Zaabalawi

A literary allegory is a narrative with a hidden meaning beneath the surface-level action; to interpret it, readers often need to unpack various symbols in the text. In “Zaabalawi,” Mahfouz uses the narrator’s quest for Zaabalawi to explore themes of existentialism and spirituality, with Zaabalawi himself representing a state of ultimate spiritual enlightenment.

Catharsis is a sudden release of emotion that signifies character change or spiritual renewal. In “Zaabalawi,” the narrator’s catharsis comes after experiencing a deep unconscious state during which he is visited by the titular figure (himself a symbol for spiritual awakening). However, the story reexamines the idea that catharsis prompts enduring and lasting change when Zaabalawi disappears before “curing” the narrator. In the final lines of the story, enough time has passed that the narrator briefly loses hope that he will ever meet Zaabalawi again. This uncertain ending confronts the tenuous quality of meaningful and lasting catharsis.

Although a case can be made that there are no reliable narrators in fiction, an intentionally unreliable narrator is one whose prejudices significantly shape the way they report facts and events. In “Zaabalawi,” the narrator’s naiveté shapes the story, limiting its