The Summer
of the Beautiful White Horse
By Williiam Saroyan
About
the Author
William Saroyan was an American novelist,
playwright, and short story writer. He was born on August 31, 1908 in Fresno,
California. His father came to New York in 1905 and started preaching in
Armenian Apostolic churches. At the age of three, after his father's death,
Saroyan, along with his brother and sister, was placed in an orphanage in
Oakland, California. He continued his education on his own, supporting himself
with jobs.
Saroyan decided to become a writer after his
mother showed him some of his father's writings. A few of his early short
articles were published in Overland Monthly. His first stories appeared in the
1930s. The short story collection My Name is Aram (1940), an international
bestseller, was about a young boy and the colorful characters of his immigrant
family. It has been translated into many languages.
In 1943, Saroyan married actress Carol Marcus with
whom he had two children, Aram, who became an author and published a book about
his father, and Lucy, who became an actress. By the late 1940s, Saroyan's
drinking and gambling took a toll on his marriage, and in 1949, upon returning
from an extended European trip, he filed for divorce. They were remarried
briefly in 1951 and divorced again in 1952.
He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in
1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film adaptation
of his novel The Human Comedy. Saroyan wrote extensively about the Armenian
immigrant life in California. Many of his stories and plays are set in his
native Fresno. Some of his best-known works are The Time of Your Life, My Name
Is Aram and My Heart's in the Highlands.
Saroyan died of prostate cancer at the age of 72
in Fresno.
Introduction
This story is about two poor Armenian boys –
Aram and Mourad. They belong to a tribe known for its honesty for centuries.
Both have intense longing for horse riding. But they can’t afford to buy a
horse. So going against the family reputation, Mourad steals a white horse of a
farmer, John Byro. Aram is shocked because it is a stolen horse. But he
discounts the charge of stealing and goes for a ride. One day he overhears John
Byro telling Uncle Khosrove about his missing horse. He gives the news to
Mourad. The next morning the horse is returned to its real owner.
Characters
1. Aram - a nine year old
Armenian boy belonging to Garoghlanian tribe.
2. Mourad – an Armenian boy of
13 belonging to Garoghlanian tribe, cousin of Aram.
3. Uncle
Khosrove
– Aram’s uncle, a crazy person with a powerful head.
4. John Byro – a farmer
5. Narrator’s
mother
Summary
Aram and Mourad are cousins in
the Garoghlanian family - an Armenian tribe which has a reputation for honesty
that has been maintained by its family members for hundreds of years. But the
tribe is extremely poverty stricken though they never resort to unfair
means to get money. Both boys long to ride a horse but their poverty keeps them
from their deepest dream. Early one morning, Mourad shows up at Aram's home on
a charming white horse. Aram is awestruck! He cannot understand where Mourad
got this beautiful horse when they do not have enough money to afford one. But
he also cannot think that his cousin--a member of the honest tribe--can ever
steal. But he is too surprised to try and find out the truth. He so longs for a
ride. Also Mourad is determined to keep it, and they try their best to keep the
horse a secret from others and learn to ride it. In the days to follow, both
the boys take out the horse from its hiding place every morning to ride in the
countryside. Though, only Mourad can ride the horse properly as he has mastered
the art by having riding practice for a month before revealing his secret to Aram.
Aram tries hard to master the skill. He is determined to learn to ride and
tells Mourad not to return the horse until he himself learns to ride. Mourad
says it would take Aram a year to learn to ride. He cannot keep the horse that
long but Aram tells him to keep it.
Mourad has a special
quality---a deep understanding with all animals. He says "I have a way
with a horse". Really he has a way with all animals and birds. Once he was
repairing the hurt wing of a young robin and whispering to it. Mourad is
considered a crazy fellow--the descendant of his crazy uncle Khusrove. Uncle
Khusrove has a very bad temper and always stops people from talking by
shouting--"It's no harm,pay no attention to it!" Even when his son
informs him that their house in on fire when uncle is having a hair-cut, uncle
simply sends the boy away repeating his famed dialogue! Also when John
Byro--the real owner of the stolen horse-- comes to Aram's house to recount his
sad tale of losing his beautiful horse, uncle simply says the matter is of no
use and he should pay no attention to it. Then follows a humorous conversation
between Khusrove and Byro at the end of which the sad farmer stamps out the
house in frustration.
