"Half a Day" is not meant to be interpreted literally but instead is a metaphorical representation of how quickly life passes. The memories seem "blurred" because at the beginning of the story, the narrator is a young boy "clutching [his father's] right hand, running to keep up," and at the end of the day, he is an old man, taking his grandson's outstretched arm.

The memories of the day and the people he meets during the day are symbolic of his lifetime of experiences in between. He enjoys "love, play, and learning"; yet he also finds that life isn't always "sweet." He meets unexpected accidents and times when "dust-laden winds" cloud his path. Those in authority don't always smile; sometimes they scowl, and sometimes they inflict punishment. He finds sweethearts in the journey of the metaphorical day and friends with whom he enjoys laughter. And he also encounters rivalries that cause fighting and hatred.

When he emerges, he finds a world that has changed greatly since the days of his childhood. The fields he recalls are gone, and buildings tower over the landscape. There are many more people in the streets than in his youth, with children running around everywhere.

The changes have happened seemingly overnight, blurring the sense of time which has passed until the final lines; in actuality, many years have passed. The metaphorical use of a single day is important to the central theme of the short story: life passes quickly.