A Horse and Two Goats – Summary & Analysis

The story line / Plot summary

The short story “A Horse and Two Goats” by R. K. Narayan is set in a fictional small Tamil village named Kritam where the protagonist of the story, Muni, lives. The village consists of less than thirty houses, mostly made of bamboo thatch, straw and mud. Only one house called the Big House, the house of the village chief, is made of brick and cement.

Once upon a time, Muni owned a herd of forty sheep and goats. But it is now reduced to just two goats. On the day of the story, Muni takes his usual breakfast of a handful of millet flour and then shakes down drum sticks from the tree in front of his house. When Muni expresses his wish for a drumstick sauce, his wife asks him to bring groceries like dal, spices, oil and potato. He goes to the village shop and makes all efforts to get these things in credit but fails. He comes back home to be humiliated further by his wife and takes the two goats and goes to a place in the outskirts of the village beside the highway to graze his goats.

Muni sits under the clay horse statue where he usually sits to protect himself from the sun and watches the trucks. That day he sees a yellow station wagon approaching. The wagon comes and stops in front of the statue. A red faced American, dressed in Khaki, gets out of the wagon and asks in English about the nearest gas station.

As the American notices the horse statue, he gets fascinated by it and starts a discussion with Muni. He offers Muni cigarettes and carries on with the funny conversation where the two of them do not understand each other – Muni speaking in Tamil and the American in English.

First Muni assumes the American to be a police man or a soldier and tries to defend himself by saying that he is not involved in the crime that has happened in the nearby village. Then as he finds the American to be friendly by his gestures, he carries on telling his story.

Muni ends up telling the stranger how cheetahs or jackals sometimes carry their cattle off. He also tells him that he never went to school, as in those days only Brahmins went to schools. He narrates how the temple priest can see in the camphor flame the face of the thief, and how at the end of the Kali Yuga, the world will be destroyed and the clay horse will come to life and trample down all bad men. Muni also expresses his grudge for the village chief who has gathered a lot of money.

The American also tells his own story of he being a businessman dealing in coffee and how one day he was forced to work for four hours in his office when there was no electricity or elevators. This incident made him curious to “look at other civilizations”. So, he has come to India to see how people live here. He further adds that his wife has stayed back in Srinagar.

Thinking Muni to be the owner of the horse statue, the American offers a one hundred rupee note to buy it. Realising that some financial element has entered the talk, Muni thinks that the man wants to buy his goats. In fact, he has always dreamt of selling his goats at a good price and setting up a small shop with the money someday. Muni is happy that he has sold his goat for one hundred rupees and the American is happy that he has bought the horse statue.

Muni comes back home to show the money to his wife. She does not believe that he has sold the goats for such a hefty price. She accuses Muni of theft. Her belief of Muni stealing the money gets even stronger when the two goats return home just afterwards.

Publication

The short story "A Horse and Two Goats" was written by the celebrated Indian author R. K. Narayan. It was first published in The New Yorker on January 23, 1965. Later, it became the title story of his collection A Horse and Two Goats and Other Stories, which was published in 1970. This collection helped introduce many Western readers to Narayan’s witty and observant style of writing.

R. K. Narayan is considered one of the three great writers of Indian fiction in English, along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao. He is famous for creating the fictional town of "Malgudi." Although this story is set in a tiny village called Kritam, it shares the same spirit as his Malgudi stories. It uses humor to explore the clash between traditional Indian life and the modern Western world.

The story remains one of Narayan’s most popular works. It is widely studied in literature courses because it is both very funny and socially significant. It captures a specific moment in history when rural India was just beginning to encounter American tourism and global capitalism.

Context

The story is set in rural India in the 1960s. This was a time when many villages were still very isolated. Most villagers in places like Kritam were illiterate and extremely poor. They had little contact with the outside world. Their lives were governed by ancient traditions, caste rules, and local folklore. The arrival of a foreigner in such a place was a rare and shocking event.

In this context, there is a huge cultural gap between the East (India) and the West (America). The American tourist represents wealth, modernity, and impatience. He assumes that money can buy anything. Muni, the main character, represents poverty, tradition, and patience. He lives in a world where myths are real and money is scarce.

The story also reflects the linguistic diversity of India. Muni speaks Tamil, a classical language with a rich history. The American speaks English. Because they cannot understand each other, they have a long conversation where neither knows what the other is saying. This lack of a common language creates the central comedy of the story.

Setting

The story takes place in Kritam, a tiny fictional village in South India. The name "Kritam" means "coronet" or "crown" in Tamil. This is ironic because the village is actually a "microscopic dot" on the map. It consists of less than thirty huts made of bamboo, straw, and mud. Only one house, the "Big House," is made of brick.

The specific setting for the main action is a spot on the outskirts of the village, near the highway. Here, there is a life-sized clay statue of a horse and a warrior. This statue acts as a meeting point between the old village and the modern highway. Muni sits here every day to graze his goats and watch the trucks go by.

The highway is an important part of the setting. It represents the modern world passing by the village. The village is stagnant and timeless, while the highway is full of speed and movement. When the American's yellow station wagon stops there, the two worlds—the static village and the mobile West—collide.

Title

The title "A Horse and Two Goats" is simple and literal, listing the main objects in the story. However, it also highlights the central misunderstanding. To the American, the "Horse" is the most important object. He sees it as a piece of art that he wants to buy for his living room. He ignores the goats completely.

