In “Half a Day” by Naguib Mahfouz, the narrator experiences his very first day of school, but he is not at all excited. Rather, he asks his father why he must go, for he thinks it is a punishment. His father explains that school is not a punishment at all. He makes his son go into the schoolyard by himself and join the other children.

The narrator feels lost inside, but pretty soon some men begin to sort the children into ranks, and a woman tells them that school is to be a “new home” for them. They will learn all kinds of things, and they are to dry their tears and “face life joyfully.”

The narrator then joins the other children (with whom he will soon make friends) in playing games, singing songs, studying language, looking at a globe, and learning numbers. He hears religious stories, eats lunch, and even takes a nap. He also gets an idea that rivalries and fights can spark quickly and that scolding and punishments will follow bad behavior.

The narrator's first day at school has completely changed his perspective about the world as he discovers when he leaves school and starts walking home. The world simply does not look the same anymore, and he feels very old and experienced. It is almost like he has lived his whole life in just that half a day.