One day when Mourad and Aram
are taking the horse to the farm at which they have been hiding it, they come
face to face with the horse's owner John Byro. He looks at the horse very
eagerly and studies it tooth by tooth. He exclaims that this white horse is
identical to the one horse he owns. Finally he says that it cannot be the same
one, for the Garoghlanian tribe is noted for its honesty. Aram notes that Mouצing
thing happens. The guard dogs of John Byro instead of barking at the strangers
follow them around silently. Yes Mourad communicates with them, perhaps telling
them to not make noise!
The next day John Byro visits
the Garoghlanian family home to tell of a great miracle. The horse which had
mysteriously disappeared from his barn has returned! It was a very amazing
happening; and the horse returned better trained and well-tempered. All this
happened due to Mourad. This is the story of the beautiful white horse. The
Garoghlanian family thus maintained their good name too.
Short Answers Type Questions
Q1. Who were Aram and Mourard?
Ans. Aram and Mourad were cousins. Aram was
nine years old. Mourad was thirteen. Both of them were fond of horse-riding.
They belonged to the garoghlanian tribe of Armenians.
Q2. How does the narrator describe the Garoghlanian
family?
Q3. What did the narrator see when he looked out of the
window? Why couldn’t he believe his eyes?
Q4. How
did Aram justify Mourad's action of riding a stolen horse?
Ans. Aram too was very
crazy about horse riding. But riding a stolen horse both delighted and
frightened him. He justified Mourad’s action saying that taking out a horse just
for a joy-ride could not be called stealing until they offered to sell it.
Q5. Who
was the real owner of the beautiful white horse? How did Aram come to know
about him?
Ans. John Byro was the real
owner of the white horse. He was a farmer. On a visit to Aram’s house he
complained of his loss to uncle Khosrove. This assured Aram that the horse had
been stolen by Mourad.
Q6. In
what respect did Mourad and Aram differ from each other?
Ans. Mourad and Aram were
cousins belonging to the Garoghlanian family. Both had a common craze for horse
riding. But Aram was more honest and straightforward than his cousin. Mourad
had a streak of craziness. He could tell lies'. He was boastful. Aram was
simple-hearted.
Q7. Why
did the sight of Mourad’s horse both delight and frighten Aram?
Ans. Aram was just a young
lad, truthful and honest. But he had a longing for a joyride on a horse.
Naturally, he was delighted when Mourad asked him to sit on the white horse.
But he was also frightened because he knew that it was a stolen horse.
Q8. Who
was uncle Khosrove? What were some of the notable traits of his character?
Ans. Uncle Khosrove was
widely known to be crazy. He was short-tempered and impatient as well. He
stopped others from talking by shouting at them. His stock saying was: 'It is
no harm, pay no attention to it.’ Mourad had got that craziness from uncle
Khosrove.
Q9. Mourad
had a way and some sort of understanding with three creatures. Who were they?
Ans. Mourad was boastful
and self-confident. He was good at dealing with a wild white horse, the barking
dogs and an angry farmer, like John Byro. The white horse of Byro became better
tempered. The dogs at Byro’s barn did not bark. John Byro also accepted
Mourad's lie as true.
Q10. What
was Aram's experience when he rode the white horse alone?
Ans. Aram was keen to ride
the white horse alone. He leaped to the horse-back and even kicked into its
muscles. It snorted and began to run. It went out of control. It leaped over
seven vines. Aram fell but the horse continued running.
Q11. 'I
didn’t want both of us to be liars? Who spoke these words and in what context?
Ans. These words were
spoken by Mourad to Aram. Mourad indirectly admitted that he was telling a lie
that he had not stolen the horse but in case they were found out by the horse owner,
Aram was to tell him that they had started riding that very morning.
