• Dr. Khaled Abkar Alkodimi

  Author

This paper reads Sonallah Ibrahim’s novel Dhat as a prophecy that foreshadow
the signs of the current Egyptian revolution that took place at the turn of the 21st century,
and which has inspired other Arabic regions as well. His satiric attitude highlights issues of
social injustice, in particular, class oppression in Egypt. However, the question is, what are
the narrative techniques that Ibrahim used to express his perspectives? And to what extent
these views reflect the social reality of Egypt. The paper argues that Ibrahim’s angry tone is
largely delivered through intertextuality and symbolism which appeared to be the driving
force of Ibrahim's social satire. The discussion mainly focuses on the use of these satirical
devices through which Ibrahim presented a panoramic view of social injustice in his society.
It concludes with the view that Ibrahim’s critical skills have been carefully interwoven to
suggest the sharp socio-economic contrast of the existing situation which ultimately leads
to the burst of the Arabic spring.

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