Beyond the Horizon

Beyond the Horizon Summary | Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

This scene is set by the side of a road stretching into the distance. In the twilight of early evening on a day in May, a man in his early twenties, who looks like an intellectual (Robert) sits on a fence and reads. He looks up towards the horizon, suddenly thoughtful.

Robert's older brother Andrew (a more rugged and earthy kind of man) calls out to him. Robert turns, startled. Andrew joins him on the fence, teases him for being such a daydreamer, and asks to look at the book. Robert hands it to him, warning him, "don't get it full of dirt." Andrew responds by saying it, "isn't dirt - it's good clean earth."

As Andrew looks through the book, he quotes some of the poetry. Andrew teases Robert about how he took a liking to that "stuff" at college and he suggests that Robert should have stayed in school. Robert tells him that just because he reads; it doesn't mean he's interested in being a student. All Robert wants is to, "keep on moving so that [he] won't take root in any one place." Andrew suggests that the trip Robert's about to take will, "keep [him] moving, all right."

At the mention of the trip, the brothers fall silent for a moment, then Andrew mentions that Robert will be gone for three years because he is sailing to Japan, India, Australia, South Africa, and South America which are all places mentioned by their Uncle Dick, the sea captain with whom Robert will be apprenticing. Andrew mentions that their mother will miss Robert while he's gone, and that their father isn't happy about the trip either, even though he isn't talking about it much. Andrew also admits that he'll miss Robert himself. Andrew talks about how he and Robert aren't like most brothers, "fighting and separated a lot of the time." Robert says it's hard for him too, but that he's got something calling him. When Robert gestures towards the horizon, Andrew tells him that he doesn't have to explain: he wants to go, that's all there is to it.

Robert thanks him for understanding. Andrew then talks about how everybody in the family knows the trip will be good for Robert's health but Robert protests that, even though he was sick a lot as a child, the trip has nothing to do with his health. He says he's doing a lot better, and if his health was the only reason to go on the ship, he'd stay on the farm and "start plowing." This starts Andrew talking about how different they are. He says that plowing and farming just aren't part of Robert's nature. Robert agrees, saying that Andrew is just like their dad: the farm is a life's work for both of them. Andrew talks about all the possibilities in Robert's trip; for making money, for becoming an officer, for going anywhere he wants without having to pay for it, and for opportunities in the new parts of the world just opening up. He jokes about Robert becoming a millionaire, and asks him to bring some money home once in a while, since the farm could use it.

Robert protests that none of those "practical" things are what interest him about the trip He says that it's, "Beauty that's calling [him], the beauty of the far off and unknown," as well as the mystery of the wide open spaces and the joy of just wandering, "in quest of the secret which is hidden over there, beyond the horizon." Andrew calls him "nutty," saying that everything Robert's looking for is right there on the farm. There is enough of horizon, and "beauty enough for anyone," on the farm.

Robert jumps off the fence to goes to get ready for supper. Robert mentions that Ruth and her mother are joining the family for dinner. At the mention of Ruth's name, the brothers are suddenly quiet again. They both start to say something, but they both decide it'd be better to say nothing. Andrew heads for the house. Robert is left alone for a moment, and then Ruth (a young woman in her early twenties) hurries on. She startles him when she calls him.

Robert assumes she is looking for Andrew, but she says she'd come looking for him. Robert then assumes that she wants to talk to him before he leaves, but Ruth tells him his mother is anxious for him to hurry home for supper. They talk for a moment about Ruth's mother, who's in a wheelchair. Ruth mentions her wish that her mother would, "try to make the best of things that can't be helped," and complains about her mother's nagging. Ruth says that she wishes she was going away with Robert. She admits that everybody is going to miss him a lot, particularly her and Andrew. Robert suggests that Ruth and Andrew will have each other, but Ruth argues that while he's away and seeing lots of new sights and new people, she and Andrew will be at home with the old routine. When she talks about all the opportunities that Robert will have, Robert becomes angry, saying he's had enough of that from Andrew.

Ruth asks him why he wants to go. In a long speech, Robert explains that when he was little and sickly, his mother would push his chair to the window and tell him to look out and be quiet. He says that he used to imagine all the wonderful things that were out there in the world, "beyond the horizon," and sometimes he started to cry because he was sad that he'd never see them. Now that he's able to go, he says, he has to. When he asks Ruth if she understands, she says yes, "[he puts] things so beautifully." They share an intimate embrace, but separate when Robert starts to tell her the other reason that he's going; he loves her but knows that she and Andrew are in love. Robert is going away to let them be together and to keep himself from being unhappy. Ruth says she doesn't love Andrew at all, she loves Robert.

Robert has difficulty believing her but she convinces him. Ruth asks him to not leave. When Robert suggests that she should come with him, she says she can't leave her mother. When Robert protests that he'll be letting down Uncle Dick if he stays, Ruth says that he won't mind as long as he knows that, "it's for your happiness to stay." Ruth starts to cry. Robert promises her that he won't go and he wonders if Andrew was right; that all the things he'd been looking for were actually right there on the farm. He wonders if love was actually, "the secret that called … from over the world's rim," and if he'd found it in Ruth's arms.

He suggests they tell their families right away, but Ruth talks him out of it. She tells him to wait until after she's gone since there would, "be such a scene with them all together." Robert agrees with her, and they head home for supper. Before they leave, they look up into the sky and see the evening star which is their star. Ruth urges Robert to hurry. Robert takes one last look at the horizon and allows Ruth to pull him away.