Summary of the chapters of the novel The Thief and the Dogs

About the novel The Thief and the Dogs

The novel The Thief and the Dogs is based on the basic conflict between the thief and the dogs, or Said Mahran and society, as this conflict forms the pillar that connects the parts of the novel from the first line to the last line, and the author does not provide any introductions or definitions of the characters in the novel, as he pushes the reader directly to the basic situation In the novel, where this novel portrays Saeed's character as a thief who got out of prison after spending four years in it treacherously from the people closest to him, then he tries to take revenge on them because they abandoned and trampled on the original values ​​so that there would be a meaning to life instead of absurdity, and so he decided to take revenge on Dogs, but his attempt hit the innocent and the enemies escaped, which increases the burden, complexity and misfortune, and he throws his final fate in a careless graveyard. He won the attention of the people and the sympathy of many of them. Mahmoud Amin broke the law to take revenge on his wife and his lawyer because they betrayed him and deprived him of his money and daughter, so he committed many crimes against the police and against members of society.

Summary of the chapters of the novel The Thief and the Dogs

chapter one

The first chapter of the novel summarizes:

• Saeed Mahran is released from prison after four years in it. Saeed Mahran heads to the neighborhood where he used to live.
• Saeed Baalish meets with the presence of the informant and some of the neighbors in order to demand his daughter, money and books from him.
• Alish denies the existence of the money, and refuses to hand over the girl without a court ruling, but gives Saeed the rest of the books.

Chapter II

The events of the second chapter are summarized as follows:

• Saeed Mahran heads to the mountain road, where his father's friend, the Sheikh, tries to convince the Sheikh to accept his hospitality.
• In his dialogue, the sheikh focuses on spiritual values, and Saeed clings to the decision to take revenge on his unfaithful wife and Alish, who betrayed him.
• Saeed spends his first night in the hospitality of Sheikh Ali Al Junaidi.

Chapter III

The events of this chapter are summarized as follows:

• Said goes to Al-Zahra newspaper, where he fails to meet his childhood friend, the journalist Raouf.
• Saeed heads to Raouf's house, where they meet and exchange memories at the table.
• Raouf is disturbed by Saeed's hints that criticize his social status, and the meeting ends with Raouf's assertion that this meeting is his last meeting with Saeed.

the fourth chapter

This chapter is summarized as follows:

• Saeed recalls the events of the betrayal that occurred from the people closest to him, as Alish is Saeed Mahran's boy who reported him to the police in order to obtain his wife and money, and the memories of his wife Nabawiyya who betrayed him with Alish, and the memories of his friend Raouf the opportunist.
• Saeed decides to take revenge and start with Raouf.
• Saeed robbed Raouf's house and ambushed him to expel him from the house.

Chapter V

The events of this chapter revolve around Saeed going to the café where friends gather, and obtaining the gun from the café owner, Tarzan, and meeting Nour, who planned with him to seduce a prostitute and steal his car.

Chapter six

This chapter is summarized by imagining the success of the plan drawn up by Nour to set up her rival, and Saeed manages to steal the car and the money.

Chapter VII

Saeed begins to carry out his revenge, starting with Alish's house, which he broke into at night and surprised him with a bullet. Alish fell dead, and did not kill his wife, intending to take care of his daughter Sana, then Saeed fled after making sure that what he had done had succeeded.

Chapter VIII

Saeed, after the crime he committed in Alish, resorts to the house of Sheikh Ali Al-Junaidi at dawn, where he slept soundly until afternoon, to wake up to a nightmare in which reality intertwines with imagination, as he receives news of a crime that killed an innocent person named Shaaban Hussein, and it was disappointing news that heralds the onset of Trouble, so Said fled to the mountain to avoid the police.

Chapter Nine

The killing of Shaaban Hussein is represented in the worsening of Saeed's situation, and he is forced to change the plan, so he goes to Nour, as he liked her place of residence, which is hidden from the eyes of the police, as Nour welcomed Saeed and his long stay.

Chapter Ten

Saeed showed his satisfaction with his new residence, and Nour’s departure and remaining alone was an opportunity for him to relive the memories that introduced him to Nabawiya and their marriage, which resulted in his daughter Sana, then the memories of Alish’s treachery and his wife Nabawiyya’s betrayal, then he returns to his reality with Nour, who brought him food and newspapers, who are still interested in the details of Saeed’s crime. And the killing of Alish, with Raouf at length exaggerating and exaggerating the image of the criminal Saeed by turning him into a bloodthirsty, and Saeed asks Nour to buy him a cloth suitable for a suit for a new revenge plan.

Chapter Eleven

Saeed returns to his memories that make him forget about isolation when Nour is absent from the house, where he recalls the details of his childhood with his doorman father, and how he was influenced by the spiritual upbringing of Sheikh Ali Al-Junaidi, and his admiration for the magnanimity of Raouf, who instilled in him the principles of rebellion and who encouraged him to rob the rich as a legitimate right, then Nour comes interrupting the tape His memories are exhausted from the beating she suffered from one of her clients, and Saeed tries to lift her spirits and ease her pain.

Chapter twelve

Saeed finishes sewing the officer's uniform, which increases Nour's fear that Saeed will be lost again, especially since the press is still preoccupied with his crime, and the police are desperately trying to arrest him. Tarzan warns him not to approach the café because there are informants in it.

Chapter Thirteen

The situation worsens when Saeed visits Tarzan, who informs him of the presence of the teacher Bayada in order to conclude a deal.

Chapter fourteen

Saeed begins to implement his plan by putting on the officer's disguise, and heading towards Raouf's house, where she surprises him as he gets out of the car. Saeed flees after an exchange of fire with the police, and Nour returns home, afraid that Saeed will be lost after news spread of the attempt on Raouf's life.

Chapter fifteen

Saeed did not succeed in killing Raouf, and the doorman fell victim to Saeed's mistake, which was a great disappointment for Saeed, but it only increased his insistence on killing Raouf again, whatever the cost.

Chapter sixteen

In this chapter, the beginning of the end is summed up, and the result is shown through sudden developments that contradict Saeed's ambitions, as Nour suddenly disappeared, and Tarzan, who brought him food and warned him again of the informants who were trying to arrest him in the cafe.

Chapter seventeen

Nour comes to the house threatening to be emptied, so the house becomes a danger to him, so he flees to the mountain at Sheikh Ali Al-Junaidi, where the end will be very close.

Chapter eighteen

Saeed wakes up, finds the place besieged by the police, and takes refuge in the cemetery, where he ended up after his desperate resistance.