ABOUT THE AUTHOR

William Saroyan
Armenian-American novelist

Description

William Saroyan was an Armenian-American novelist,

playwright, and short story writer. He was awarded the
Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the
Academy Award for Best Story for the film The Human
Comedy. Wikipedia

Born: 31 August 1908, Fresno, California, United States

Died: 18 May 1981, Fresno, California, United States

Grandchildren: Strawberry Saroyan, Cream Saroyan

Songwriting partner: Ross Bagdasarian

Awards: Academy Award for Best Story, Pulitzer Prize

for Drama, New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for
Best American Play

Nominations: Academy Award for Best Story, MORE

 SUMMARY

The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse revolves around two

Armenian boys. The boys belong to the Garoghlanian tribe. We
learn that even though they were poor, they never sacrifice their
honesty. In fact, even in the worst of situations, they were
always honest.

Similarly, the boys never steal or lie, whatever the situation

may be. This story describes the particular incident about the
white horse they once got. Aram is 9 years old and his cousin,
Mourad is 13 years old. Aram is very fascinated by the world
as things are easy in childhood. Moreover, Mourad is the crazy
one, as everyone calls him.

The story begins with Mourad visiting Aram’s house in the

morning at 4. To Aram’s surprise, Mourad has brought a
beautiful white horse which he is riding. Mourad assures him
that it is indeed a horse and he is not dreaming. Aram did not
believe it because he knew that they were poor and wouldn’t be
able to afford a horse.

Therefore, the two boys kept the horse with them for weeks.
They use to ride it and sing to it. However, the boys did not let
the world know they have a horse. They were keeping him at a
barn of a deserted vineyard. After a while, Aram finds out that
Mourad stole the horse from John Byro. Thus, they made a
plan of not returning it to him, although they had second doubts
about keeping it due to their ethics.

Finally, on one day, John sees the boys with the white beautiful
horse. However, as his family was known for their honesty,
John did not accuse them of stealing. On the other hand, his
belief was so strong he just said that their horse resembles his
horse a lot.

Consequently, this was a very poignant experience for the boys.

They decide to return the horse and John found it at the
vineyard the next day. John gets very happy and shares the
news with Aram’s mother. We also see that his horse is now
healthier, well-behaved and more decent than before.
 ANALYSIS OF CHARACTER

Character Sketch of Aram:

Aram was the ten year old cousin of Mourad. He was

aware of his tribe's reputation for integrity. He was
fascinated by horses. He knew that Mourad had stolen
the horse but justified the action saying that it was not
stealing unless Mourad sold the horse for monetary
gain. He was jealous of the bond that  Mourad shared
with the horse and hoped to have a similar connection
someday. He found a way to keep the horse even when
he came to know that John Byro was the owner.

Character Sketch of Mourad:

Mourad was considered to be crazy and a direct

descendent of Uncle Khosrove. He had a special way
with animals and even with people. He was able to
make them fell calm and safe. He looked after the horse
so well that John Byro found it better tempered and
healthy on its return. He was fascinated by horses and
did not mind breaking the rules to get what he wanted.
He chose not to tell Aram that he stole the horse to save
Aram from the trouble. He is a free spirited child of
nature and enjoys "being alive". He does not have a
conscience. He chooses to return the horse when he is
reminded of his family's honourable reputation.

Character Sketch of Uncle Khosrove:

Uncle Khosrove was a huge man with a large mustache.

He had a volatile temper and seemed to be similar to
Mourad in spirit. He was forced to leave Armenia and
felt that his true home and a part of his identity had been
stripped away. He felt a lack of belonging to the new
land of Central Valley, California where the Armenians
had settled. He possessed a sense of frustrated anger.
He would often roar, "It is no matter. Pay no attention to
it." Nothing seemed to be very important to him anymore
and nothing was too tragic or urgent.
You can read the summary of the chapter through this
document: 
 ANALYSIS OF THEME

The Conflict Between Feelings and Reason

Throughout the short story, Aram and Mourad

are caught between what they feel and what
they know. When Aram first sees Mourad riding
the white horse, he knows that Mourad must
have stolen it, as his family is too poor to afford
a horse. Yet he feels that this cannot be the
case, for his family is always honest. As Aram
greatly desires to ride the horse, he begins to
make justifications for why they are not stealing,
knowing that he cannot go against his family’s
honest reputation. Aram and Mourad continue to
make decisions based on feelings rather than
reason, such as when Mourad decides that
keeping the horse for six months isn’t stealing,
whereas keeping it a year would be.

When the boys meet John Byro near the end of

the story, Byro refuses to accuse them of theft
and decides to “believe with his eyes instead of
his heart.” He chooses faith over reason and lets
the boys go. The fact that Mourad tells Byro that
the horse’s name is “My Heart” is symbolic: the
boys justify their keeping and riding the horse
with their hearts and not with reason. In the end,
Byro’s comments to the boys prevent their
desires from clouding their reasoning any longer,
and they return the horse the next day.

