How do the authors of the two novels 'Broken April' and 'The Thief and the Dogs', use darkness to reflect the protagonist's state of mind?
How do the authors of the two novels 'Broken April' and 'The Thief and the Dogs', use darkness to reflect the protagonist's state of mind?
Throughout the ages of literature, darkness has often been used as symbolic in the representation of evil, fear, concealment, loneliness and blindness. The authors of the novels 'Broken April' and 'The Thief and the Dogs 'have used this image of darkness to reflect the protagonist's state of mind. Both, Kadare and Mahfouz have used dark imagery repeatedly to reflect the feelings of 'loneliness', 'isolation' and 'fear'. The dark imagery reflects the thoughts and inner sentiments of the protagonists in both the novels.
To understand the symbolism of darkness, we must first understand the role of the protagonist, the society around him, and the influence of his friends or family in shaping his character. In The thief and the Dogs, Said Mahran is the main character. Said is condemned as a criminal. He is a frustrated man who has been moulded and mistreated by his own society. He is a victim of his community. He is born poor and deprived of the basic human needs. The irresponsible and inhuman act of his wife, his friend Illish Sidra and his master Rauf Ilwan has shaken his belief in love, friendship and human values that make human life worth living. Therefore, he is constantly living a lonely, forbidden, isolated and fearful life. The image of darkness which echo's throughout the novel highlights these feelings, which affect Said's state of mind and his view on life. In Broken April, Gjorg is the protagonist. He is portrayed as a shy, soft-spoken lad. Under the Kanun (the law), he is forced to avenge his brother's death. And as per the law, he has only 30 days to live before a member of the Kryeqyqe family hunts him down. Therefore, he is living a life full of misery, fear of death, loneliness and isolation from his family and the Kanun. These aspects of his character are highlighted by the dark images throughout the novel.
In both the novels, perhaps the most important symbol of darkness is fear. In Broken April, darkness reflects Gjorgs fear of death. The 'gray sky'1, which the author has described as lonely and spread out, is a metaphor for Gjorg's state of mind. It implies that Gjorg felt fear and loneliness inside because he was going to be hunted down by the member of the Kryeqyqe family and there was no one there to support him or save him. The gloominess created by the gray imagery re-enforces the idea that he fears death. Furthermore, the lines 'his eyes ...
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In both the novels, perhaps the most important symbol of darkness is fear. In Broken April, darkness reflects Gjorgs fear of death. The 'gray sky'1, which the author has described as lonely and spread out, is a metaphor for Gjorg's state of mind. It implies that Gjorg felt fear and loneliness inside because he was going to be hunted down by the member of the Kryeqyqe family and there was no one there to support him or save him. The gloominess created by the gray imagery re-enforces the idea that he fears death. Furthermore, the lines 'his eyes would weaken in the darkness, so that one way or another, even if he was still alive, he would never see the world again.'2, indicate that Gjorg was afraid because he knew he was approaching death, since there was not much time left before his 30-day truce would be over. Gjorg knew he 'would never see the world again' because death was approaching and he was all by himself. In contrast, in The Thief and the Dogs, Said is constantly running away from the law because he is scared. Fear has set into his mind. Mahfouz tries to portray this feeling by using dark images repeatedly. The line 'walking into the open darkness, he looked cautiously around him...he must not underestimate his enemies'3 show that Said was scared to walk alone on the roads because he feared that his enemies wanted to kill him. He knew they would not rest until they saw 'him a corpse, laid out and still'. Besides that, the mention of darkness in the lines 'It was hopeless now to think of fleeing from the dark by running away into the dark.'4, implies that Said feared death but he had realized that death was inevitable and there was no way he could escape it. His life in the world was anyways filled with darkness because of fear and isolation, and he was running from his isolation from society to isolation from the world forever.
