Miriam Ruhland NBE 3U Ms. Darby Conning 9 May 2023 Literary Essay Moral Injury from Trauma in Indian Horse The Novel Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese is a horrific narrative about Saul Indian Horse, an Indigenous boy. The book focuses on his childhood trauma, grossly induced by the residential school he attended, and how he was able to cope. By telling Saul’s story, Wagamese displays the effect of trauma on one’s motivation to live a moral life.
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She says, “I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.” She was only know as Curley’s wife which meant that she was owned by him. She didn’t like that because her marriage with Curley did not make her happy, but it made her feel awful and regretful. She wanted to have connection with someone, she wanted to feel good about herself she wants to feel wanted.
Every chance that she got to become famous was taken away from her, and after that, she decided that she might as well give up and marry Curley. She doesn’t like him, but she married him so at least she could do something. The third biggest theme is friendship. On the ranch, there are a good couple of people who share friendships. As stated in the text, “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you.
When humans experience loneliness and search for love or connection but never find it, they tend to lash out or get upset because humans are built off the human connection. John Steinbeck shows how when people don't get the human connection they need or aren't being heard by the people around them, they get upset and lash out. In his book Mice and Me, an outstanding character that shows this is Curley's wife when she lashes out and gets upset when she feels she is not being heard or when somebody doesn’t want to talk to her. In his book Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows how loneliness can affect a person.
Not only does George judge Curly’s wife for what kind of person she appears to be, but in a way, Curly himself does, too. When Curly cannot find his wife and Slim just happens to be missing too, Curly immediately jumps to conclusions and assumes his wife is with Slim. When Curly hears that Slim went out in the barn, Curly “jump[s] out the door and bang[s] it after him” (Steinbeck 54). Curly does not stop to consider that it might just be a coincidence, and that his wife and Slim could just be in different locations, not with each other. Subconsciously, Curly thinks his wife is a cheater, too, and is just unable to admit it to himself for fear that the realization would tip the scale and change everything.
