Character Sketch of The American (The Foreigner) in a Horse and Two Goats
Introduction
The writer has presented the American in the story when Muni was sitting at the foot of the statue and was waiting for the evening to go back home. The American has been shown as a symbol of a new culture of the west. He has been represented as a typical wealthy person as opposed to Muni, a simple and innocent villager.
His Encounter with Muni
The American encounters Muni in the shade of the pedestal of a horse and warrior. He was dressed in Khaki and asked Muni about the nearest gas station. Suddenly he saw the beautiful statue of the horse and was highly attracted to it. He thought that Muni was the real owner of the statue, hence he asked him to buy it. But, as Muni did not know English and the American was also untouched by Tamil, Muni thought that the American seemed to be interested in his two goats.
His Being Polite, Pleasant, and Friendly
The American has been shown as polite and courteous. Although not much is said about his character, we can deduce that he was friendly and genuine through the way that he regarded Muni. This is highlighted in the line, ‘The Tamil that Muni spoke was stimulating even as a pure sound, and the foreigner listened with fascination. 7 wish I had my take recorder here, ’ he said, assuming the pleasantest expression.’ The line utilizes the words ‘fascination’ and ‘pleasantest’, suggesting that the foreigner was being very gracious to Muni despite the fact that he could not understand him.
His Materialistic Attitude
The American was linked with materialism. He was a rich businessman whose only concern was to buy the horse statue as a decorative item for his drawing-room. He was not concerned with the statue’s religious importance. He was ready to replace all the books in his library to make a place for them in his drawing-room.
His Being Educated but Being Unaware of India’s Tradition and Culture
The American claimed himself to be a member of five book clubs. He had a roomful of books that he valued as objects but there was no evidence that he valued what was inside them. He was familiar with the larger world around him. Though the American was educated and read many books, he seemed to be unaware of Indian tradition and culture. He did not study deeply about India before making a tour of India.
His Being An Impractical Man
The Americans stopped near the tiniest village of India and wanted to figure out how far the gas station was. Before stopping in a small village, he did not think for a moment how there could a gas station in such a small village as was deprived of all the necessities of life and the people were striving to sustain their lives. Then the American expected Muni to understand English. He did not think how an Indian villager belonging to a backward village could be able to speak a foreign language. The American also assumed Muni to be the owner of the statue.
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