William Saroyan's My Name Is Aram is a captivating collection of short stories that delves into the delicate balance between personal desires and societal expectations. Through the recollections of Aram, who reflects on his childhood in an Armenian American family, readers are introduced to a series of imaginative and poignant narratives. Each story reveals the tension and harmony between individual expression and the pressures of conforming to the norms of society.

The Magical and the Mundane

The opening story, “The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse,” introduces Aram's enchanting cousin Mourad, whose ability to borrow a horse without permission illustrates a world where the magical can exist without consequence. This theme of magic continues in “The Journey to Hanford,” where Uncle Jorgi, another figure of wonder, disregards societal expectations by choosing music over manual labor, feigning compliance while pursuing his passion. In “The Pomegranate Trees,” Uncle Melik, despite failing in his dream to cultivate pomegranates, discovers the enduring nature of inner beauty, teaching Aram that true splendor is unyielding. Aram learns that true art is often unacknowledged by those in power in “One of Our Future Poets, You Might Say.”

The Clash of Worlds

Through “The Fifty-Yard Dash,” Saroyan illustrates the futility of relying solely on inner conviction without engaging with the external world. Meanwhile, “A Nice Old-Fashioned Romance, with Lyrics and Everything” sees Aram’s teacher, Miss Daffney, choosing to abide by institutional regulations over personal connections, highlighting the conflict between professional duty and personal desires. In contrast, “My Cousin Dikran, the Orator” depicts a young Armenian boy who fully embraces the official rhetoric, delivering a technically flawless but ultimately misguided speech, showcasing the risks of aligning too closely with societal expectations.

Personal versus Professional

In “The Presbyterian Church Choir Singers,” Aram earns money by performing in a church choir for an elderly Christian woman. Here, the commercialization of his talent strips away the joy of personal expression, underscoring the loss that comes with transforming personal gifts into professional obligations. Further exploration of this theme appears in “The Circus,” where Aram and a friend choose the vibrant world of the circus over the routine of school, only to face disappointment in the leniency of their punishment, hinting at the subtle encouragement of personal choices over public duty. The narrative of “The Three Swimmers and the Grocer from Yale” uncovers the boys' preference for the quirky, personal interactions with an eccentric grocer over the conventional behavior of his successor, reinforcing the appeal of individuality.

Embracing Identity

“Locomotive Thirty-Eight, the Ojibway” presents an intriguing narrative where Aram is supported by a wealthy Ojibway Indian who indulges him in personal amusement, blurring the lines between personal and official identities by proclaiming Aram’s inherent mechanical aptitude due to his American heritage. This exploration of identity continues in stories like “Old Country Advice to the American Traveler” and “The Poor and Burning Arab,” where immigrant Armenian adults find their authority waning as they adapt to a new world, while the younger generation learns to navigate the space between personal desires and societal expectations. In “A Word to Scoffers,” Saroyan humorously suggests that belief is the bridge between personal and public worlds, allowing them to coexist in surprising harmony.