inability to speak one another's languages. The American has certain cultural assumptions about India, which don't seem to correspond to the realities of Indian life. Even if he could speak the language like a native, then, or even if Muni could speak English, it's highly unlikely that any kind of mutual understanding could emerge.

Culture clash is the central theme of “A Horse and Two Goats.” Two men from different cultural backgrounds meet and are unable to understand each other’s way of life. Muni is uneducated, rural, and Indian, while the American is affluent, urban, and learned. The gentlemen get along with one other even though they don’t speak the same tongue. Unlike in many stories with culture clash as a theme, “A Horse and Two Goats” does not portray any real harm. However, confusion emanating from the culture clash in this text is quite apparent. For instance, each man speaks about his personal life without any idea that their counterpart is unaware of what they are saying.

Another significant theme in Narayan’s work is wealth and poverty. From the beginning of the story, Muni is depicted as a poor ordinary Indian citizen. Muni was progressive during his heydays, but his wealth was still nothing compared to that of most Americans. In the story, the American offers a cigarette to Muni, a man who has never set eyes on one. He also talks about how he enjoys manual work on Sundays with no idea that Muni grew up working in fields. The author does not purport to condemn the American’s wealth. Rather, Narayan intention is to make the relationship between affluence and worth clear to the reader.

Further, knowledge versus ignorance is an essential theme in “A Horse and Two Goats.” There is a clear discrepancy between the Indian (Muni) and the American regarding exposure. Muni has neither received formal education nor gone beyond the villages. In contrast, the American has been privileged enough to receive education and greatly values it. He has a room full of reading materials (as he illustrates when he says, “you know I love books and am a member of five book clubs, and the choice and bonus volumes mount up to a pile in our living room”). The American has also traveled around the world, unlike Muni.

Let's expand on some of the themes in this story.

A major theme is the obvious clash of cultures as exhibited by the wealthy, white American and the poor Hindu, Muni. The two men do not speak the same language, are not of the same economic status, and do not have the same outlooks on life. Their religions are different; their marriage customs are different. There appear to be almost no similarities here. However, they are, as if by fate, put together in one location for comparison. Thus the story and what the reader learns through this juxtaposition can be illuminated.

The story obviously punctuates the economic differences between not just men, but entire cultures. By watching them both together, the reader can see that the American typifies the life of ease and entitlement that contrasts with the hard work, acceptance and loss that characterizes Muni's life. However, the story does not turn into a judgmental piece but rather shows that Muni's acceptance of his life is more peaceful than the American's attitude. After all, the American cannot stop complaining about the lack of air-conditioning and is irritated that Muni cannot speak English, even though he, himself, can only speak English. The American is not, and probably will not ever be, satisfied.

The story also expresses the theme of knowledge versus wisdom. The American is highly educated but does not seem to truly understand the vastness of the world he lives in. Muni is not educated, but truly understands his own culture, history, religion and humanity in terms of the culmination of experiences in his life. In this manner, the American is seen as not unintelligent, but merely ignorant of the world, while Muni, not necessarily educated in a formal manner, is vastly intelligent.