An important passage that helps in the
development of Said Mahran's complex character is one found in Chapter 12, pg
112. This passage describes the nature of Said's relationship with Rauf, who he
once considered his mentor, in the early years when Said started his career as
a thief.
This
passage demonstrates the shift in Said's feelings from gratitude to revenge
towards Rauf as he states, 'To you alone goes the credit...' which shows
a relationship akin to a mentor and its disciple/students even though Rauf
treated Said as his equal as seen in the text, '...as if I were your equal.'
The phrase 'as if' also implies that Said didn't see himself equal to Rauf
back then but now, the period which the text is written in, Said sees himself
as almost above everyone which shows the shift in his behaviour and his new
built self- righteousness could be used as a reason to justify his 'insanity.'
Through the use of animal imagery by using the phrase, 'You'd roar with
delighted laughter at my success,' Said established his previous
perspective of Rauf as someone grand and important as the lion is usually at
the top of any animal hierarchy.
This text
uses the writing style of a soliloquy and this is effective because soliloquies
are very direct and personal to the person being directed to, in this case
Rauf, which brings out immense emotions. Mahfouz employs this style by using
repetition of the word you such as, ‘To
you alone,’ ‘Do you see now,’ and ‘You taught me to love,’ where it seems
as if the Said is almost cornering Rauf. His repetition of this word almost
seems disrespectful as in many languages, including Arabic, being very direct
isn’t considered respectful so by keeping the context of the language this text
was originally written in, it could be said that even though Said is praising
who Rauf was, he is doing it in a disrespectful manner.
The
soliloquy portrays a sense of belonging that Said enjoyed under the mentorship
and he portrays this belonging through the use of his diction. In one instance
he says ‘you protected me the first time I stole,’ and the word protected is
very powerful here as it contrasts with Said’s current situation where he has
no one who supports him and even if he has Nur as a ‘support,’ this contrast
shows his initial disregard and unimportance of her willingness to be there for
Said.
Word count: 412
Nice post, Deeksha. I enjoyed your point about it being disrespectful to address people directly in Arabic. I also thought the simile alluding to Rauf as the lion is significant, especially since later on he comes to be seen as a worthless dog in Said's eyes. The symbolism of these animals in Egyptian culture seems like an avenue for us to research. :)
ReplyDeleteDeeksha- I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I feel as if you succinctly captured the change of the dynamic of Said and Rauf's relationship. I liked your comment about how directness is not respectful in Arabic culture. Said's directness may have been too forward of him. It possibly embarrassed Rauf, who would then have wanted him to leave. The changing importance of Nur serves as a nice contrast to Rauf's lessening role in Said's life.
ReplyDeleteVery well written blogpost Deeksha, I really enjoyed reading it. I really how you referred to the animal imagery and how you further developed the point of the change between Said and Rauf's relationship. Well done!:)
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