The Influence of Others on Saul Indian Hose People around us shape who we will become in the future; they influence us to become who we are today. Some people positively impact while some negatively impact one on their journey to find peace within themselves. The influence of others around us help us find peace within ourselves. In Indian Horse, written by Richard Wagamese, three influential characters help Saul find peace within himself: Father Leboutilier, Erv Sift and Jim Gibney . Throughout the novel, these three important characters help Saul on his journey to find peace within himself in their own respective approaches. In the end, all three of these characters aid Saul in his journey to find inner peace and to put his life back in …show more content…
Father Leboutilier gives Saul a chance to play hockey even though he was underage. Without Father, Saul would have never discovered this sport until he is older and he lose the opportunity to play for a team. Throughout Saul’s journey at St. Jerome’s, Father protects him and allows him to pursue his dream of playing hockey while at the same time protecting Saul from punishment from the nuns and priests as shown in this quotation, “Father Leboutilier was my ally. When the nuns and the priests got too hard for me, he was there to mediate and defend me...I’d become braver.” (Wagamese, 63) With Father Leboutilier’s protection, Saul is able to focus on playing the game and not fearing punishment. Father offered Saul security, opportunity and a chance to change his life for the better which without him, would not be possible. Similarly, Erv also offers Saul protection and safety, however, he does so in a different …show more content…
Similar to Father Leboutilier, Erv offers Saul protection and safety without expecting anything in return. Saul is given a place to stay while he is going through times which allows him to get his life back together. For a long time, Saul has not been given the love and care that he needed to get his life back together and Erv changes that, “Erv Sift was an angel...He only offered me security, friendship and the first home I’d had in a long time.” (186). Saul is a person that has learned all his life to keep all of this thoughts to himself, from Residential Schools to hockey, he has never had anybody to talk about his feelings to. Erv allows Saul to rediscover himself, allows Saul to reflect on his life, and allows him to have someone to tell his story to. Erv does all of this without forcefully making Saul talk about his past. This is really impactful because Erv understands Saul’s personality, he knows what Saul is experiencing yet he still offers Saul protection and security for the duration of Saul’s stay. In correlation to Erv and Father Leboutilier, Jim Gibney also aids Saul in his journey to find peace within