About The Author

SUMMER OF A BEAUTIFUL WHITE HORSE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William Saroyan (1908-1981) was an Armenian-American novelist, playwright and short-story

writer. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940 and in 1943, he won the Academy
Award for Best Story for the film adaptation of hos novel, The Human Comedy. Some Notable
works include: My Heart’s in the Highlands, My Name is Aram, The Human Comedy.
ESSENTIAL DISCUSSION
1. The Armenian Massacre:
The Hamidian massacres also referred to as the Armenian Massacres of 1894–

1896[2] and Great Massacres,[2] were massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire that
took place in the mid-1890s. It was estimated casualties ranged from 80,000 to
300,000,[3]resulting in 50,000 orphaned children.[4] The massacres are named
after Sultan Abdul Hamid II, who, in his efforts to maintain the imperial domain of the
collapsing Ottoman Empire, Although the massacres were aimed mainly at the Armenians,
they turned into indiscriminate anti-Christian pogroms where, at least according to one
contemporary source, up to 25,000 Assyrians were also killed.[6 The massacres received
extensive coverage in the media of Western Europe and North America.
The origins of the hostility toward Armenians lay in the increasingly precarious position in
which the Ottoman Empire found itself in the last quarter of the 19th century. The end of
Ottoman dominion over the Balkans was ushered in by an era of European nationalism.
The Armenians of the empire were long considered second-class citizens, When a nascent
form of nationalism spread among the Armenians of Anatolia, including demands for equal
rights and a push for autonomy, the Ottoman leadership believed that the empire's Islamic
character and even its very existence were threatened.
The killings continued until 1897. In that last year, Sultan Hamid declared the Armenian
Question closed. Many Armenian revolutionaries had either been killed or escaped to
Russia.
One headline in a September 1895 article by The New York Times ran "Armenian
Holocaust."
2. The Garghlonian Tribe:

The tribe is from Armenia. Many of those who managed to escape the Holocaust reached
America in search of a better life. They ended up settling in places like Fresno, California.
Part of the tribe’s culture is trying to find a sense of placement and self in a new and modern
setting. The tribe operates in this modern predicament while clinging to values of the past,
of Armenia.
The tribe was poverty stricken. It was a comical poverty as they always scraped enough
money to put food on the table. They were famous for their honesty for nearly 11 centuries.
They were also a proud race of people with a strong value system. They never took
advantage of anybody..
SYNOPSIS OF LESSON
The Extract has been taken from the novel, My Name is Aram.
The narrator recalls an incident which took place one summer when he was 9 years old. Around
4 in the morning, his cousin, Mourad, arrived at his window and invited him out for a ride. His
cousin always had a strong desire to ride. But as Armenian refugees in America, they were
always impoverished. So getting the money to buy a horse was out of the question. The idea
that Mourad could have stolen the horse also seemed improbable. They belonged to the proud
tribe of Garghlonians whose values of honesty were beyond compare.
‘We were proud first, honest next and after that we believed in right or wrong’
In his childish innocence, Aram convinced himself that stealing a horse merely for a ride and
stealing money were not the same. So Aram joined Mourad. They took the horse behind their
house to the orchards and vineyards when they rode the horse. Mourad rode well but Aram
failed miserably.
Mourad had a crazy streak like uncle Khusrove. He was an enormous man with a large
moustache, furious temper and short temper. His constant statement was ‘It is no harm, pay no
attention to it.’
Mourad seemed to have already got a place readied to hide the horse (Fetvajian’s deserted barn)
which made it clear that he had had the horse for sometime before he came for Aram.
John Byro, an Assyrian who was a friend of Aram’s family, arrived one afternoon and informed
that his horse had gone missing over a month back and he was facing immense problems. Aram
thus becomes aware that the horse which Mourad and he were riding belonged to John Byro.
Aram pleads Mourad to keep the horse for at least a year so that he could learn to ride. Despite
the virtue of their tribe, the 2 young boys had fallen into temptation. But they were not
delinquents. The moral fibre of the community brings them back to the path of righteousness.
For two weeks, early every morning, the cousins took the horse out for a ride. On their way
back one day, they met John Byro. The farmer took a close look at the animal, looked into its
mouth and said that he could have sworn it was his but knowing the moral fibre of the tribe
(famed for their honesty), he would not believe his own eyes, rather he would believe his heart.
Our anticipation as to what the boys will do next is finally answered when they return the horse
to Byro’s barn the next morning. Mourad was a true animal lover. In his own words, he had a
‘way with animals and birds’. Once he was seen mending the broken wings of a bird, later he
was seen dealing with byro’s dogs when they stealthily entered his barn. Also the way he deals
with the horse is proof of his claim.
CHARACTER SKETCH
Mourad
• Lively and energetic

