What Is The Theme Of Indian Horse By Richard Wagamese

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, his background or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. “ (Nelson Mandela). In the novel, Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, a young boy named Saul was introduced to the idea of love in a very odd way. In a world full of hatred and racism, he found a way to love himself as well as the world around him through the hardships he encountered. Wagamese portrays love as the most powerful emotion in his novel through Saul's grandmother, his undying passion for hockey, which overall allows him to discover his self-love and self-worth.

Sauls grandmother,

Father Leboutilier initially introduced Saul to the sport, playing with older boys who also attended St. Jeromes residential school. Hockey allowed Saul to feel safe, as well as using it as an escape from reality. Such as escaping the abuse that he witnessed and encountered himself. As Saul says, “At night in the dormitory, when all the other boys were asleep... I pictured myself barreling across the blue line with the puck tucked neatly on the blade of my stick. “(Wagamese 62). This quote shows that hockey allowed him to escape his harsh reality, when he was somewhere out of his comfort zone, such as the bedroom in which he had to sleep in a very negative environment. Overtime, his passion and skill for hockey grew. He became the best player in the school, and soon was able to leave St.Jeromes to play with much better and older teams. Father Leboutilier says, “The game loves you, he said, and right there, right then, I loved it back. “(Wagamese 77). Father is trying to say that Saul has a very deep passion for hockey that most people do not have. Which is why he states that the game 'loves' Saul. Also seen in this quote, Saul has continued to grow a deep passion for hockey and has discovered that he truly fell in love with the sport. As seen with all of the time he puts into hockey, such as watching Hockey Night in Canada for numerous hours. He continues to grow as an

In the beginning of the novel, Saul is in a rehabilitation center called The New Dawn Centre, in which his social workers at the hospital had sent him here for his bad drinking habits. As Saul narrates in the beginning of the book, “After six weeks in the hospital, and that’s the longest I've been without a drink for years, so I guess there's some use to it. My body feels stronger. My head is clear. I eat heartily. “ (Wagamese 6) This would be a prime example of self-worth in the novel because although Saul was sent to this rehabilitation center by the doctors , he followed by the rules that were set in place because he realized that quitting drinking is what is best for him. Long afterwards, towards the end of the novel, Saul goes back to St.Jeromes, a residential school he attended when he was young. Saul says, “But , he followed by the rules that were set in place because he realized that quitting drinking is what is best for him. Long afterwards, towards the end of the novel, Saul goes back to St.Jeromes, a residential school he attended when he was young. Saul says, “But , he followed by the rules that were set in place because he realized that quitting drinking is what is best for him. Long afterwards, towards the end of the novel, Saul goes back to St.Jeromes, a residential school he attended when he was young. Saul says, “But , he followed by