A Horse and Two Goats Summary by R.K. Narayan

The story entitled A Horse and Two Goats first published in newspaper The Hindu in 1960, did not achieve a wide international audience until 1970 when it became the title story of R.K. Narayan’s seventh collection of short stories A Horse and Two Goats and Other Stories. It reached an even wider audience in 1985 when it was included in Under the Banyan Tree, Naryan’s tenth and bestselling collection.

By this time Narayan was well established as one of the most prominent Indian authors writing in English in the 20th century. The story presents a comic dialogue between Muni, a poor Tamil-speaking villager and a wealthy English-speaking businessman from New York. They are engaged in a conversation in which neither can understand the other’s language. With gentle humour, Narayan explores the conflicts between rich and poor and between Indian and Western culture. The story is seen as a fine example of Narayan’s dexterity in creating engaging characters and humorous dialogue.

A Horse and Two Goats Summary Introduction

The story takes place in Kritam, one of the smallest India’s seven hundred thousand villages. Despite its small size, the village had a grandiose name which meant ‘crown’ or ‘coronet’ in the Indian language of Tamil. There were only thirty houses in the village, most of them were simple thatched huts. The only sophisticated residence in the village was the Big House which was built with bricks and cement. The village had no running water and no electricty. The villagers got their water from the Big House. Muni was the poorest man of the village and lived in one of the huts with his wife. He was an old goat herdsman.

Muni and his wife passed a life of full of miseries. But they were not always so poor. Once he was financially strong. He was prosperous as he owned a flock of forty sheep and goats. But his fate had not been kind to him and his animals. Years of drought, famine and an epidemic affected his flock and he was left with only two scrawny goats. As he belonged to a low caste, he was not allowed to go to school or to learn a craft. Since Muni and his wife had no children, their only income was from the odd jobs his wife got at the Big House.

Daily Muni’s wife cooked their typical breakfast of a fistful of millet flour over a fire in a mud pot. One day, Muni had managed to get six drumsticks from the drumstick tree in front of his house. He demanded his wife to cook them for him in a sauce. She agreed and asked him to get the other ingredients which they did not have in the house. Muni had run through his credit at all the shops in the village and that day when he asked a local shopman to give him the items his wife required, he was humiliated and dismissed by the shopkeeper. There was nothing else in the house and hence, Muni’s wife sent him away telling him to fast till the evening.

Muni, in a dejected and disappointed way, took the goats to the usual spot which was a few miles away. It was a grassy spot near the high way. There he sat in the shade of a life-size statue of a horse and a warrior. He wanted to spend the rest of day. He began to observe trucks and buses passing by so that he might feel himself connected to the larger world.

As he had been waiting for the time to return home, a yellow station wagon came down the road and pulled over. A flushed American in Khaki-clothes got down from the car and asked Muni if there was any gas station nearby. Then he looked at the statue and was instantly attracted to it. When Muni saw the Khaki- clad foreigner, his initial instinct was to flee thinking that the foreigner must be a policeman or a soldier. However, Muni was too old to run and moreover, he could not abandon the goats. Presently, the foreigner and Muni carried on a conversation, neither understanding the other. The American greeted Muni using his only Indian word Namaste and Muni responded with the only English he knew-yes, no.

The American was a New York based businessman. After lighting a cigarettle, he offered one to Muni. Then he gave Muni his business card and Muni was badly frightened to think that it was a warrant. Muni commenced a lengthy explanation to establish his innocence. The American presumed that Muni was the owner of the statue and expressed his wish to buy it. In between, he told Muni about an awful day at work when he was compelled to work for hours without elevators or electricity. He seemed blithely unaware that Muni lived this way every day..

The two men- (Muni and the American) kept on talking but they did not seem to be understanding each other. Muni recalled his father and grandfather remarking about the statue and attempted to enlighten the American of myth behind it. Muni explained to the American that the statue was the guardian of the village and that at the end of this world, the Redeemer would come in the shape of a horse. American was charmed by the rhythm of chaste Tamil as Muni recollects his grim and poverty stricken childhood. The American did not understand a single word but assumed Muni that the horse would have the best home in the U.S.A.