• Loves horses; rides well
• Plans his actions well—the deserted barn he found to hide the horse
• Has a way with animals and birds
• Gives in to temptation but is not delinquent
• Had inherited the crazy streak of Uncle Khusrove; loved to sing
Aram
• Younger to cousin Mourad

• Innocent and childish—tries to convince himself that taking others things without
informing is not stealing until monetary gain is made.
• Loves horses but cannot ride well—falls every time he tries to ride by himself. However
desires to learn
• Can keep secrets—even when he finds out the horse belongs to John Byro, does not
divulge the fact to the farmer when he visits their house
Uncle Khusrove
• Enormous man with a head full of black hair and a powerful moustache
• Had a furious temper, was irritable, impatient
• Spoke rather loudly; almost roared out when opposed
• Constantly harped on the problems and poverty pervading in their tribe---missed their
flamboyant life of the past.
John Byro
• Assyrian farmer who had been befriended by the Garghlonians due to his loneliness
• Had learnt to speak Armenian
• Mild mannered—had lost his horse for over a month because of which he could not use
his surrey—but he took no strong step for it
• Appeals to conscience of boys instead of rebuking/chastising them—even when he is
almost certain that the horse being taken by the boys belongs to him, he says he would
trust his heart (he knew Garghlonians never lied) rather than believe his eyes
HUMOUR IN THE STORY
• Uncle Khusrove displayed a crazy streak.

• He was impatient, irritable, short tempered—could not wait for anyone to complete
their statement
• For every situation—varying intensity and magnitude—reaction was same---‘it is no
matter; pay no attention to it.
• His reactions create humour in the story.
Question Answer
1. Eventhough the story lacks breathless action, it is still very interesting to read. Justify.
Ans.
• Beautiful reminder of what life was before materialism and communalism gained
sway
• Poised beautifully at the intersection of fading influence of old country values and
evolving realisation that the younger characters could be moving away from the
values of their community
• Despite their thoughtless act—not delinquents—innocent youngsters fallen prey to
temptation, but have not lost their moral-fibre—revert to path of righteousness.
2. Did the boys return the return the horse because they were conscience stricken or
because they were afraid?
Ans.
• Returns the horse because they were conscience stricken

• Tribe famous for honesty
• Aram finds out horse belongs to Byro—approached Mourad with request not to
return it before he had learnt to ride—Mourad outraged—insisted that no member
of Garghlonian tribe could steal—the horse had to be returned
• Took very good care of the horse
• After studying the horse, Byro convinced that it was his—but didnot say so to the
boys—instead commented that he would much rather trust his heart than his eyes—
he knew the boys belonging to that tribe could not steal
• It thus becomes clear that they had nothing to be afraid of; they were conscience
stricken
EXTRA QUESTIONS
1. Mourad had a way with animals and birds. Justify.

2. Comment on the ‘crazy streak’ in the family.
3. Describe the first ride Aram had with Mourad when they Went out together.

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SUMMER OF A BEAUTIFUL WHITE HORSE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

William Saroyan (1908-1981) was an Armenian-American novelist, playwright and short-story

1. The Armenian Massacre:

The Hamidian massacres also referred to as the Armenian Massacres of 1894–

2. The Garghlonian Tribe:

• Lively and energetic

• Younger to cousin Mourad

HUMOUR IN THE STORY

• Uncle Khusrove displayed a crazy streak.

• Returns the horse because they were conscience stricken

1. Mourad had a way with animals and birds. Justify.

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