remains enthusiastic and hasn't become world weary. He is a sharp contrast to Said, who is young but jaded with the world. The inclusion of Sheikh adds interest and irony to the novel, as the reader sees the answers to Said's questions in plain sight.

As Said embraces the Sheikh, he "suppresses tears of nostalgia". Through this, we see that some part of his subconscious recognizes the goodness of the Sheikh's path and allows the readers to empathize with him. There is longing within Said for the past, which is significant through the setting of the old room, which "had hardly changed". This is also emphasized through Said's nostalgia for his father, and perhaps for a good teacher who would not betray him.