Truth to the Neighborhood Gangster

Throughout the text Fountain and Tomb written by Naguib Mahfouz, the narrator grows up in a tight community where there is a central theme focused around beliefs and traditions. In the narrator’s community, the takiya (located in the center of the alley) is the spiritual sanctuary in which embodies the theme of the community being centered on beliefs and traditions. One specific character, Gaalus Daneneeri draws a central focus around himself as well as the community’s beliefs. Gaalus is viewed not only by the community but also himself as a “thug” and one of the meanest gangsters in the alley. His physical appearance and reign of terror cause people to fear him, yet because he is the only sense of order, asides from the takiya, that the community knows, they also respect him. Gaalus gains his powers by being not only what the community fears but also what they respect. He lives his life according to his own will but also through the beliefs and values of the community.

Gaalus Daneneeri’s title as being “one of the meanest gangsters in the neighborhood history” (72) comes about in a time when the community knew nothing than other gangsters ruling them. The community was led

not by a central well respected authoritarian but by neighborhood “thugs.” They were used to being dominated by such strong physical forces that they grew to accept the “monster like man,” and adjusted their lives to staying as far away from him as they could to give him his space. When the narrator is out one day with his father, they come across Gaalus; the narrator is in such awe of the man’s physical size that he just stares at him. “When I stare at him in obvious awe, my father practically jerks my arm off. ‘What are you, nuts? Mind your own business.’” (Mahfouz 72). Even the children are shown by example from their parents to fear this strong man. Even though Gaalus has never exerted any physical force on the narrator or his father, they are taught by the community to fear this man. The community’s belief about Gaalus was that he could destroy anything in sight; “I ask if Gaalus is stronger than Antara, the Hercules of Africa. My father smiles and says, ‘Antara is only a legend. But this guy is for real, Allah preserve us’” (73). Despite the fact that Gaalus is feared by the community, they still have some respect for him.

Besides for the fact that Gaalus is physically stronger than most men, everyone in the community obeys Gaalus because they know of no other source of human protection to trust. The narrator states that “The protection racket (Gaalus) was the only force of order we knew. It was a kick in the teeth, yes, but it also meant dignity and pride” (72). The community knew that the takiya is the only source of true sanctuary in the alley and they knew that it was always going to be there for them to admire. The community also knew that Allah was always going to be there for them to worship everyday and pray to for help and protection. However, the community did not know if they were going to be alive each and everyday. They had no human protector that they could rely on to protect their family or the community. Gaalus was the only human that defended them from other gangsters. It was a “kick in the teeth” for them because he could destroy anything in sight, including his own community, but he could also protect his own community from outside forces and the community trusted this. They relied on him for this reason; this is why they took pride in having him as their protector and leader in a sense.

Gaalus was different than most of the men in the community. Gaalus was not just physically stronger but he stood up for his beliefs and did things for himself. He would do whatever he felt like even if that included insulting his own religion. “He … curses religion on his way home from worship” (73) even though he does curse religion he still makes an attempt to attend. The fact that Gaalus does attend worship shows that he is following not only his own beliefs but also the beliefs