The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse

A central theme in the story is duality, which is present on a smaller scale in many ways, and on a larger scale, with immigrant life in the United States. The story begins with duality: the protagonist, the boy Aram, wakes to see his cousin Mourad outside his bedroom window, implausibly riding a beautiful white horse. He “could see the horse, so magnificent […] could smell it […] could hear it breathing […]” (3), yet he “couldn’t believe” (3) what his senses were telling him. It is as if he had awoken from sleep directly into a dream, yet he explains, “[I]t was light enough for me to know I wasn’t dreaming” (2). His cousin Mourad even says directly, “You’re not dreaming” (2). Aram is experiencing cognitive dissonance because he knows on one hand that Mourad had to have stolen the horse, and he likewise knows that Mourad couldn’t have stolen the horse. The horse itself, beautiful and glowing white, exists in stark contrast to the dark secret of its theft. Aram wrestles internally with these dual messages throughout the story.