Question

What is the meaning of comical poverty?

Answer 1

Hint: The Summer of a Beautiful White Horse tells the story of two underprivileged Armenian lads who enjoy horseback riding. Aram (9 years old) and Mourad (13 years old) are Garoghlanians, a clan noted for their honesty and trustworthiness. Mourad is able to steal a horse, and after a month of horseback riding, he invites his cousin to join him.

Complete answer:
Aram and Mourad, two Armenian youngsters from the Garoghlanaian family, are the protagonists of the story. The story revolves around their tribe who are recognised for their honesty. They are poor and struggle to make ends meet. They both wish to be able to ride a horse. Mourad had robbed a farmer of a horse approximately a month prior. He showed it to Aram one early morning and asked him to fulfil his dream of riding a horse.

The narrator says “We were poor. We had no money. Our whole tribe was poverty stricken. Every branch of the Garoghlanian1 family was living in the most amazing and comical poverty in the world. Nobody could understand where we ever got money enough to keep us with food in our bellies, not even the old men of the family”.

It stated that the Garoghlanians were honest but poor and poor; yet, they never engaged in any unethical behaviour in order to gain money or food. In other words, a sarcastic portrayal of their struggle to overcome their poverty.

Their “poverty” is “comical” or ironic as the Garoghlanian family belonged to the Armenian ethnic group. It was the wealthiest family in that part of the world eleven centuries ago. However with the passage of time they were living in extreme poverty, and it was difficult to comprehend how they were able to feed themselves. He openly admits that every branch of the Garoghlanian family lived in the world's most incredible and ludicrous poverty.

Note: The story's central topic is the inevitability of change, which challenges long-held beliefs and traditions. The Garoghlanian tribe has traditionally been famed for its honesty, and while the impoverished tribe's older generations continue to retain this tradition, the younger generations are no longer willing to lie.