Death has been a prevalent theme in the literature of all cultures throughout the ages. In The Thief and the Dogs, author Naguib Mahfouz explores the realm of death and its interconnections with life. Witnessing the turmoil of Egyptian revolutions since childhood, it is no wonder that Mahfouz creates a fictional world that mirrors the chaos of his nation with a protagonist whose role is to confront the confusion of the contemporary world and revisit the cores of traditional values, one of which is the relationship between life and death. The author's use of the cemetery symbol not only clarifies the protagonist's confusion regarding a betraying world, but also clarifies Mahfouz's point of view on death. The symbolism of the cemetery darkly embodies Said Mahran's inherent decaying psyche and his perception of the world, conjuring up a philosophical statement about death as the final "truth" that Said had so madly pursued. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The vast expanse of the cemetery, which serves as the backdrop in which the novel unfolds, is symbolic of Said Mahran's psychological decadence. Although Said's death at the end of the novel may seem hasty, it is an illusion. Mahfouz's use of the cemetery symbol suggests that, at some level of consciousness, Said always knew of his impending death. The sense of doom and despondency is revealed to readers when Nur asks after a long day at work, “How did you spend your time” and Said dejectedly replies, “among the shadows and the graves” (157). The shadows gradually advance, looming over Said's person and slowly killing his sanity. Towards the end of the novel, what is left of Said when the dogs surround him is no longer a full human being, but only a physical body devoid of spirit or emotion. The symbolism of the cemetery acts as a killer of his soul, as is the consummate silence, which gradually drains Said of all human emotion and reason. He, at a certain point, speaks to himself: "The silence of the tombs is more intense, but you can't turn on the light... your eyes will get used to the darkness, like in prison and all those ugly faces" (95). To some extent, on a subconscious level, Said stares at the killer of his sanity, the silence of the graves, and ambiguously recognizes the ongoing transformations in his mental state, but is unable to defend himself due to his blind rage of rage. revenge. Said's extreme hatred for his traitors brings about an inevitable sadness in his life, a darkness that "created a black wall in his path." Without dispute, Said "dived among the graves in the labyrinthine path." (155) Said's final death is not unexpected, but an inevitable eventuality. The "ghost of death" finally emerges from the shadows, prowling in the darkness. hatred, the growing greed to kill, prefigures and leads to his own death. Said is psychologically killed numerous times by the silent solitude of the cemetery before the shadows of hatred and paranoia finally take their toll on his physical existence. While the cemetery symbolizes a sad and lonely spiritual ruin in Said Mahran, it also serves as a more direct symbol as traitors are compared to corpses in graves. The novella revolves around characters who live in the lower strata of society, such as criminals, prostitutes and thieves. Therefore, in a sense, they are already “underground,” buried in their own graves, while a new nation, created by the Egyptian revolution of 1952, continues to survive above them. Even moreimportantly, the cemetery becomes a personal symbol for Said and becomes symbolic of his perception of the world, taking on a special quality as intense emotional animosity is directly linked to the corpses in the cemetery. Said constantly refers to the people who had betrayed him as associated with the cemetery, as if the whole world was already dead in his eyes: "So this is the real Rauf Iwan, the naked reality --- a partial corpse not even decently underground" ( 47). The stretch of cemetery surrounding Said's temporary residence serves to remind him that he is most alone in the world, as all those who are dead and buried underground no longer have any tangible relationship with him. The dead father seems to exist only in the dream state, far from violent reality, and his mother is never mentioned. Therefore, no emotional ties bind Said to the people buried in the cemetery; her total silence isolates him, discouraging him from dwelling further on the Dead or the afterlife. The melancholy of the graves fails to provide Said with human company, and the people still alive around him are equally indifferent. Therefore, Said considers the living as useless as the dead, associating them with the corpses buried in the cemetery. The cemetery symbolizes Said's lack of faith in both the afterlife and the present world. Although the cemetery exemplifies Said's sad perception of the world and spiritual loneliness, the symbolism also serves as an antithesis, ironically becoming Said's source of strength. Indeed, Said feels minimal emotional attachment to those buried underground, but he believes deeply in the cemetery's ethereal quality and its melancholic authority. Said's faith in the unknown power of the cemetery is greater than his faith in the Sheikh himself. Instead of gaining spiritual support from the sheikh, it is in the graves that Said seeks spiritual power, as he believes the cemetery radiates "a force stronger than death itself" (101). Ironically, it is in the graves that Said will eventually be buried. He thus returns to the very place that gave him strength. Death takes on a mystical nature as Said considers that "all those things lying out there in the graveyard under the window will help him" (114). The corpses buried underground, breathing silently in all their entirety, take on a solemn authority in Said's soul and the twisted silence fuels his madness, giving him the power to continue pursuing his revenge. Death, in all its entirety and solemnity, seems to mock the banal conflicts that afflict those who are still alive. Here it is suggested that death is surreal; it is a perennial mystery as the Dead cannot tell its story to the Living. Just like the philosophy discussed behind the Allegory of the Cave of Socrates, as told by Plato, those who seek the final truth, the final revelation, will have forever passed to the other side of reality. Said Mahran believes that death is the final revelation and the final reality, and it is his belief in this final peace that allows him to face death with ready acceptance. Mahfouz describes the cemetery with a tone of respectful submission: “How many graves there are, spread out as far as the eye can see. Their tombstones are like hands raised in surrender… A city of silence and truth, where murder and victim meet, where thieves and police lie side by side in peace for the first and last time” (89). The cemetery carries with it the overlapping theme, the overall atmosphere of the tale that "final peace" is always harmony. Described as a city where complete opposites reside in harmony, the cemetery symbolizes final peace; death puts an end to all hatred existing in the world of the Living. Said was lost in confusion trying to grasp the abstract idea of ​​death and the afterlife, and finally.