Stream of consciousness Narrative in the Thief and the Dogs.
The stream of consciousness is a successful technique that Mahfouz uses to bring to life many of the characters of the thief and the dogs, but most directly the protagonist Said. Particularly in the first chapter where Mahfouz is able to constantly switch from first to second person and use the stream of consciousness to develop Said as a character individually. As the story goes on you learn more and more about Said, from his stream of consciousness and his personal thoughts and memories. This allows you to get the direct truth behind what actually happened before prison and what is currently happening inside Said's head. All of the different techniques used allow the reader to feel some sort of connection with Said as you feel although you have lived through his experiences with him. This also allows the depth of the character to be far deeper than what it would have been prior.
When you begin the novel you automatically see Said as being a man that is filled with hatred and anger, you however do not see the truth behind his anger and why he is actually feeling the way he is and saying the things that he is saying. Although this can be an extremely successful technique, it can also be a slight limitation due to the fact that your ideas on the character can become extremely skewed due to the fact that most of your perceptions of the storyline comes from the personal thoughts and feelings of the protagonist, Said. The reader is never allowed or given any opportunity to experience the story from any other percspective than Said's and thats why it can be seen as a massive limitation too.
The stream of consciousness is a successful technique that Mahfouz uses to bring to life many of the characters of the thief and the dogs, but most directly the protagonist Said. Particularly in the first chapter where Mahfouz is able to constantly switch from first to second person and use the stream of consciousness to develop Said as a character individually. As the story goes on you learn more and more about Said, from his stream of consciousness and his personal thoughts and memories. This allows you to get the direct truth behind what actually happened before prison and what is currently happening inside Said's head. All of the different techniques used allow the reader to feel some sort of connection with Said as you feel although you have lived through his experiences with him. This also allows the depth of the character to be far deeper than what it would have been prior.
When you begin the novel you automatically see Said as being a man that is filled with hatred and anger, you however do not see the truth behind his anger and why he is actually feeling the way he is and saying the things that he is saying. Although this can be an extremely successful technique, it can also be a slight limitation due to the fact that your ideas on the character can become extremely skewed due to the fact that most of your perceptions of the storyline comes from the personal thoughts and feelings of the protagonist, Said. The reader is never allowed or given any opportunity to experience the story from any other percspective than Said's and thats why it can be seen as a massive limitation too.
Nice blog, I really enjoyed your inclusion of definitions which makes it easier for the reader to understand your ideas better. I also like the simplicity in which you explained your ideas which makes it more interesting to read and easier to understand. You provided good insight on your perspective of the stream of consciousness technique.
ReplyDeleteThe stream of consciousness was clearly defined. References to the novel was made however try to include quotes as evidence. I agree with you that the first impression is important and not always accurate. Good job Oakeley.
ReplyDeleteI like how you relate your work to the text. You show a good understanding of a text, as you bring up applicable incidents from the text and describe how internal monologue help develop an emotional connection between the character and the reader.
ReplyDelete