Identity is who an individual thinks they are to themselves and to others. Identity is such a complex topic, so this struggle with finding identity can happen. In the novel Indian Horse the main character, Saul, struggles to find his true self. This is due to the fact that he fails to fulfill all the requirements that Maslow’s hierarchy proposes. Maslow’s hierarchy states that there are requirements that must be fulfilled to reach self actualization or in this case true identity. These requirements include basic needs and psychological needs. Basic needs such as food, warmth and rest. Psychological needs such as, the feeling of belonging and having high self-esteem. This is just one of the many factors that can lead someone to struggle with identity. Saul is an ojibway kid, …show more content…
He faces discrimination based on skin colour. The racism Saul experienced and residential school both had one message. This message was that his culture is wrong. He experiences racism when playing against white teams. “I saw à lot of the players on the opposing team would not remove their gloves to shake hands after the game”(wagamese, 137), this is when he is playing for the moose against a white team. This quote is significant because it demonstrates how white teams are racist towards indigenous teams. Along with dealing with racism coming from white teams, he receives racist comments from the fans and the people in the white towns he visits. Saul hears racist comments everywhere he goes when he visits white towns. “You guys are gonna need an indian hearse to get outta here”(wagamese, 138),this is a racist comment Saul received from a person sitting in the crowd at the stadium he was playing at. This racist comment Saul received was an insult towards his culture. Due to all the name calling and racism Saul struggles just being who he is. All the racism affects the way Saul sees his cultural identity and leads him to struggle with