Class 11 English Snapshot Chapter 1 – The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse (William Saroyan) Summary

 

NCERT Solutions For Class 11 English

Snapshot

Chapter 1 – The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse (William Saroyan)

Summary

Aram and Mourad, two economically disadvantaged boys belonging to the Armenian Garoghlanian family, renowned for their honesty since the eleventh century, found themselves in an extraordinary situation. One early morning, as Aram blissfully dreamed, his cousin Mourad appeared at his window accompanied by a stunning white horse. Aram, initially skeptical, couldn't believe the reality of the horse in the faint light outside. Due to their poverty, he doubted the horse could be theirs and speculated whether Mourad had stolen it.

 

Mourad invited Aram for a ride, urging haste before the world awoke. Aram, quickly dressing, jumped out of the window to join Mourad on the horse. They traversed the familiar landscapes of Walnut Avenue, a region marked by its aged countryside.

 

After some time, Mourad requested Aram to dismount, expressing a desire to ride alone. Aram, aspiring to solo riding, learned that Mourad had pilfered the horse a month earlier, making it a daily ritual. When Aram eventually got his turn to ride, the horse unexpectedly took him to a vineyard, threw him off, and fled. After an extensive search, Mourad located the horse and concealed it in an abandoned vineyard, stocked with oats and alfalfa. Mourad displayed remarkable adeptness in handling both animals and humans.

 

One day, John Byro visited Aram's house to speak with his irritable and loud uncle, Khosrove. Byro reported his missing horse, purchased for sixty dollars. Despite Khosrove's dismissive response, advising him to pay no attention to it, Byro left, perturbed by the encounter.

 

Aram, concerned about Byro's missing horse, implored Mourad not to return it until he learned to ride. Mourad, angered and asserting their tribe's reputation for honesty, declared they were not thieves and vowed to return the horse after six months.

 

During one of their trips to hide the horse, they encountered John Byro returning to town. Byro conversed with them, inspecting the horse closely. Acknowledging its resemblance to his missing horse, he chose to trust the honesty of Aram's family, assuming it was a twin. Mourad skillfully allowed Byro to maintain this assumption, and they departed. The next morning, they returned the horse to Byro's vineyard, placing it in the barn, accompanied by the silent presence of the dogs.

 

Later that afternoon, a delighted and astonished John Byro returned home, informing his mother about the unexpected return of his horse. Despite the improved temper and strength of the horse, Uncle Khosrove, true to his character, roared, "Quiet, man, quiet. Your horse has been returned. Pay no attention to it."