By William Saroyan
SALIENT FEATURES OF THE TEXT
Feature |
Evidence
(from text) |
Rationale |
Setting (Pastoral, Rural) |
"The horse began to snort.
Morning was coming, and the fields were wet with dew." |
Emphasizes simplicity, freedom,
and beauty of nature as a backdrop for childhood exploration and fantasy. |
Theme of Innocence |
Aram’s justification: “It wasn’t
stealing, it would become stealing only when we offered to sell the horse.” |
Showcases the innocence and moral
flexibility of childhood; an ethical gray area explored with empathy. |
Narrative Voice |
"One day back there in the
good old days when I was nine..." |
First-person retrospective
narration creates intimacy and offers a child’s perspective filtered through
adult reflection. |
Tone |
Light, nostalgic, humorous |
The narrator’s tone evokes
fondness for childhood, despite the central act being morally ambiguous. |
Simple, Colloquial Language |
"My cousin Mourad, who was
considered crazy by everybody who knew him..." |
Reflects a child's voice and
thought process; makes the story accessible and relatable to young readers. |
Cultural References |
Names like Mourad, Khosrove,
Garoghlanian |
Grounds the story in an
Armenian-American context, preserving ethnic identity and cultural setting. |
Symbolism |
"It was the loveliest thing I
had ever seen. It was a beautiful white horse..." |
The horse symbolizes freedom,
longing, and moral temptation; also a contrast to the family's material
poverty. |
Conflict |
Aram’s dilemma: “I couldn’t
believe my eyes. It wasn’t morning yet…” |
Internal conflict between family
values (honesty) and personal desire (to ride the horse) drives the story’s
moral tension. |
Pacing |
Steady, gentle unfolding of the
plot through observation and dialogue |
Mimics the slow, reflective tempo
of childhood memories; emphasizes the experience over the plot. |
Poetic
Devices & Rhetoric |
||
Imagery |
"It was a beautiful white
horse. It was the loveliest thing I had ever seen." |
Evokes a vivid picture of the
horse and enhances emotional connection; taps into childhood awe and wonder. |
Metaphor |
Implied throughout the horse =
freedom, dreams, and escape |
The horse transcends its literal
identity to become a symbol of childhood innocence and longing. |
Hyperbole |
"We were famous for our
honesty. It was our pride..." |
Exaggerated for effect to highlight
the irony of the boys’ actions and the perceived contradiction in their
family’s values. |
Irony |
“We were poor. We had no money.
Our whole tribe was poverty-stricken…” |
The family’s absolute honesty
contrasts with the apparent theft, making it a strong case of situational
irony. |
Understatement |
“I said it wasn’t easy to get a
horse like that.” |
A humorous minimization of a
serious act (theft), enhancing the light-hearted tone of the narrator. |
Dialogue as a Device |
“I have an understanding with a
horse.” – Mourad |
Builds character, drives
narrative, and offers rhetorical contrast between logic (Aram) and
emotion/intuition (Mourad). |
Personification |
"The horse snorted. Then it
began to run." |
Attributing emotion and agency to
the horse intensifies the magical experience of riding it. |
Anecdotal Structure |
Entire story is a memory, a brief
episode from the past |
A hallmark of oral storytelling
and Armenian folk style—makes it relatable and vivid. |
Parallelism |
"I had been thinking all the
time..." / "I kept waiting all the time..." |
Emphasizes Aram’s internal
conflict and heightens narrative tension. |
Symbolism |
White Horse = beauty, longing,
freedom, temptation |
Central motif that deepens the
moral and emotional themes of the story. |
Saroyan’s use of poetic and rhetorical devices:
- Elevates the prose to a lyrical, almost dreamy quality
- Reflects the idealism and emotional intensity of
childhood
- Creates empathy for characters through evocative
storytelling
- Makes the story memorable, vivid, and multi-layered, despite its simplicity
Language & Style Features Reflecting a 9-Year-Old’s Narration
Feature |
Evidence |
Explanation
/ Effect |
Simple Sentence Structures |
“It wasn’t morning yet.” |
Reflects a child’s limited yet
earnest attempt to express thoughts; the syntax is straightforward and
unembellished. |
Innocent Logic / Rationalization |
“It would not be stealing until we
offered to sell the horse.” |
Shows how children morally justify
actions through naive reasoning; reveals internal conflict without adult
cynicism. |
First-person Retrospective Tone |
“One day back there in the good
old days when I was nine...” |
Blends adult memory with a child’s
perspective; adds warmth, nostalgia, and credibility to the storytelling. |
Repetition of Thoughts |
“I couldn’t believe what I saw. It
wasn’t morning yet. I was still in bed.” |
Mimics a child’s tendency to
repeat for emphasis or internal reassurance; mirrors the mental pacing of
young minds. |
Exaggeration / Hyperbole |
“It was the loveliest thing I had
ever seen.” |
Reflects the emotional extremes
and idealism of a child—often sees things in superlatives. |
Curiosity and Wonder |
“I had always wanted to ride a
horse, ever since I was a small boy.” |
Expresses desire and wonder
typical of children; motivations are pure and emotional. |
Limited Vocabulary |
Frequent use of basic adjectives
like “beautiful,” “crazy,” “funny,” “lovely,” “honest,” etc. |
Vocabulary mirrors a child’s
limited but emotionally charged lexicon. |
Confessional, Honest Tone |
“I did not know what to do. Well,
it seemed to me stealing a horse... was not the same as stealing money.” |
The narrator doesn’t hide his
doubts or confusion; his openness builds trust and realism. |
Emotion-driven Narration |
Focus is on feelings — excitement,
fear, admiration for Mourad, moral anxiety |
Shows that the child narrator is
led more by feelings than facts — typical of young children. |
Sense of Hero Worship |
“He had a way with a horse. I knew
he had.” |
Mourad is idolized — the story is
shaped by admiration rather than objective analysis. |
Moral Simplicity |
“We were poor. We had no money.
But we were honest.” |
Demonstrates the binary thinking
of children — the world is divided into clear rights and wrongs, making the
moral tension more poignant. |
Imaginative Exaggeration |
“My cousin Mourad enjoyed being
alive more than anybody else who had ever fallen into the world...” |
Reflects the boundless admiration
and hyperbolic thought processes children often have when describing those
they look up to. |
Saroyan successfully:
- Adopts the mental and emotional framework of a
9-year-old: simple logic, emotional
judgments, curiosity.
- Balances adult coherence (for readers) with childlike
authenticity (in voice and perception).
- Uses style as a tool to immerse the reader in a
child's world, making us feel the dilemma, excitement, and wonder as
Aram does.