"The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse" is a short story written by William Saroyan. It is set in a Californian town where a young boy named Aram and his cousin Mourad come across a beautiful white horse that has been stolen from its owner.


Aram and Mourad are excited when they see the horse, and they decide to keep it for themselves. They come up with a plan to hide the horse in a nearby vineyard until they can figure out what to do with it.

The boys are eventually caught by the horse's owner, a man named John Byro. Byro is initially angry with the boys, but he eventually comes to understand why they took the horse and forgives them. He even allows them to keep the horse for one more day before he takes it back.


One of the main themes of the story is the innocence of childhood. Aram and Mourad are just young boys who are caught up in the excitement of finding a beautiful horse. They don't fully understand the consequences of their actions, and they are ultimately forgiven for their mistake.

Another theme is the idea of forgiveness and understanding. Byro could have easily been angry with the boys and punished them for stealing his horse, but he chooses to forgive them instead. This act of forgiveness teaches the boys a valuable lesson about the importance of honesty and owning up to their mistakes.


"The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse" is a heartwarming story about the innocence of childhood and the importance of forgiveness. It teaches readers a valuable lesson about the consequences of our actions and the power of forgiveness.