TATD passage and analysis

When Said realizes that he killed an innocent man instead of Ilish Sidra

Chapter: 8

Passage:

A voice outside the window hawked The Sphinx. Said got up at once, walked to the window, called the newspaper boy, handed him a small coin, and returned with the paper to where he’d been sitting, forgetting all about the Sheikh, his eyes riveted to a huge black headline: “Dastardly Murder in the Citadel Quarter!” He devoured the lines beneath in a flash, not understanding anything. Was this another murder? His own picture was there and so were pictures of Nabawiyya and Ilish Sidra, but who was that bloodstained man? His own life story was staring at him too, sensational doings blown in every direction like dust in a whirlwind – the story of a man who came out of prison to find his wife married to one of his underlings. But who was the bloodstained man? How had his bullet entered this stranger’s chest? This victim was someone else and Said was seeing him for the first time in his life. You’d better start reading again.

Analysis:

This passage reveals to the readers that Said killed the wrong man when going to kill Ilish Sidra. It creates tension and furthers the conflict and complication within Said’s journey. After reading about Said going to murder Ilish Sidra, the conflict of the novel somewhat decreases and it takes a dip, allowing a breather for the readers after the tension. In this passage is when the conflict starts to pick up again when Said realizes he did not kill who he thought he did. This advances the conflict in the book as Said’s ‘mission’ of killing his betrayer is uncompleted and he is now wanted by the police.

The passage starts off quite quiet and peaceful, then suddenly shifts to a tense mood evoking inquisitiveness within the readers. The peacefulness, in the beginning, is supported by the phrase, “and returned with the paper to where he’d been sitting, forgetting all about the Sheikh”. It shows that Said woke up, unbothered about what he had done the night before and was planning on just going about his day with the Sheikh. As soon as Said reads the striking headline, Mahfouz creates an image in the reader's mind of Said’s face draining of emotion and triggering overthinking not only in Said but also in the audience. “He devoured the lines beneath in a flash”, Mahfouz uses a metaphor to exhibit his worry and stress.

After reading this passage, there is an abundance of questions that come rushing to the reader's minds such as, “Does he deserve to go back to jail? Does Said realize what a terrible person he actually is? Is he going to go back and try to do it again or did this teach him a lesson? Is this a higher power showing him that he shouldn’t kill Ilish Sidra? Does he feel guilty? Will he turn himself in?” The curiosity within the readers is endless.

Mahfouz depicts Said’s anxiousness through the use of internal monologue in the final line of the passage, states, “You’d better start reading again”. Ultimately, the sentence also evokes tension and curiosity within readers as Said’s future remains unknown. This event characterizes Said, as it makes him realize how reckless and over-eager it was to get the job done. It also further shows that Said was so shocked reading the newspaper headline that he almost didn’t believe it was true. Throughout the passage, Said repeats the question of “Who is this bloodstained man?”. Said showcases confuses and doubt but nervousness and anxiousness at the same time. The ‘bloodstained man’ being the man he had mistaken Ilish Sidra for the previous night.