Thief and the Dogs | Paper 2 Outline | Structure

‘With regards to Thief and the Dogs, explain why Naguib Mahfouz may have chosen to depict events in a particular sequence or order.’ 

The specific structural choices in the “Thief and the Dogs” allows Mahfouz to effectively write Said’s descent in madness and ultimately his tragic death. Which reflect Mahfouz's paranoia as an intellectual writer living in a value shifting Egyptian society. 

Mahfouz utilizes flashbacks as a means of further characterization of Said’s motivation for revenge against his enemies, in order to blend methods of western literature with unique elements of Arabic literature (Don’t know too much about context to say anything critical) 

Mahfouz structures the events and conflicts of the novel as a very fast paced, causing both the reader and Said to have little to no time to reflect on the conflict, this allows for Mahfouz to mirror the paranoia of living in an Egyptian society which oppresses Egyptian intellects 

Lastly, Mahfouz creates tension through his structural choices to create an impactful tragic death for his protagonist Said, revealing Mahfouz's theme that decisions driven off of revenge will lead to the downfall of a person