The Thief and the Dogs - Passage Analysis

What a lot of graves there are, laid out as far as the eye can see. Their headstones are like hands raised in surrender, though they are beyond being threatened by anything. A city of silence and truth, where success and failure, murderer and victim come together, where thieves and policemen lie side by side in peace for the first and last time.

Nur's snoring seemed likely to end only when she awoke in late afternoon.

You'll stay in this prison until the police forget you. And will they ever really forget? The graves remind you that death cheats the living. They speak of betrayal; and thus they make you remember Nabawiyya, Ilish and Rauf, telling you that you yourself are dead, ever since that unseeing bullet was fired.

But you still have bullets of fire.

At the sound of Nur's yawning, loud, like a groan, he turned away from the window shutters towards the bed. Nur was sitting up, naked, her hair dishevelled, looking unrested and run down. But she smiled as she said, "I dreamed you were far away and I was going out of my mind waiting for you."

"That was a dream," he observed grimly. "In fact you're the one who's going out and I'm the one who'll wait."

She went into the bathroom, emerged again drying her hair; and he followed her hands as they recreated her face in a new form, happy and young. She was, like himself, thirty years old, but she lied outright hoping to appear younger, adding to the multitude of sins and sillinesses which are openly committed. But theft unfortunately was not one of them.

"Don't forget the papers," he reminded her at the door.

When she'd gone he moved into the reception room and flung himself down on one of the sofas. Now he was alone in the full sense of the word, without even his books which he'd left with Sheikh Ali. He stared up at the cracked white ceiling, a dull echo of the threadbare carpet, killing time. The setting sun flashed through the open window, like a jewel being carried by a flight of doves from one point in time to the next.

Your coldness, Sana, was very disquieting. Like seeing these graves. I don't know if we'll meet again, where or when. You'll certainly never love me now. Not in this life, so full of badly-aimed bullets, desires gone astray. What's left behind is a dangling chain of regrets. The first link was the students' hostel on the road to Giza. Ilish didn't matter much, but Nabawiyya--she'd shaken him, torn him up by the roots. If only a deceit could be as plainly read in the face as fever or an infectious disease! Then beauty would never be false and many a man would be spared the ravages of deception.

This passage is one that explores Said's internal conflicts from many perspectives and including several themes. The main concept that is explored is Said's understanding of justice and moral actions. After being cut off from the world for so long in prison, Said's understanding of the world demonstrates some gaps. This is demonstrated when he thinks about the bullet, first describing it as the reason for his death and then returning to the fact that he still has bullets. Despite that he is still contemplating his actions, he cannot get rid of his want for revenge. 

In his interaction with Nur, Said's character begins to develop some affection for her. Though he is generally described as a harsh character, and this in enforced by his actions, his relationship with Nur shows a softer side to him. His movement away from the window that exposed the graves to her as she wakes up demonstrates the break that he takes from his want for revenge as he feels grateful for her company. Nur's dream is simply a reinforcement of her love and acceptance for him, which he initially does not cherish however in this instance it is demonstrated as a part of his daily life.

Said's mention of Nabawiyya demonstrates a confession of her importance to Said in his life. Throughout the novel, she is described as a character he hates following her marriage of his friend after his arrest. However, this point in the novel truly reveals the impact of Nabawiyya on his life and how this effect was long lasting for Said. This is done in the form of direct internal monologue, and does not follow an event directly involving Nabawiyya. Rather, the last person he has interacted with is Nur and this draws a contrast between these two characters. Nabawiyya is described as a character which "shook him up", hence making a large impact on him as a person. 

In regards to Sana, he feels regret towards the actions he has made as realizes the impact of them on his daughter. He had not previously considered the implications of his actions but rather quickly sought to get revenge on Ilish, among others. However in this passage, he begins to show sadness and remorse for his actions, as they would mean his daughter would never love him. This is also developed in his mention of Nur, and how theft could not be a part of openly committed sins. This generally shows a more complex and honest side of Said.