Q12. Why
did Aram rush to his cousin’s house soon after Byro was gone?
Ans. John Byro visited
Aram's house. He reported that his horse was still untraceable. Uncle Khosrove
shouted him down. But Aram overheard the conversation. He ran to Mourad's house
to tell him about it. He asked Mourad that he would keep the horse for some time
more.
Q13. How
did Mourad put John Byro off when the two met one morning?
Ans. One morning the two
cousins ran into the farmer John Byro who examined the horse thoroughly. But
Mourad confidently told Byro that his horse's name was My Heart. Byro made no
fuss because he knew about the honesty of Mourad's family.
Q14. What
change did John Byro notice in his horse after it was returned to him?
Ans. John Byro was not only
happy but also surprised when he got his missing horse back. He failed to
understand how his horse had become stronger and better tempered than before.
He thanked God for the change.
Long
Answer Type Questions
Q1. Who
stole the beautiful white horse and why? How did they use the horse
and what made them return the horse to its true owner?
Ans.‘The Summer of The
Beautiful Horse’ is a simple but interesting story about stealing of a horse by
two Armenian boys Mourad and Aram, and later how they returned it to its
rightful owner. Mourad had a passion and love for horse riding. Due to his
passion for riding and fun once, he stole a beautiful white horse. Actually,
the poverty of the tribe forced them to fulfill his desire for riding by
stealing the horse. His cousin Aram too loved riding and in their childish
innocence, they justified that stealing a horse for a fun and riding was not
the same as stealing and selling it for money. The two boys enjoyed riding
the horse early every morning and hid it in the barn of the deserted
vineyard.
The boys belonged to the Garoghlanian family
which was known for its integrity and honesty. One day when the boys met John
Byro, true owner of the horse and heard his confidence in the honesty of their
family, the boys became conscience - stricken. Soon the pride and honesty which
they inherited from their tribe overpowered their childish pranks and they
realized that what they did was wrong as this could bring disgrace to their
family. Thus conscience-stricken, they eventually returned the horse to its
rightful owner.
Q2. Compare
and contrast the characters of Mourad and Aram.
Ans. Mourad and Aram were
cousins thirteen and nine years old respectively. Both longed for a horse ride.
But their family was too poor to buy a horse. Both were adventure- loving. Both
knew that their family was well known for honesty and right conduct. But Mourad
could not help stealing John Byro’s horse. While he had a streak of craziness,
Aram was honest and simple-hearted. Mourad was more talented and bolder than
Aram. He domesticated the wild horse of John Byro. He repaired the injured wing
of a robin bird; he knew how to deal with a horse, a dog and a farmer.
Comparatively, Aram was timid and low-lying.
Q3. Bring
out some of the notable traits of Mourad's character.
Ans. Mourad, the son of
Zorab, was the 13-year old cousin of Aram. Zorab was a practical man but Mourad
was most unlike him. He was considered as crazy as his uncle Khosrove. He was
not so honest as his family or tribe. He did not hesitate to steal John Byro's
horse. He was as fond of horse riding as his cousin. But he did not have the
means to buy a horse. Very cleverly he hid the horse in a deserted bam and took
it out at daybreak for a joy-ride. He loved adventure and singing. He had
remarkable self-confidence. He said boastfully that he had a way with a horse,
a dog and a farmer. He was not a thief. He returned the horse to its owner John
Byro after about six weeks.
Q4. The
narrator’s uncle Khosrove was known to be a crazy fellow. Give a few instances
of his craziness.
Ans. The narrator's uncle
Khosrove was an enormous man with a large moustache. But he was considered
crazy or capricious by the people who knew him. He was furious by nature. He
was easily annoyed. He was impatient. He would not let anybody have his say. He
silenced people with his roar. Once his house was on fire and his son ran to
the barber's shop to give the bad news. But he paid no serious attention to it
and repeated his words rudely. He got irritated when John spoke about his
stolen horse, and walked out of the room. He was a strange character.