As Said Mahran discovers that his old friend, Rauf Ilwan has turned a new page by refusing to acknowledge anything from his mischievous past, Said plans to rob his previous mentor in vengeance. He manages to infiltrate his home, only to be stopped by Rauf. However, he excuses the thief, allowing Said to be released without punishment.

Furthermore, the readers also gain a sense of culture, with the introduction of the palace of the wealthy man, Rauf Ilwan. The home is adorned with “doors made of wood in arabesque designs, its upper panel inlaid with an inscription, probably a proverb or a Koranic verse.” (pg. 185)

However, this chapter is not only dominated by animal imagery, but also with an image of death. While discussing Rauf Ilwan’s treacherous acts, Said states, “So this is the real Rauf Ilwan, the naked reality – a partial corpse not even decently underground.” (pg. 181) Furthermore, the audience will learn that this idea does not only occur in this chapter alone, but that Mahfouz repeats the use of this type of imagery in later chapters. This piece of imagery illustrates how much the protagonist despises treachery, and illustrates to the audience that Said is not one to forgive, without retaliation.

Past controlling the present:

·         “’But unless I settle my account with them, life will have no taste, because I shall not forget the past.’” (pg. 183)

In this statement, the audience learns just how much burden Said feels when reflecting on the events that occurred in the past. We can see a similarity between how Mahran feels, to the way that Paulina expresses herself in Death and the Maiden. Therefore, it leaves the readers to wonder, how far will Said go in order to relieve himself from the stress from the past? Will he go as far as Paulina, torturing her captives? Or, will he succeed in completing the actions Paulina failed to do, by killing his tormentors?

Revenge/Betrayal/Justice:

This chapter in the novel is dominated by the action of Said attempting to rob Rauf’s house. The very actions that Said completes in this chapter support the remaining three themes of revenge in this novel. After feeling that Rauf is a traitor to Said’s way of life, the protagonist attempts to infiltrate and “relieve [him] of a few worldly goods.” (pg.183) Here, Said feels as if he is doing himself justice, by retaliating towards Ilwan’s betrayal. This emphasizes the importance of these themes, as these three recurring ideas drive the plot, specifically Said’s actions. This leads us to wonder, do these recurring ideas depend on each individual? Basically, is it right to the do the wrong actions for the right reasons? For Said, I believe that this is not the case.

With the plot’s progression, comes the understanding of the way that Said feels towards his nemeses, Nabawiyya, Ilish and his newest adversary Rauf Ilwan. The main character does not seem capable of forgiving these people for their actions, especially Rauf, even though he shows compassion and sympathy towards him. While reflecting on his raid on his prior mentor’s house, Said states that “it [will] be a rich venture, indeed, and one to give an emphatic reply to the treachery of a lifetime.” (pg. 183) Here we can assume that Said feels as if Rauf’s actions of abandonment and refusal to acknowledge the past are more treacherous acts, than the ones committed by Nabawiyya and Ilish! I believe that at this point in the novel, I began to turn away from pitying Said’s misfortunes, and started to be disgusted by his actions. The relationship between the reader and the protagonist begins to spiral downwards at this point in the plot.

This chapter introduces the idea that Said could actually be the guilty one, losing the support from the readers. This is emphasized by the fact that Said robbed the home of Rauf Ilwan, even though his previous mentor had been trying to help him. In chapter three, Rauf hands over “two five-pound notes.” (pg. 180) This sympathetic gesture was a catalyst, in suggesting that Rauf feels compassion for the main character.