At last, the American shoved one hundred rupees into Muni’s hand and was certain that he had bought the horse and Muni thought that he had just sold his goats. Muni rushed to his house hurriedly so that he could give the money to his wife. The American stopped a truck, got help to remove the horse off its pedestal and drove away with his new acquisition.

When Muni reached his house and gave money to his wife, she considered Muni’s story to be a deliberate fib and her misgivings were confirmed when the goats returned home. Muni was confused when his wife suspected him of stealing the money and said that she would go to her parents’ home because she didnot want to be there when the police apprehended him.

A Horse and Two Goats Summary Stanzawise Word-Meanings

Microscopic = so small that it can only be seen under a lens of microscope. Grandiose = seeming to be impressive. Gorgeous = very beautiful or attractive. Carvings = carved objects, designs or figures. Gargoyles = strange or ugly human or animal figures. Balustrade = a kind of low wall that is placed at the sides of staircases ; a railing. Prosperous = flourishing. Sallied = set out. Pedestal = the base of the tall object. Crook = a bent or curved implement sickle. Snapped = broke quickly with a short, sharp sound. Foliage = the leaves of a plant. Faggots = a bunch of sticks tied together.

Dawn = morning. Millet = a type of grass that is grown for its seeds which are used as food. Nourishment = the food essential for growth. Swallow = to take into the stomach.

Fortunes = wealth ; riches. Decline = to diminish. Tethered = fastened with a rope or chain, as for feeding. Trunk = the stem of a tree. Craving = strong desire. Sauce = a thick hot or cold liquid which is eaten with food.

Upturned = upward directed. Inordinately = extremely; extraordinarily. Humouring = putting into a good mood. Mumbled = uttered with a low, inarticulate voice. Sneered = showed contempt by turning up the nose, or by a particular facial expression.

Parapet = a low protective wall. Famine = a severe shortage of food resulting in violent hunger and starvation and death. Unobtrusively = unnoticingly. Scoundrel = a mean, worthless fellow ; a rascal; villain.

Flung = threw in a violent or hasty manner. Recoup = to regain ; to recover. Fatigue = weariness. Fast = to abstain from food ; to go hungry. Conjure up = to create or achieve something difficult or unexpected. Undependable = not worthly of reliance or trust. Food-stuff = a substance that can be used or prepared for use as food. Unleashing = making free from a leash. Accosted = detained. Cronies = companions. Lounging = spending time lazily; passing time indolently. Hailed = called loudly.

Progeny = offspring. Outskirts = out lying areas. Meandered = turned in a course or passage. Crouch = bend down.

Moulded = shaped. Reared = raised. Prancing = moving with high springy steps. Scythe = an instrument for mowing grass, grain or the like. Mustachios = long moustaches. Bulging = swelling eyes. Aquiline = curved down like an eagle’s beak. Brocade = silk stuff, woven with gold and silver threads, or ornamented with raised flowers, foliage, etc. Sash = a band worn about the waist. Splendour = lustre; brilliance; grandeur. Vandals = those who willfully destroy or deface any work of art or property. Gashed = cut using a knife or sword. To topple off = to make something (here milestones) unsteady and fall down. Inscribed = written or carved words or symbols on something.

Arid = exhausted of moisture; parched with heat; dry barren. Cactus = a type of plant that grows in hot, dry areas, especially deserts. A cactus has a thick stem and sharp prickles but no leaves. Lantana = a flowering shrub. Scrounge = collect or look around for food.

Intrigued = lured, tempted. Novelty = something novel; a new or strange thing. Spectacle = something presented to view as extraordinary or as unusual and worthy of special notice; a remarkable or noteworthy sight. Mauled = attacked and wounded.

Fidgeted = made small movements through nervousness. Slanderers = the people who spread rumours. Wary = cautious of danger; carefully watching and guarding against deception, artifices and dangers. Potent = having great authority, control or dominion; mighty. Reeling = staggering.

Shrank away = pulled away from a source of disgust or fear. Unimpeded = not slowed or prevented. Mutilated = damaged; disfigured. Speculation = contemplation; intellectual examination. Courteously = politely. Ingratiatingly = in a flattering manner. Scruples = doubts, hesitation proceeding from motives of conscience.

