In what ways does Mahfouz foreshadow the ending of “Half a Day”?

Compare and contrast the work’s final paragraph with its first two. How do their similarities and differences contribute to the story’s overall meaning?

Compare and contrast the sections of the story narrated in first-person singular (“I”) with those narrated in first-person plural (“we”). Why might Mahfouz have chosen first-person plural for the sections of the story set at school?