Half a Day

by Naguib Mahfouz
in Archetypal Approach

Character Archetypes
The Hero:
The young boy (narrator) – He who was forced to enter school. The one who experienced
time traveling to see his future as his old man self which gave him a kick of realization to
reminisce about his past life.
The Mother Figure:
The father – He sent his son to school forcefully because he knows that it is for his own
good. The backbone of the young boy who lends his hand willingly to give mental and
emotional support and guidance through his pathway in school that brings the young boy's
life a transition into adulthood.

Situation Archetypes
The Journey:
The very start of the story of Naguib Mahfouz, it refers to a young boy who is
unenthusiastic in attending his first day at school. Throughout their trip walking to school,
deep down, he is frightened at his father and the young boy thinks that he is being
penalized for his father dispatched him off to school. Yet, the father discussed him the main
reason for the significance of attending school, that going to school is not a punishment,
instead, it is a factory that makes useful men out of boys. However, the young man was not
persuaded by the discussion of his father, and that he would rather stay at home. As they
reach their destination, it is time for him to say goodbye to his father. He needs to enter the
gate and just go with the flow of the milieu of socializing with other students in his school.
When his father is going to leave, he promises to the young boy that he would fetch
him after his school day. When the time of classes ended, the young boy anticipated that
his father was waiting for him at the gate to pick him up as he promised, so he decided to
wait for his father at the side of the aisle. In the long run of waiting, there was no presence
of his father. The young boy then chose to walk alone way back to their home.
In his journey, the young boy was stunned and confused, and he felt like he entered
into another dimension of the universe. When in out of the blue, he perceived that the
facade of the place had changed, and it specifies the revolution of his surroundings that
shifted quickly. From a passage of time and immediately transported into a generation that
develops a world full of modernity and industrialization in one snap of spending half a day in
school.
 This was the journey of a young boy, who is apprehensive and forced to enter the
school. He experienced life outside his comfort zone or their home. He fell in love, he made
a few friends and acquaintances, played around, study, and eat palatable foods. At the end
of the day, he walked way home, all alone, for his father never showed after class. It took
him a quite a while to notice that everything has changed. That he was no longer the young
boy who entered the school earlier this morning. The time was out of his sight, that a lot of
things happened in half a day, and that he transformed from a young boy to a grown old
man.
The Task:
The young boy was sent to school for him to learn about life outside his home. He has a
task which is to grow on his own, without being dependent. He has to attend school
because he needs to become a gentleman who can live his life alone. Growing up is
inevitable and so as change, he won’t be a young boy forever and his parents won’t be by
his side guiding him forever. That is why it is important to learn on how to be independent.
We tell ourselves, we cannot live without our parents, but we have to. The world does not
only revolve around our homes, so go outside, make a life, fall in love or make some
friends, and enjoy your experiences; so that, you won’t feel too much sorrow and loneliness
once your parents leave you in this world.

Symbolic Archetypes
 Home – symbolizes the comfort zone of every person.
 News things – it symbolizes that the boy is going to his first day of school for he has
new things to wear.
 “Why school?” I challenged my father openly. “I shall never do anything to
annoy you.” – this phrase shows that the young boy is apprehensive upon entering
school.
 School – symbolizes the real world outside our comfortable homes.
 “I did not believe there was really any good to be had in tearing me away from
the intimacy of my home and throwing me into this building that stood at the
end of the road like some huge, high-walled fortress, exceedingly stern and
grim.” – this phrase shows that the young boy keeps on increasing his anxiety
whenever he enters the school and being thrown away from his house.
 The Pushing – When his father pushed him gently, it represents that he must
change even if he does not want to. The father knows what’s best for his son, that he
must change for the better especially when he will no longer be by his side.
 “I took a few steps…” – this phrase describes that he has gone out of his comfort
zone. And is now entering a new life, where he is all alone and is surrounded by
strangers. That he had to talk to new people and do things on his own,
independently without his father and mother. And as a new person in a new life, it is
normal to feel a bit lost.
  When one of his new acquaintances tells him that his father is dead – it made
the young boy realize that we all carry out different burdens in life. It symbolizes that
we are not the only ones who suffers from something inside, there will still be some
other people who are going through something that nobody knows about. And
sometimes, their problems are much heavier than ours.
 The Lady – she symbolizes life, as she introduces them to a new home, telling them
that they will meet their new mothers and fathers; gain some knowledge as well as
for religion; and she encourages them to embrace their experience with joy instead
of tears which are similar to moral lessons we obtain in life. These are what exactly
life means or how to live a life.
 School days are happy, but there are also some times that unexpected
incidents happen - this describes that change is inevitable in life. These changes
changed the way the young boy interprets life. He now believes that life is only full of
struggles and perseverance. As he mentions that students can take advantage of
opportunities for success and happiness, but in real life, the positive-minded people
are the only ones who can take advantage of it.
 He does not find his father after the school day ends – this symbolizes that the
people we are used to be with, unfortunately, cannot be with us forever. The people
whom we mostly depend on may no longer walk with us on our long journey of life,
mainly because of death. That is why it is important to learn how to live
independently because our elderlies have only limited time left in this world.
 He notices changes in his surrounding on his way back home – As he passed
by an acquaintance, it describes that he has aged. And the tall buildings, busy
streets, disturbing noises of the children, and hordes of people symbolizes
modernity. He does not recognize these surroundings; it was far different from what
it is when he was walking with his father to school earlier this morning. When
suddenly, a young lad offered him guidance upon crossing the busy road, signifying
that the young boy earlier is now an old man.
 Half a Day – it symbolizes that the time is always ticking. Sometimes, aging is out of
our sight, that we do not notice that there have been a lot of events and experiences
happening even in a short period of time. A lot of things can possibly happen even
within a few blinks. All we have to do is to live our lives to the fullest while we still can
because we only have limited time left.

MYTHOLOGICAL QUESTIONS:
1. What incidents in the work seem common or familiar enough as actions that they
might be considered symbolic or archetypal?
Afraid of entering a new life, but when we do, we constantly change. Getting out of
our comfort zone is one of the hardest parts of growing up, but it benefits us so much. It will
lead us to a new life and introduce us to so many new things. There will be happiness,
success, pain, and sorrow; however, it is all normal. Life is a long journey, full of
experiences, successes, and failures. We will change amid our journey, so as the
surroundings and who surrounds us.
2. What kinds of character types appear in the work?
 Hero – the young boy who get to experience life outside his comfort zone and
independently.
 Mother Figure – the father of the young boy who gave him emotional support
during the time they were walking on their way to school because his son was
afraid of going to school.
3. What creatures, elements of nature, or man-made objects playing a role in the
work might be considered symbolic?
School, a man-made object that is believed to be transforming boys into useful men,
or could be any person who joins school.
4. What changes do the characters undergo?
The young boy felt a heavy pressure on his chest because he has a responsibility to
attend his first day of school even though he was nervous. The young boy did not want to
distance away from their home. However, without having a clue on what awaits him from
his half-day in the school, it will give a huge impact in his life. That it will serve as a gateway
to the new chapter of his journey. And by the end of the school day or metaphorically his
journey of life, he is now in his adulthood, having no idea what was going on around him the
moment he took a step going out of his school.