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Indian Horse By Richard Wagamese

1793 Words8 Pages

Family in society is usually shown as a close group of people who truly and deeply care for each other, where their bond is built through trust and love. In most aspects, family is believed to have positive impacts and help in many ways. However, Richard Wagamese's novel Indian Horse, truly has a heavy portrayal of family as a theme with unfortunately negative impacts, however some are still positive. It has affected Saul Indian Horse, the main character within his identity through his experiences. Family ties, whether it was a caring and nurturing connection or a strained and troubled connection, played a very pivotal role throughout Saul's trauma, cultural loss, and healing. It also talked about how significant family is, exploring how it influenced Saul growing up and also …show more content…

Despite these hardships, Saul’s healing process shows a message of strength and hope. Firstly, the early life of Saul with his grandmother Naomi provides him with a strong cultural foundation and a sense of belonging. Naomi's efforts to raise Saul within the Ojibway traditions and stories instill in him a deep sense of identity and cultural pride. This caring environment helped Saul to create a strong identity that helped him throughout his life. Secondly, the traumatic separation and loss that he dealt with as a result of the residential school system, ruined the family bonds Saul had, leaving heavy trauma on his sense of self and emotional stability. Also, the forced removal of Benjamin, Saul's brother, showed the terrible impacts of these institutions and how widespread it was on families and communities. Lastly, storytelling and healing as a group played an important role in the reconciliation of Saul's past. Talking about his story was impactful, which led Saul to connect back with his culture while helping the community with the same

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In "Indian Horse" by Richard Wagamese, a quote displays the theme of identity through the lens of cultural connection and heritage. Saul Indian Horse, the main character, heavily struggles with the complexities of his Ojibway identity, pending the intruding influence of colonialism. The quote really dives deep into Saul's inspiring journey, exploring his lineage and connection to northern Ontario's landscapes. Accordingly, throughout the chapters, Saul's heavily observed journey, in the quote, really goes deep into his lineage and the traditions of his people, connecting him to the landscapes of northern Ontario, and showing how his identity is heavily involved in the land, spirits, and stories of his ancestors. Moreover, the physical attributes

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While on this journey saul discovers how friendships, emotions, and the past play a huge role in remembering and letting go of those who hurt you. Saul Indian horse is a member of the Ojibwa tribe. As a young child saul faced a lot of pain and suffering. Saul physical journey begins at Gods Lake after the tragic death of his older brother Benjamin. His parents make the ultimate decision to leave him with his grandmother Naomi, in order to give

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As socialization's effects are inevitable, we are constantly influenced by groups. However, regardless of the groups we are influenced by, the one concept that is absolute is our reliance on the sense of togetherness that seldom dissolves. The concept is explored in the novel Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese and the short story "Borders" by Thomas King, both of which emphasize characters who have been influenced by cultural assimilation. Indian Horse is a journey of Saul Indian Horse, a young Indigenous child who lost their family due to assimilation and was forced to attend a residential school. “Borders” is a journey of a Blackfoot mother who desires to visit her daughter in Salt Lake City, separated from her Blackfoot background; both emphasizing

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Indian Horse: Temporary Relief in Coping Mechanisms Richard Wagamese’s novel Indian Horse follows the story of Saul Indian Horse who experiences numerous accounts of trauma throughout the novel wherein he is ill-prepared to face. Because of this, Saul does not know how to deal with his emotions and therefore attempts to run from his suffering rather than face it. Saul moves from one escape to the next, each providing short-term relief. The first of these comforts was hockey, which Saul discovered a passion for during his stay at St. Jerome’s. When the racism from the crowds and the players became too much, Saul fled and found relief in physical labour.

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So as readers continue reading Indian Horse, they will notice that Saul’s character goes through several traumatic events, in which we see his character evolve and change the ways he deals with stress and trauma. To begin with, toward the start of Saul's journey, we see that he develops a newfound love of hockey, which aids him through a tough time. Furthermore, readers can see how hockey transports Saul away from the horrible conditions of St. Jerome.

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This quote implies to readers that despite the generosity and motivation from Erv as well as the Kelly family, Saul still feels the need to keep his trauma to himself, fearing that releasing the information could cause further trauma. Author Richard Wagemsese uses repetition to captivate Saul's thinking by repeating "part of me" to imply that Saul wants to change, hoping it can minimize the mental toll. Unfortunately, the device also conveys that despite Saul's temptation, he will always fear that expressing his emotions, and thereby connecting with others will only hurt him in the future, as a result of a physical accident or death occurring. This translates to Saul's experiences prior to the residential school in which his parents desert him while facing the deaths of his brother Ben and grandmother Naomi, who all strongly connect with Saul throughout the story's

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Therefore, the sole opportunity for Saul to have a positive childhood experience was obliterated by the Residential School. Saul attempted to use hockey as a shield from his trauma and find comfort in ignorance. However, after holding on to his trauma for decades, the baggage eventually becomes too heavy. Saul desperately wanted hockey to erase all personal problems magically. Although time again, Saul is disappointed by his coach and teammates on the hockey team, leaving him empty but filled with regret.

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Through the Medicine Wheel, we are reminded of our lifelong journey that is continuous upon birth and living through youth, adulthood and senior years. In Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse, the protagonist Saul experiences many obstacles which shape and develop his character. Saul’s life can be divided into more than the four stages of life to better understand his journey. Saul’s Life with His Family The time Saul was able to spend with his family was very short due to the effects of the white men.

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Initially, when Saul starts playing with his hockey reserve team, he experiences his first encounter with racism. While Saul is enjoying the game, he is suddenly kicked out of the team and remarks to Mr. Leboutiller the reason behind this is “‘because I am an Indian, isn’t it’ ‘yes’, he said” (Wagamese 91). At this moment, Saul is a victim of exclusion at a young age and recognises; not only in the residential school are Indians victims of discrimination due their appearance, culture and differences, but also outside of the residential school. Through his first encounter with exclusion, he slowly notices the segregation that surrounds him resulting in mental abuse because he becomes very cautious. After Saul leaves the residential school to live with the Kelly’s, he begins to play with the Moose.

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In the end, it was resilience that brought this family back together when it felt like they were separating and each other's moral values that shed onto one

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