To Muni, the "Two Goats" are the most important things. They are his property and his livelihood. He thinks the American wants to buy the goats. He does not care much about the horse statue, which belongs to the village, not him. The title places these two objects side by side, just as the story places the two men side by side.

The title effectively summarizes the transaction that takes place. The American pays for the horse, but Muni thinks he is being paid for the goats. In the end, the American gets the horse, and Muni keeps the money (and the goats return to him). The title captures the humor of this double deal.

Narrative and Language

The story is told from a third-person omniscient point of view. The narrator sees everything but does not judge. The tone is light, humorous, and ironic. Narayan uses a gentle satire. He mocks the American’s arrogance and Muni’s ignorance equally, but without malice. The reader is allowed to see the humor that the characters miss.

The language is the most crucial part of the story. The narrative is in English, but it describes a conversation that happens in two different languages. Muni speaks in high-flown Tamil, talking about the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The American speaks in practical English, talking about gas prices and elevators. Narayan skillfully juxtaposes these two monologues.

This technique creates a "comedy of errors." For example, when Muni talks about the end of the world and the Redeemer coming on a horse, the American thinks he is bargaining about the price. This disconnection shows that language is not just about words; it is about different ways of seeing the world. The narrative style ensures the reader understands both sides perfectly, even when the characters understand nothing.

A Horse and Two Goats – Themes

The Clash of Cultures

The story explores how two cultures can exist in the same space without touching. The American and Muni are from different worlds. The American views the world through money and possession. He sees the horse as a decoration. Muni views the world through religion and survival. He sees the horse as a god. They try to communicate, but their cultural backgrounds are too different. The story suggests that without shared values or language, true understanding is impossible. However, it also shows that two people can still have a friendly interaction even if they don't understand each other.

Wealth vs. Poverty

The contrast between extreme wealth and extreme poverty is stark. The American carelessly smokes cigarettes and offers one to Muni. He complains about the heat and manual labor, which he treats as a hobby. Muni, on the other hand, is starving. He dreams of a simple meal of drumstick leaves. The 100-rupee note is a small amount to the tourist (barely enough for a lunch in America), but to Muni, it is a fortune that can change his life. This theme highlights the global economic inequality where one man's pocket change is another man's survival.

Karma and Fate

Muni accepts his life with resignation. He believes in karma and fate. He was once rich (by village standards), but now he is poor. He accepts this as his destiny. When the American gives him the money, Muni sees it as a divine intervention. He thinks the gods have finally smiled on him. He does not attribute the event to the American's desire for art, but to a religious blessing. The story suggests that while the American thinks he is controlling the situation with his money, Muni feels he is being guided by a higher power.

A Horse and Two Goats – Symbols

The Clay Horse

The clay horse has two different meanings. To the villagers and Muni, it is a sacred object. It represents the "Redeemer" (Kalki) who will come at the end of the world to punish the wicked. It is a protector of the village. To the American, it is just a curio or an "object d'art." He wants it as a conversation piece for his parties. The horse symbolizes how the West commodifies the culture of the East. It shows how sacred religious symbols can be reduced to mere living room decorations by those who do not understand their meaning.

The Goats

The two goats symbolize Muni's pathetic condition. They are skinny, hungry, and barely alive. They are tethered to him, just as he is tethered to his poverty. The village rejects them, and the butcher refuses to buy them. They are worthless in the economic sense. However, they are also Muni's only companions. In the end, the goats return to Muni, symbolizing that his burden is not easily lost. Even after he thinks he has sold them, they come back, suggesting that he cannot escape his identity or his responsibilities so easily.

The 100-Rupee Note

The red 100-rupee note acts as a catalyst in the story. It is a symbol of the American's power. He flourishes it to get what he wants. To Muni, the note represents a miracle. It is the key to his dream of opening a small shop. However, the note also causes trouble. When Muni brings it home, his wife accuses him of theft. This shows that money, while powerful, creates new problems in a traditional society. It disrupts the normal order of life in the poor village.

A Horse and Two Goats – Critical Commentary

"A Horse and Two Goats" is a brilliant critique of the tourist gaze. R. K. Narayan exposes the superficiality of Western tourism. The American does not really care about India or its people; he only cares about acquiring "authentic" souvenirs. He does not listen to Muni's stories about the Mahabharata; he cuts him off to talk about shipping costs. This shows the arrogance of the neo-colonial mindset.

However, Narayan is careful not to make the American a villain. He is polite and generous, just ignorant. Similarly, Muni is not a perfect saint; he lies about the goats being his to sell (though he thinks he is selling them). The humor comes from the fact that both men are flawed. The ending is ironic and slightly tragic. The American drives off happy with his statue, while Muni is left facing his angry wife. The "transaction" leaves Muni with money but also with a domestic crisis.

Critics often point out that the story is a "double monologue." It is not a dialogue because there is no exchange of ideas. This structure reflects the isolation of the individual. Despite the globalization represented by the highway and the tourist, real human connection remains rare. The story leaves us with a question: Who really got the better deal? The American got a statue he doesn't understand, and Muni got money for goats he didn't sell. Both "won" in their own eyes, but the cultural gap remains as wide as ever.