Half A Day Naguib Mahfouz NOTES

Half a Day
- short story -
Naguib Mahfouz
I. ESSAY
A critical appreciation of ‘Half a Day’ by Naguib Mahfouz.

OR
‘Half a Day’ as an allegory.
‘Half a Day’ is a short story by Nobel Prize-winning Egyptian writer, Naguib Mahfouz. It is
an allegory that describes the life-cycle of a man. The narrator begins the day as a little boy
entering school for the first time, but leaves as an old man in “half a day”.
It’s morning. A father is walking a little boy, the narrator, to school for the first
time. The boy struggles to keep pace with his father. The father says that the day marks an
important stage in the boy’s life. The boy becomes nervous. He feels that he is being
punished. His anxiety increases when he arrives at school.
The boy finds that children are divided into groups at school. A lady advises them to
accept school as their new home. The children enjoy the new environment. They attend
classes, play games, nap, and make new friends. As time goes on, they realize that the new
stage of their life involves hard work and frustration.
It’s evening. The narrator comes out of school. His father is not there waiting for
him. So, he tries to walk home. He meets a middle-aged man on the way. He also finds that
the city has changed dramatically since morning. The garden has disappeared. There are
crowds of people, cars, and tall buildings. A grandfather now, he is unable to cross a busy
street. He wonders when he would be able to cross.
The “half a day” spent in school is thus an allegory. The narrator enters the
schoolyard as a little boy and leaves it as a grandfather in “half a day”.
II. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two:
1. Why did the narrator wear new clothes?

The narrator wore new clothes because he was going to school for the first time.
2. Explain how the child challenges the idea of schooling.

The child would run towards his mother from time to time, as though appealing for help. He
also challenged his father: “Why school?” He said that he would never do anything to annoy
him.
3. "I was not convinced." Explain the child's thoughts on schooling.

The child believed that taking him away from the intimacy of his home was useless. He also
thought that throwing him into that huge school building that looked like a high-walled
fortress would not serve any purpose.
4. How did the father motivate the child when he hesitated to enter the class?
Gently pushing the child from him, the father asked him to be a man. He further said that the
child truly began life on that day. In this way, the father motivated the child.
5. Why did the boy feel like a stranger in the school?

The boy slowly entered the schoolyard but saw nothing. Gradually, the faces of boys and
girls came into view. He did not know any student, and none of them knew him. He felt like a
stranger.
6. What do you think about the teachers' attempt to console the children by calling school a
new home?
When the little children entered the schoolyard, some of them started crying. Then a lady
tried to console them saying, “This is your new home.” It’s in this way that teachers make
children feel comfortable.
7. The boy fumed happy after he found the rich variety in school. Comment.
The boy felt very happy at the rich variety in the school. Boys and girls met and made
friends. There were swings and other toys. The children practised music and language. They
enjoyed delicious food and nap.
8. What realizations made the narrator say, "We did not find it as totally sweet and unclouded
as presumed"?
Though life was exciting at school, it had its darker side as well. Dust-laden winds and
unexpected accidents occurred. So they had to be watchful and patient. Rivalries brought
pain, hatred and fighting. The lady sometimes scolded and punished them.
9. Write a short note on the narrative technique used by the author.

The author uses the first person narrative technique in the story, ‘Half a Day’. In this type of
narration, the narrator tells the story from his/her own point of view.
10. Why did the boy resist his father's attempt to send him to school? What made him ask the
question 'Why School'?
The boy resisted his father's attempt to send him to school because he did not want to leave
the intimacy of home. He thought that school was a place for punishment.
III. Answer in a paragraph:
1. Explain the use of 'home' as a symbol in the story.

‘Half a Day’ is an allegory that describes the life-cycle of a man. The “home” is used
as a powerful symbol of a seat of intimacy, love and warmth. The day opens as a father is
walking a little boy, the narrator, to school for the first time. From time to time, the child
would run towards his mother, as though appealing for help. He feels that he is being
punished. He also challenges his father: “Why school?” To him home is the place of comfort.
He does not like to be taken away from there.
2. The title of the story carries two edges of life. Explain.

The title, ‘Half a Day’ carries two edges of life. The story is an allegory. The narrator begins
the day as a young boy entering school for the first time. He leaves the schoolyard an old man
in only “half a day.” The boy is happy at school. Boys and girls meet and make friends. There
is entertainment, music, language, food, and nap. But it has its darker side as well. Dust-laden
winds and unexpected accidents occur. So, they should be watchful and patient. Rivalries
bring pain, hatred and fighting. The lady gives both carrot and stick.
3. "There was no question of ever returning to the paradise of home" - is it about the brevity
of human life? Comment.
The story 'Half a Day’ is an allegory. It shows the transience of life and the passage of
time. It traces the narrator's life from his time as a school boy till he becomes a grandfather.
Time passes so fast that he is taken back by the sudden transformation. The boy goes to
school and by the end of the day he tries to return home. He loses his way and is caught up in
a busy street unable to cross it. He will never return to the comfort of his home. The story is
about the brevity of life.

Half A Day Naguib Mahfouz NOTES

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Half a Day

A critical appreciation of ‘Half a Day’ by Naguib Mahfouz.

II. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two:

1. Why did the narrator wear new clothes?

2. Explain how the child challenges the idea of schooling.

3. "I was not convinced." Explain the child's thoughts on schooling.

5. Why did the boy feel like a stranger in the school?

9. Write a short note on the narrative technique used by the author.

III. Answer in a paragraph:

1. Explain the use of 'home' as a symbol in the story.

2. The title of the story carries two edges of life. Explain.

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