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Saul's Hockey Life Lessons

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Hockey is one of the most important parts for Saul's traumatizing story. It is introduced to him by a priest he met at a residential school, which is ironic as the priests didn't usually bring any good for indigenous kids. He passionately practices the sport using literal feces as equipment which is evidence of his passion. It teaches him valuable life lessons throughout the novel and helps him find a healthy output. Hockey plays a significant role in Saul's story as it serves as a source of hope, freedom and resilience. Firstly, Hope. Hope is a valuable lesson taught to Saul, the teacher being hockey. A prime example of this is when Saul thinks to himself "From the pages of those books I got the idea that hockey had an alchemy that could transform ordinary men into great ones." This gives Saul hope that he could be an amazing man one day. He dreams of being a professional athlete as he mentions iconically, "Like Beliveau." Although Saul does face discrimination and prejudice, this does not let it stop him as he continues to play the beautiful sport. …show more content…

Freedom is a crucial aspect of Saul's story. Saul truly feels free while playing hockey and is evident when Saul states "As I laced on the skates my fingers actually trembled. Not from the cold but from the knowledge that freedom was imminent, that flight was at hand." Saul is extremely excited that he gets to escape from the hellhole that is the residential school and enjoy his passion while feeling free. Saul feels free on the ice, this is similar to many other, but not exclusive to, hockey players. Other sports players such as soccer players experience the same thing. Many arise from poverty to step on the freshly mowed grass and feel

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