Vengeance in the Thief and the Dogs

Vengeance as a Driving Force in the Novel

Vengeance and the plot

The whole fabrication of the plot is driven by a key element that without it would leave the novel nothing but a rambled story without a beginning or end, and that element is vengeance. At the start of the story, Said has so much to do, so many things he must accomplish before leaving, but one of them is getting revenge on those dogs that betrayed him and abandoned him for Ilish. However, Said notices that many things are wrong, and he begins to look at the larger picture: the whole world has gone upside down and all those he used to love are the ones driving him insane especially Sana and Rauf, "The other Rauf Iiwan has gone, disappeared, like yesterday, like the first day in the history of man- like Nabawiyya's love or Ilish's loyalty." (Mahfouz 47). Once he sets his plan ready he must hide "Between the shadows and the graves" (Mahfouz 99) in order to accomplish his goals. Thus, vengeance drives the plot of the story.

Vengeance and the conflict

Vengeance is a major factor or key element in this story, that it changes the course of the novel from page one, "To kill them both- Nabawiyya and Ilish- at the same time would be....." (Mahfouz 69). However, the conflict does not stop there; rather it grows to a more complex conflict that, in a way, involves society and its way of functioning, "What do you want to do? Make your choice between death and coming to justice." (Mahfouz 157). In the conflict, Said wants and seeks revenge for all those who have seen the rest of the people, like he is, like trash. He desires justice for all those who have destroyed him, even if it means becoming a vigilante. In addition, his only choices are death or seek justice. The conflict is surrounded by this strong aura of revenge, which adds more flavor to the novel, and the conflict is no longer driven by anything else (i.e. love, money) rather the only thing suffice for the novel to continue to its end, is vengeance.

Vengeance and character development

Vengeance is the key element in the book that develops the character Said Mahran, the main character in the story. Said desperately wants to get revenge on all those who betrayed