~Half
a Day~
Naguib
Mahfouz
(b.
1911)
EGYPT
Naguib
Mahfouz was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988. He was
the first Arab writer to win the prestigious award and only the
second from the African continent. A prolific writer, by the time of
the Nobel Prize Mahfouz had written nearly 25 novels and a dozen
volumes of short stories, in addition to several plays and
screenplays.
The
text of the story is given here:
NOTES
Meanings
of Difficult Words:
- Tarboosh: a tassled cap often worn by Muslim men and made from felt or cloth.
- Unmarred: good, acceptable.
- Fortress: stronghold, barrier.
- Intricate: complicated, elaborate.
- Vaulting: jumping over, springing.
- Exertion: hard work, labour.
- Perseverance: diligence, hard work.
- Gallantly: bravely, courageously.
Few
Important Lines:
- Living beings were drawn to other living beings.
- Dust-laden winds and unexpected accidents came about suddenly, so we had to be watchful, at the ready, and very patient.
- Good Lord! Where was the street lined with gardens? Where had it disappeared to? When did all these vehicles invade it? And when did all these hordes of humanity come to rest upon its surface?
- “Let the fire take its pleasure in what it consumes.”
Important
Points:
The
story has no proper plot layout, simply certain ideas are discussed
and theme is given importance. Naguib Mahfouz is famous for these
kinds of plots. The story is about the general life of a person,
about good and evil, human biasness and weaknesses. Climax of the
story occurs when the readers realize that the narrator is no longer
a boy, but a grown man. There is a time shift in the story.
Different stages of a man's life are shown, from innocence to
maturity.
There
are several symbols used in the story and it is important to explain
them. The title
of the story itself is ironic, it is meant to suggest half a day of
school but the story does not simply cover 'half a day', it covers
the whole lifetime of the narrator. Time is relative, it does not
actually pass quickly, it only seems that way. A good comparison for
the passing of time would be from Shakespeare's Sonnet 60. The Gate
of the school building represents a barrier or a shift from the
garden of paradise to hell, a shift from innocence of childhood to
the practical life of an adult. The snake
symbolizes fear, danger, deceit, disguise and guile. It is symbolic
in the way that in the story of Adam and Eve ( from John Milton's
epic Paradise
Lost),
Satan comes in the form of a snake hidden behind flowers to cunningly
misguide Eve. The school
symbolizes training, nurturing, education, knowledge, upbringing etc.
Garden
represents the circle of life, harmony, peace, colours of life, a
paradise or the ideal state that everyone aspires for, a perfection
of nature and beauty, dominance of nature. Buildings/Factory
represents industrial revolution in today's world, man's struggle
against machines, advance of technology over human life, it can
signify order and discipline considering the way that the buildings
are arranged in order, a pattern, but order and discipline should be
in our lives. Globe
of the earth
signifies the passing time as it revolves. Crossroads
represents unexpected happenings and a choice between different
paths, just the way humans have chosen the path of destruction,
nuclear weapons, technology and material gains over the path of
morality and virtue. Fire
represents evil, wrongdoings, danger, damage, hell, and all the bad
deeds. It also represents jealousy, lust for power, money,
selfishness, deceit, materialism and mass consumerism.
In
the last paragraph the narrator is using the technique of rhetorical
questions. The narrator is actually showing a picture of modern life,
he is showing us the mirror. As opposed to the garden of life shown
earlier, it has been now taken over by technology, increasing human
population, materialism. Our life has become very fierce, demanding
and dangerous. We are living in a deceptive world where people have
forsaken their morality and humanity in order to leave others behind
in the mad race for power and fame. People will do anything to get
what they want, their eyes are filled with lust and greed. We are
caught up in trivial issues such as moneymaking and hording wealth in
our homes, we do not know what path we have chosen and where it will
lead to, we do not know where we're heading. There is a lack of
humanity and moral virtues. We have become very superficial and we
expect others to be the same way. We are now drawn against human
beings and our mind sees a potential threat in even our closest
relatives, we feel everyone is trying to put us down and get ahead of
us, or trick us into poverty. We can relate this idea to that In “The
Chief Guest” by Akhtar Jamal. There is a severe deterioration of
moral values in the society, a reversal or transition of values. The
narrator has tried to show us the consequences of such destruction;
what there was, what there is, and what will be if we do not mend our
ways.
Life
is passing in a split second, it is beyond our control, we are soon
able to accept this and adjust ourselves according to the demands of
the fast-paced world. Humans are resigned to destructive elements,
similar to our acceptance of the constructive elements in life.
“Half
a Day” by Naguib Mahfouz is an allegorical short story that
reflects the journey of life and the speed in which it begins and
ends. It also gives representation to stages and changes that occur
within a person during their time on Earth. “Half a Day”,
can only be fully understood through its symbolism and is not
intended to be interpreted literally. In order to fully
understand the reader must be able to comprehend that each part has a
greater meaning then the words that appear on the paper and that each
meaning is greater than the one before. In addition, Mahfouz
uses elaborate figurative and descriptive language, painting a vivid
picture and allowing the reader to be present in the moment.
Though
there are not many characters in this story, their importance is of
the utmost. They are emblematic as well, each having
additional meanings as well as their literal interpretation. His
father holding his hand could also represent the hand of God leading
him along a righteous path or ushering him in and out of life. The
mother admires her son quietly and from afar, leaving the task of
guiding a boy to manhood to her husband. The teacher is the
rule-maker, identified as a person. She keeps order and
punishes those who cannot or will not abide. His classmates
are all the people that he becomes acquainted with over time, females
that he has had relationship with and loved. However, not all
are good people nor do they all have the same opportunities,
prompting the decision making that all children must make on their
road to adulthood. The most central character is the boy himself
beginning his day as a young lad and progressing into teenager, young
man, middle age and finally an old man looking for his final
home.
This short story is deceitfully ironic because it is about a man that lives his entire life in the span of a day starting as a young boy and ending as an old man. Mahfouz is comparing life to his first day of school.
This short story is deceitfully ironic because it is about a man that lives his entire life in the span of a day starting as a young boy and ending as an old man. Mahfouz is comparing life to his first day of school.
Few
links are given for further analysis:
Questions:
- What kind of person is the narrator's father?
- At what point in the story does it become apparent that the story covers more than the narrator's first day in school? How does Mahfouz employ the journey motif in his narrative?
- What is the theme of the story?
- How is the fire at the end of the story significant? Why are the other activities recorded in the final paragraph important?Credit-Muneeza Rafiq
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