The
Thief and the Dogs is filled with various contrasting characters, all
of which support the protagonist. These secondary characters allow us
to further understand the protagonist, as they assist in building up
Said's persona. One could say that each character played a role in
shaping Said into the man that he was, whether it be through playing
the role of his mentor or his good friend. Through Said's internal
interior monologues, we are provided with a glimpse into how Said perceives each individual in his life. Through analysis of his character, we are able to put the puzzle pieces
together and create an assumption of the importance of each characters role has in Said's life. However, due to such characterisations
coming from a man consumed by vengeance, anger and hate,
one must question whether or not the character is being presented in their true light.
The
novel has such an array of characters, some are presented as
either trustworthy and reliable, where as others are depicted as
unreliable and untrustworthy. One the most influential characters in
the novel would have to be Sheikh Al Junaydi. We are first introduced
to the Sheikh in the second chapter when Said goes to him to seek
refuge and food. We learn that the Sheikh was Said's fathers
spiritual advisor, throughout the novel we are presented with
flashbacks of when Said was a child visiting the Sheikh with his late
father. We learn that the Said not only seeks the Sheikh for refuge
and food but he also seeks guidance. Prior to visiting the Sheikh,
Said had payed a visit to his ex- wife Nabawiyya ( who married his
ex-friend Ilish)and his daughter Sana. In an attempt to salvage
whatever was left of his relationship with his daughter, Said was
visiting with good intentions. However, when his daughter rejects him, Said is filled with the feeling of rejection and anger. Later on, he seeks the Sheikh's guidance he is told “Take a copy of the Koran
and read. . . . Also repeat the words: ‘Love is acceptance, which
means obeying His commands and refraining from what He has prohibited
and contentment with what He decrees and ordains.’”, knowing that
Said is obviously not in the best place, the Sheikh attempts to direct Said in the path of religion in attempts to allow him to find peace with god. Sheikh Al Junaydi is not only a religious symbol,
but he also symbolises prosperity, forgiveness, wisdom and compassion.
All traits in which Said does not present, as the story plot evolves
we begin to see that Said seek's the Sheikh more than once for
guidance, especially after his commitment of crimes. Through having the
Sheikh as one of the secondary characters, we are able to see just how
much he plays an important role in Said's life. Although Said does
not accept the guidance provided by the Sheikh, he always goes back to
him almost like it's where he feels the most safe. This is portrayed
when Said accidentally murdered an innocent man outside of Ilish's
old apartment ( he intended to kill Ilish for betraying him).
In
the end, it is evident that not only does Said not want to listen to the
Sheikh, he also doesn't take his advice. Through his actions of kindness and good will, the
Sheikh somewhat attempts to provide Said with a second chance, sort of
like a redemption through religion, after all the bad that he had
done. Unfortunately Said refuses to accept this religious
redemption, and so he continues to lead himself down a dark and
undesired path.
