‘I knew my cousin Mourad enjoyed being alive more than anybody else who had ever fallen into this world by mistake.’ Explain.(120 words)
Answers
Mourad's cousin, Aram, says that "Mourad enjoyed being alive, more than anybody else who had ever fallen into the world by mistake." This implies a hedonistic approach to life which may partially explain why everyone else considered Mourad to be "crazy." We then find out that Mourad had stolen the horse, which we might consider "crazy" if we think about the possible repercussions for Mourad and, more significantly, for the reputation of his family. This seemingly cavalier attitude towards the possible consequences of his actions might also be a characteristic of one thought of as "crazy."
When we usually think of people who might be deemed "crazy," we might think of people who are over-excitable and who perhaps find it difficult to control their emotions. Mourad certainly doesn't qualify as "crazy" in this sense. Indeed, when Aram asked him what they should do after the horse ran away and it was too late to return it to its owner, Mourad calmly replied, "Well . . . we'll either take him back or hide him until tomorrow morning." And toward the end of the story, when the horse's owner, John Byro, found the boys with his horse, Mourad was again calmness personified..