Stream of Consciousness in "the Thief and the Dogs" and "broken April"
Summary:
There are different methods for Stream of Consciousness mainly "interior monologue" and "free indirect style." These 2 are used in the 2 different books - "The Thief and the Dogs" and "Broken April" respectively.
Stream of consciousness is the literary technique used by the writer to show the thoughts and feelings of a character. This technique shows us the inner thoughts that are going on in the characters mind and show us the characters point of view on a certain subject or topic of relevance. Stream of consciousness writing is strongly associated with the modernist movement.
There are different methods for Stream of Consciousness mainly "interior monologue" and "free indirect style." These 2 are used in the 2 different books - "The Thief and the Dogs" and "Broken April" respectively.
In the book "The Thief and the Dogs" Naguib Mahfouz, the author uses Stream of Consciousness to a great effect. He uses this technique to tell us what is going in the mind of Said who is the protagonist. The story is about Said and his life; his thoughts and beliefs. The story is written from the point of view of Said and not the society. This could only be done with the help of the stream of consciousness. Using Interior Monologue, Mahfouz brings out the thoughts and aspirations of Said. Through this we come to know of Said's past. It helps us to understand why and how he has changed to the Said he is today. The story continues with us knowing the thoughts of Said at every step. It makes clearer the relationship between his daughter, Sana. Why and under which circumstances his x-wife Nabawiyya left Said for Ilish are also well portrayed. Whenever the Sheikh speaks the thoughts of Said too are put forth with the help of Interior Monologue. For example, when Said meets the Sheikh for the first time after getting out of jail, the Sheikh does not directly welcome him. Said feels that he can't understand the Sheikh and says in his thoughts," My father could understand you. But me you turned away from, treating me as if you were turning me out of your house." This shows us what Said feels for the Sheikh when he first enters the house of the Sheikh and hence it is possible to make a contrast later in the book and see the growth of Said.
Mahfouz uses stream of consciousness to give a more realistic picture of Said and make the reader feel that he is for real. It puts you into Said's shoes and makes u think like him. All the dreams and aspirations of Said make the reader feel like they are his. It is used very well and helps to make a strong connection between the reader and Said. It even helps in the plot of the story. Stream of consciousness is used throughout the book only for Said and no one else. Said is actually an anti-hero but owing to stream of consciousness he gains a lot of sympathy from the readers.
The theme of the book is mainly crime, society and redemption. Mahfouz uses this technique to his advantage and in this way even the theme of the story becomes clearer to the reader. The title "The Thief and the Dogs" is also aptly described with the help of stream of consciousness. Rauf and Ilish represent society and oppress Said and that's why Said thinks of them as "dogs" and of himself as the "thief." After being betrayed by two of his closest friends and his wife and daughter he feels lonely and hence wants revenge. He wants his daughter to call him "daddy" and come running into his arms like he wants her to but that doesn't happen. This is why he thinks that even his daughter deceived him and decides to never be deceived by appearances. His thoughts are always brought forth which help him as well as the reader to justify his every act. Even when he kills the wrong person he moves on and still has revenge on his mind. The entire story revolves around Said and his feelings.
"Broken April", the story by Ismail Kadare is another example of this technique. Here the author uses "free indirect style" of stream of consciousness. Here it is not only used for the central character but also for other characters too. The central character is Gjorg and here the author talks on behalf of Gjorg. Stream of consciousness is also used for other characters such as Bessian and Diana. The author uses this technique to tell us what each and every character is thinking in the story and about the surrounding situation. Here the reader can't make a connection with Gjorg as he is not speaking for himself. It seems like a story being told to us by someone else. The reader does get an idea of the story and can see a clear picture but does not feel one with the central character. As there is an outsider's point of view in the whole story we can see the story taking place in front of our eyes. Here too stream of consciousness is used to gain the sympathy of the readers. The plot of the story itself is written in such a way that the reader feels sympathetic for Gjorg and the circumstances he is in.
The story starts with Gjorg killing another man and hence the readers get a shock right in the beginning. They are explained the surrounding and the "kanun" and the reason for Gjorg's behavior. All this is through the stream of consciousness. The writer guides you through the minds of the protagonist i.e. Gjorg, and tells you everything that he thinks but only as plain narration and not as a story from the central characters pint of view. The writer manages to create place for Gjorg in the readers' heart but it is not the same as in "The Thief and the Dogs."
The same technique is used for Diana and Bessian too. Diana has come to the high plateau of the north with her husband Bessian Vorpsi on their honeymoon. Diana had just come there for the sake of her husband and throughout the story we see the author describing the thoughts of Diana when she sees the plateau and learns about the "kanun" present there. She does not like the thought of it but her husband who is a writer and has written a lot of books on the "kanun" finds it a very interesting topic. He wants to learn more about it and experience it. All this is told to us by the author and not the characters. Mark Ukacierra is also a character in this story who is the steward of the blood is also described by the author. His thoughts, worries and feelings are all told to us by the author using stream of consciousness as a medium.
This technique is used in both books by the authors very brilliantly and brings out the essence of the story as well as the characters.
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