When we are first introduced to Mourad, we are told by his cousin that he was "considered crazy by everybody who knew him except me." We are then told, immediately after, of the time when Mourad, astride "a beautiful white horse," woke his cousin at four in the morning by tapping on the window of his room. This would certainly suggest that Mourad is at least eccentric.
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.
Overall, I don't think Mourad qualifies as "crazy" in any really meaningful sense of the word. In the story, he seems to be in full possession of his intellectual faculties—but is perhaps rather impulsive and a little reckless. The fact that he is rather impulsive and a little reckless, however, is possibly far more satisfactorily explained by the fact that he also happens to be a thirteen-year-old boy.
In this story, the narrator's cousin, Mourad, has the reputation of inheriting the crazy streak in the family. However, when we look at the way he is characterized, we get a different impression of his "craziness." Firstly, Mourad is considered crazy because he roars and sings when he is riding the horse. Arguably, though, this is not a sign of being crazy; rather, it is a sign of his happiness. Knowing how much Mourad loves horses, this is not a surprising or crazy reaction to riding one.
Similarly, regarding the theft of the horse, we cannot call Mourad crazy for doing this. Given how much he wanted a horse of his own, we can empathize with his reasons for the theft. It is more apt to describe the theft as reckless than it is to say it is crazy.
Moreover, at the end of the story, Mourad returns the horse to its rightful owner, a sign that he understands that this was the right and ethical thing to do.
So, while Mourad's actions and behavior might be considered reckless, it is not a sign that he is crazy. Instead, it is a sign of his passion for fun and his love of horses.
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