Passage Analysis

“So this is the real Rauf Ilwan, the naked reality—a partial corpse not even decently underground. The other Rauf Ilwan has gone, disappeared, like yesterday, like the first day in the history of man—like Nabawiyya’s love or Ilish’s loyalty. I must not be deceived by appearances. His kind words are cunning, his smiles no more than a curl of the lips, his generosity a defensive flick of the fingers and only a sense of guilt moved him to let me cross the threshold of his house. You made me and now you reject me: Your ideas create their embodiment in my person and then you simply change them, leaving me lost—rootless, worthless, without hope—a betrayal so vile that if the whole Muqattam hill toppled over and buried it, I still would not be satisfied.

I wonder if you ever admit, even to yourself, that you betrayed me. Maybe you’ve deceived yourself as much as you try to deceive others. Hasn’t your conscience bothered you even in the dark? I wish I could penetrate your soul as easily as I’ve penetrated your house, that house of mirrors and objets d’art, but I suppose I’d find nothing but betrayal there: Nabawiyya disguised as Rauf, Rauf disguised as Nabawiyya, or Ilish Sidra in place of both—and betrayal would cry out to me that it was the lowest crime on earth. Their eyes behind my back must have traded anxious looks throbbing with lust, which carried them in a current crawling like death, like a cat creeping on its belly towards a bewildered sparrow. ”

Excerpt From: Naguib Mahfouz. “The Thief & the Dogs.”

Once again, Said is caught up in the continuos betrayal from those close to him. "The other Rauf Ilwan has gone, disappeared, like yesterday, like the first day in the history of man—like Nabawiyya’s love or Ilish’s loyalty." He catogorizes Rauf's identity as his most significant attribute, "like Nabawiyya’s love or Ilish’s loyalty." Said considers Rauf’s success as betrayal to him and his principles. Rauf's betrayal causes Said to hover on the side of paranoia, stating that "I must not be deceived by appearances."

The effect of Rauf's betrayal on Said is exemplified and further emphasized in the claim "You made me and now you reject me: Your ideas create their embodiment in my person and then you simply change them, leaving me lost—rootless, worthless, without hope—a betrayal so vile that if the whole Muqattam hill toppled over and buried it, I still would not be satisfied." Rauf plays a critical role as his mentor, who he values "more than the Sheik", who infused in him a political and moral spirit. In order to meet his selfish ends, he has joined the mainstream - the stream of power, politics, pleasures and corruption. Said, on the other hand, is led to be a criminal or rather a blot on the society - a society that begets and nourishes corruption. The delineation of Said evokes our sympathies for him in spite of his apparently anti-social activities.  Said having been betrayed by his comrades, he felt the loss of the moral values that inspired him to take action against those who are in the mainstream. Especially by Rauf, his past mentor, who justified his first theft.

Furthermore, although the writer portrays him as an intelligent man, his reaction after finding that Rauf had become a wealthy newspaper journalist was hostile. This reaction does not show intelligence but jealousy and illiteracy.