The thief and the dogs

           "The thief and the dogs" I have read this novel twice, it's really interesting. This novel wrote by Mahfouz has a lot of lessons. The novel begins in a morning where Said Mahran the main personage of the novel is released from prison, after a four year sentence for robbery. 

           This novel is all about vengeance Said wants and reintegrate in his community or society again. Since he has been in prison, he lost every single thing he had. His wife, a book that he wrote and his six-year old daughter, and he is trying to get everything back.Said plans to take revenge on Ilish Sidra, an associate who turned him in and who then, after Said’s incarceration, secured everything that Said had home, money, and his wife, Nabawiyya.  Ilish is provided with the police protection, which make it difficult for Said to get his revenge. But Said is trying everything he can to get Ilish down.

           Said visits Ali al-Junaydi, his late father’s religious counselor. The Sufi sheikh offers him food, advice, and sanctuary. Said accepts the hospitality and spends his first night of freedom at the sheikh’s house. Within the next three weeks, he returns there twice, after criminal deeds. 

          This personage Sheikh in the novel played an important role. Even though all Said wants is revenge, Sheikh is trying to convince him that revenge isn't a good way to solve problem or to ease emotional pain. We can clearly notice that Said is emotionally in pain from the beginning of the novel till its end. Said loses everything once he got into prison, he tried to get his belonging back, unfortunately he cannot. Even his six-year daughter doesn't recognize him anymore; she keeps running away from him. All of this things put Said in pain and all he wants his to get revenge from the people who put in in this situation. Sheikh, the religious counselor father is giving him good advice to forget about revenge which he thinks that isn't going to take Said nowhere. Said as a poor man doesn't listen to any advice, all Said has in his head is vengeance. It is really sad that Said died seven days right after he has released from prison. 

         This character "Sheikh", Mahfouz used him in the novel as a tool to preach against war, crime and violence that where happened in his society in this era. While reading the novel, it gives you a good sense of how our society his and how people actually prefer the way of violence to ease their pain.