Reflective = devoted to matters of the mind. Oration = an elaborate discourse. Gestured = indicatd. Driftwood = wood that is floating in water or carried to the shore by water.

Pinioned = held down. Urchin = a mischievous and often poor and raggedly clothed youngster. Stimulating = making more active; causing or encouraging. Redeemer = savior; rescuer. Bonus volumes = the gifted books. Hugging = holding something tightly with arms; staying close to something. Clump = a group of things clustered together. Thicket = a group of bushes or small trees that grow close together; a dense growth of shrubbery of small trees. Ruminated = pondered. Snatched = took quickly. Bleating = the cry of goat. Muttered = spoke quietly. Wriggled = twisted from side to side with small quick movements. Glared = looked at in an angry way. Thieved = stolen; robbed.

A Horse and Two Goats Summary About the Writer

Rasipuram Krishnaswami Ayyar Narayanaswami, or R. K. Narayan, is one of the most celebrated Indian novelists writing in English. This master story¬teller was bom on October 10, 1906 in Madras or present day Chennai. His father was a school headmaster and because his father had to be frequently transferred for his job, Narayan spent most of his childhood in the loving care of his grandmother, Parvati. It was his grandmother who taught him arithmetic, mythology and Sanskrit. He also attended many different schools in Chennai like, Lutheran Mission School, Christian College High School, etc.

He was interested in English literature since he was very young. His reading habit further developed when he moved to Mysore with his family and there his father’s schools library offered him gems of writing from authors like Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Wodehouse, etc. In 1926, he passed the university examination and joined Maharaja College of Mysore. After completing his graduation, Narayan took a job as a school teacher in a local school. Soon after, he realised that he could only be happy in writing fiction, which is why he decided to stay at home and write.

Narayan’s decision of staying at home and writing was supported in every way by his family and in 1930, he wrote his first novel called ‘Swami and Friends’ which was rejected by a lot of publishers. But this book was important in the sense that it was with this that he created the fictional town of Malgudi. After getting married in 1933, Narayan became a reporter for a newspaper called the ‘Justice’ and in the meantime, he sent the manuscript of‘Swami and Friends’ to his friend at Oxford who in turn showed it to Graham Greene.

Greene got the book published. His second novel ‘The Bachelors of Arts’, was published in 1937. It was based on his experiences at college. In 1938, Narayan wrote his third novel called ‘The Dark Room’ dealt with the subject of emotional abuse within a marriage and it was warmly received, both by readers and critics. The same year his father expired and he had to accept regular commision of the government.

In 1939, his wife’s unfortunate demise left Narayan depressed and disgruntled. But he continued to write and came out with his fourth book called ‘The English Teacher’ whch was more autobigraphical than any of his prior novels. After this, Narayan authored books like, ‘Mr. Sampath (1949), ‘The Financial Expert’{1951) and ‘Waiting for the Mahatma’ (1955), etc.

He wrote ‘The Guide’ in 1956 while he was touring United States. It earned him the Sahitya Akademi Award. In 1961, he wrote his next novel called ‘The Man-Eater ofMalgudT. After finishing this book, he travelled to the United States and Australia. He also gave lectures on Indian literature in Sydney and Melbourne. With his growing success, he also started writing columns for The Hindu and The Atlantic. His first mythological word ‘Gods, Demons and Others’, a collection of short stories was in 1964. His book was illustrated by his younger brother R.K. Laxman, a famous cartoonist.

In 1967, he came up with his next novel titled ‘The Vendor of Sweets’. Later, that year Narayan travelled to England where he received the first of his honorary doctorates from the University of Leeds. In 1980, Naryan was chosen as the member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament and throughout his six years term he focused on the education system and how little children suffer in it. During the 1980s Narayan wrote prolifically. His words during this period include : ‘Malgudi Days’ (1982), ‘Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories’, ‘A Tiger for Malgudi (1983), ‘Talkative man’ (1986) and ‘A Writer’s Nightmore’ (1987). In 1990s, his published works include: ‘The World ofNagaraj (1990)’, ‘Grandmother’s Tale and Other Stories (1994)’, etc.

Narayan died in 2001 at the age of 94. He was planning on writing his next novel, a story on a gradfather, just before he died.

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