(This is a draft! I will update this blog entry with the final version soon.)
Dreams are portals into the creative
subconscious of a person. In our dreams we see the depths of our thoughts, and
face seemingly impossible scenarios as if they’re everyday events. It’s usually
said that dreams have meanings behind them, and many things seen in our dreams represent
ideas, wishes, desires, or just the imagination of a person. Although dreams
tend to be rather ambiguous and have unrealistic happenings, sometimes they
feature ideas, scenes, or emotions that make sense to us.
Said Mahran, the main character of Naguib
Mahfouz’s novel, The Thief and the Dogs,
is obsessed with having revenge on the people he claims to have betrayed him. He
is newly released from prison, and the only thing he seems to be doing is plotting
his retaliation against his enemies. In chapter 8 of the novel, finding shelter
by the side of the Sheikh after killing a man, Said has a dream that is closely
related to his current life and emotions.
In his dream, Said first sees himself back
in jail, being whipped. This might show how in his unconscious thoughts know
that he killed someone and this is a crime, and therefore he must be punished.
Then, he sees his daughter Sana whipping his
mentor, Rauf at the bottom of a staircase. I think there are many symbols here.
Sana might stand for his desires and yearnings. It was unrealistic of Said to
assume a small girl would love him, or even remember him, after 4 years of
separation. So from the start, I think Sana stood as an idea: the idea of him reaching
his goals and satisfying himself. The image that Rauf is being whipped at the
bottom of the staircase might symbolize how Said now thinks that he is better
than Rauf, and Rauf will remain below him and be punished. Sana being the one
to whip Rauf shows how Said’s passion for revenge will prevail over his
betrayers.
The way he starts shooting without a
direction is a possible reference to his previous and future murders, where he
ended up blindly killing two innocent people. Or perhaps how he’s still
searching for a direction to lead his life in, which would relate to how the
Sheikh keeps asking for his ID, and he doesn’t seem to have one, or simply
refuses to give it.
His participation in a car chase while in a
car that does not work shows that no matter how hard he will try to reach his
goals, his violence will hold him back. The malfunctioning engine of the car,
which would possibly work if he chose to approach his situation in a different
way, represents his brutality and inability to control his anger. This idea is
supported by the constant mentioning of the Quran, which is most likely
expressing how Said’s subconscious desires to be a better person, but he simply
will not let go of his detrimental past habits.
This dream is used to expand on Said’s
current state, both in the plot and as a person. It’s very interesting to interpret,
as it seems to foreshadow events, and also remind the reader of past occurrences.
The dream is separated into many parts which make little sense when put
together, but it’s easy to understand that it truly is a collection of Said’s thoughts and feelings… even those he’s
not aware of himself, which is the case in many dreams.
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