Discrimination In Indian Horse By Richard Wagamese

Words can be presented in many ways that can encourage us, or destroy us. Racism and discrimination are prominent themes in the novel Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese. Saul Indian Horse has endured name-calling throughout his entire life, entrenched from his time at residential schools. He was made to suffer, and this suffering lasted throughout his hockey career until he grew tired and turned to alcoholism. Saul encounters racist comments throughout the novel that alter his future in hockey, rooting from the time he was asked to leave his first town team, to the abuse endured by white players, and finally when he retaliated.
It is no debate to say that Saul had a traumatic past, and he seemed to have a fresh start when he entered St. Jerome’s

He was resistant but soon grew close to his new family and teammates. His new team, the Moose, grew stronger as Saul was the secret weapon. They started to create headlines, and town teams grew interested in playing them, even though Saul was reluctant to face them. Soon, they were invited to elite tournaments, and they were invited to the tournament in Espanola. At the tournament, players soon discovered Saul’s weakness. “I knew my team wanted me to buckle. They wanted me to bare my fists and fight. But I would not do that. I would not surrender my vision of the game.” (Wagamese 261). Saul was getting hit left and right but refused to hit back. He knew that he was going to play a fair game because hockey was what gave Saul an escape from the world even if it did not seem like it

Saul made it to the Toronto Marlboros, a feeder club for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was not welcome into this team, his teammates would not pass to him, but they would gladly accept a pass to have the opportunity to score. When they played other teams in the league, he was constantly hit. Saul tried to stay calm, but eventually, he gave up. “I flipped my right glove off at the last second and drove my fist right into this face.” (Wagamese 302) Saul changed, he released all his anger into the game. A man who was once a composed individual had become a fighter. He became a puck hog and would retaliate if anyone laid a hand on him. Saul was still a star, scoring twenty three-points in nine games, but he also racked up a whopping one hundred and twenty minutes in the penalty box. Saul ended his hockey career vengeful, as he left the team a