Throughout the novels Indian Horse written by Richard Wagamese and Merchant of Venice written by Shakespeare, being regarded as the enemy of society, having a fear for the events that will come and the quest for an individual or power to gain power and control are apparent and occurring themes that affect characters differently.
In both novels individuals are considered to be an enemy of society based on discrimination rather than being an actual threat to society. “When your innocence is stripped from you, when your people are denigrated, when the family you came from is denounced and your tribal ways and rituals are pronounced backward, primitive, savage, you come to see yourself as less than human. That is hell on earth, that sense of unworthiness. That 's what they inflicted on us.” (Richard Wagamese 81) “He hath disgraced me and hindered me half a million, laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation...Hath not a Jew 's eyes... If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge.” (Shakespeare Act III scene I)
Furthermore, due to discrimination and a failure to fulfill a promise characters in both books be afraid of the events that will come. “She was a large woman, tall, and I’d never known such terror” (Wagamese 47)” I would
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“There was no tolerance for Indian talk. On the second day I was there, a boy named Curtis White Fox had his mouth washed out with lye soap for speaking Ojibway. He choked and died right there in the classroom. He was ten.” (Wagamese 48) “If you repay me not on such a day, in such a place, such sum or sums as are expressed in the condition, let the forfeit be nominated for an equal pound of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken in what part of your body pleaseth me.” (Shakespeare Act III Scene