Isolation is a very important theme highlighted by the dark imagery in the novels. Isolation, in this context, refers to alienation from the society and the world. In Broken April, Kadare uses dark images to portray the feeling of isolation in Gjorg's mind and from his society. For e.g. the use of darkness in the lines 'Suddenly, on the highroad, with the night coming on, he was seized by a dark premonition... claim the protection due to a guest'5, show that Gjorg felt as if he was separated from the world. He was blinded by the darkness and he felt isolated because there was 'not a house, not a living soul' around him from whom he could 'claim protection'. Furthermore, when he was dying, he thinks of the black ox6, which still had not been sold. Here, the author is comparing Gjorg to the black ox. Black signifies isolation. Gjorg, like the black ox, was isolated from society and there was nothing he could do about it. Similarly, isolation is another important aspect of Said's character, which is constantly symbolized by darkness. For e.g. the image of darkness in the line 'Through the open door...its thick darkness unrelieved by a single glimmer of light'7, shows that Said felt that he was like the wasteland. A wasteland signifies a barren, empty stretch of land and it is a metaphor, which signifies Said's status in society. He too was like a wasteland, empty, isolated and distanced from the society. Also, the mention of darkness in the line 'Suddenly the blinding light went out and the firing stopped...all the world seemed gripped in a strange stupefaction.'8, implies that death had once and for all alienated him from the world by taking him away from it. The dark imagery, in this case, is symbolic of death and alienation.
In addition to the symbols of fear and isolation, loneliness is another important theme that darkness is symbolic of. The authors have portrayed the protagonist's as lonely and abandoned people. In Broken April, Gjorg was compelled to kill the member of the Kryeqyqe family, and after that he spent his 30-day truce on his own, submerged in his loneliness. In the Kulla of Orosh, he was alone and was left in semi-darkness9 with unknown people around him. Although the 74 towers in the Plateau were a place of refuge, they made Gjorg feel lonely, 'scattered', 'dark' and 'forbidden'10 because he would be there all by himself until 'Aprildeath' i.e. the day he was to be killed. Similarly, in The Thief and the Dogs, the author has used darkness to portray Said's loneliness. For e.g. the darkness in the lines 'The shadows are lengthening now...but you can't switch on the light.'11 show that he felt lonely waiting alone at Nurs house because he had no companionship. In addition, the silence of the graves made him feel even more lost and instilled fear and loneliness in his mind. Furthermore, the lines 'You'll have to put up with the dark, the silence, and the loneliness- for as long as the world refuses to change its naughty ways'12, implies that he felt the world had abandoned him and he had no option but to face the fact that he was lonely in this world. His ideals and concepts were different from the rest of society and according to him until the world does not change its ideals, he will always be lonely, isolated and scared. Also, the image of darkness in the lines 'in deep despair, delirious in the silence and dark...sleep finally overcame him.'13, show that after Nur had suddenly disappeared he felt even more lonely and lost, since now he had no one to talk to, to confide in, to make love to and no one who cared for him.
In conclusion, we can see the predominant use of darkness in these two novels, and how they are used to depict the protagonist's state of mind. The protagonist's relate most of their thoughts to darkness. They view everything in a dark manner. Their feelings, thoughts and actions are all a reflection of their dark minds. Isolation from society has leaded them to view the world as a dull place to live in. The author has used the image of darkness to relate to their thoughts and feelings because dark objects are referred to as gloomy, shadowy and dull objects. Likewise, Gjorg and Said have very gloomy, dull and depressed lives.
P 145 - Broken April by Ismail Kadare - Vintage 2003
2 ibid P 159
3 The Thief and the Dogs, Naguib Mahfouz, - Anchor Books 1984, P 234
4 ibid P 277
5 op. cit. Kadare, Ismail, P 76
6 ibid, P 216
7 op. cit. Mahfouz, Naquib - P 189
8 ibid, P 278
9 op. cit. Kadare, Ismail, P 60
0 ibid, P 153
1 op. cit. Mahfouz, Naquib P 213
2 ibid, P 224
3 ibid, P 265