The Importance of Character and

Reputation

The Garoghlanians pride themselves on and are

well known for their honesty. Though they live in
extreme poverty, they do not steal, valuing
honesty over wealth and their reputation over
whatever they might gain through stealing. Aram
says,
Most important of all . . . we were famous for our
honesty. We had been famous for our honesty
for something like eleven centuries, even when
we had been the wealthiest family in what we
liked to think was the world. We were proud first,
honest next, and after that we believed in right
and wrong. None of us would take advantage of
anybody in the world, let alone steal.

Aram and Mourad, for the most part, remain

loyal to this reputation: while they do
temporarily take a horse that doesn’t belong to
them, they are unwilling to “steal” it outright,
and they make justifications for their actions.
When their guilt from John Byro’s comments
about their family’s honest reputation causes
them to rethink their justifications, they
immediately return the horse, not willing to be
labeled as thieves or to harm their family’s
legacy.

In the end, the Garoghlanian family’s honesty

saves Aram and Mourad. Byro observes that the
horse they are riding looks exactly like his own,
but he chooses to believe that it is not his horse
based on the honest reputation of their family.
Whether he knows the horse is his or not, Byro
trusts the boys and does not go to their parents
about the matter. Aram and Mourad’s honesty in
returning the horse is rewarded; if Byro knew
that they stole it, he doesn’t say so and instead
remarks that his horse is better-tempered and
healthier than ever. In a way, Byro’s own
gentleness of character pays off too: he is slow
to accuse the boys and trusts their integrity, and
his horse is returned the very next day.
 TITLE JUSTIFICTION

The title seems quite appropriate for the timbre

of the story.  Initially, one can suggest that it is
set in a summer- like time period.  The boys can
focus on the horse, and are not necessarily
burdened with school work.  Additionally, the
ideas presented in the story lend themselves
with the fruition and full bloom of summer. 
These ideas relate to maturation, experiences,
and collegiality.  The story revolves around this
beautiful white horse.  If we can envision for a
moment, why this is so important to the boys,
we can see why it would be important enough to
include in the title.  Initially, we know that the
boys are poor.  They are of an immigrant
Armenian family that is not wealthy.  We know
this because it is inconceivable that either of the
boys would own a white horse.  The fact that
Aram is awakened one morning by Mourad sitting
atop a white horse prompts Aram to question if it
was stolen.  From abject or dirt poverty to a
stunningly white horse, one sees that the horse
is a symbol, a representation of the boys'
wishes.  Throughout their summer experiences
with the horse, they learn essential values such
as compassion for the animal and trust amongst
themselves.  These come about as a result of the
beautiful horse.  The story reaches
its climax when the horse is returned, in better
shape and temperament than before, and the
boys have a renewed sense of faith in both
themselves and their love of the horse.  The
short story is aptly titled for each part of it
relates to an experience within the story.
 MESSAGE

The primary message of the story, The Summer

of the Beautiful Horse, is that despite social or
economic challenges, there are some truths
which are absolute and should be practiced under
and all conditioned.  It is undeniable that the
story is set within a family that is poor.  Their
poverty is not used as a crutch or something that
limits the emotional quotient of the boys or the
people in the community.  The boys' love for the
horse is genuine and sincere, not motivated out
of some ulterior motive of greed or economic
want.  Their love for the animal is quite
authentic.  When they return the horse, they
have a genuine understanding that they need to
return what is not theirs.  They are not
motivated by anything else other than the highly
human reaction of wanting to make right what is
wrong.  The reaction of the horse's owner, John
Byro, is also very real and valid.  He knows very
well the boys have taken the horse, but gives
multiple opportunities for the boys to recognize
the consequences of their action.  Ironically
enough, the owner shows a sense of charity and
good will and this benefits him, as the horse is
much more manageable and well conditioned as
a result of the boys' work with the horse.  In the
final analysis, when we examine the encounter of
the boys, the horse, and the owner, there is a
trend that while economic hardships are a strong
factor in how we behave, they are not a
determinant one.  There is a realm of human
action that can lie outside the strictly causal
world of economics.  The setting of the story
seems to be Depression time California, which
makes the economic reading even more
intriguing.
 MORAL OF THE LESSON

• The basic morality is that one should never

steal.
• Through the imagery of Mourad stealing the
horse, the author tries to portray the
macrocosmic effect of stealing.
• Theft doesn’t only affect the life of the theif
but also the lives of his family members and
associates.
• Therefore, one should maintain ethics at the
first hand.
 REFERENCE

●https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-
message-conveyed-through-story-summer-
91217
●https://brainly.in/question/
2770741#:~:text=Answer%3A,a%20family
%20that%20is%20poor.
●https://www.adda247.com/school/the-summer-
of-the-beautiful-horse/