Indian Horse-Richard Wagamese PDF

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Indian horse

Throughout the novel Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese Saul struggles to find a sense of belonging. Two ways that Saul uses to find a sense of belonging is he tries to create a bond with Father Leboutilier to find a sense of belonging and he also uses hockey and his teams/teammates to find a sense of belonging.

Saul tries to find a sense of belonging with Father Leboutilier. Saul says on page 63 ”Father Leboutilier was my ally. When the nuns and priests got too hard on me, he was there to mediate and defend me.” This quote is important because it shows how Father Leboutilier would protect Saul like a father figure would protect their own son, and how Father Leboutilier would have gained Saul’s trust by protecting him from the other nuns and priests. Sadly this relationship did not end up very well because Father Leboutilier raped Saul and that stripped Saul of his innocence. Saul felt loved,but the love that he felt was not pure, it was only Father Leboutilier manipulating Saul into thinking that he cared. “There was a part of me that desperately wanted to close the gap I felt between myself and people.”(187) This quote shows how Saul wanted to open up to Erv Sift about how Father Leboutilier raped him and all the things he had been through so he drank. “The truth of the abuse and the rape of my innocence were closer to the surface, and I used anger and rage and physical violence to block myself from it.” This quote shows how Saul got raped and how he felt on the inside and the consequences of what happened after he bottled his emotions .

Saul uses hockey and his teams/teammates to find a sense of belonging. When Saul plays hockey he feels free and that he belongs playing hockey. ”When I hit the ice I left all of that behind me. I stepped onto the ice and Saul Indian Horse, the abandoned Ojibway kid, clutched in the frozen arms of his dead grandmother, ceased to exist.”(83) This quote shows how Saul felt free on the ice and that he belonged. ”Welcome to the Moose,”(106) This shows how the Moose welcomed Saul into their team. Saul also has the Kelly’s. The Kelly’s were a family that took in Saul and were also the head of the Moose. The Kelly’s played a role of a parental figure and were a family where Saul felt like he belonged and treated Saul like their very own child. ”We ate in silence after that. When we were finished, Martha showed me to my room, and we went shopping for clothing. I’d never had anyone spend money on me, and it felt so odd standing in front mirrors with cardboard feel of new pants against my legs, and crisp new shirts around

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my throat. Fred took me to the sportings goods store next and bought me my first gear. Now I had skates that fit properly. I had a stick right for my size and equipment that didn’t drape over me.”(101) This shows how Fred Kelly welcomed Saul in to his family and how he treated Saul like his very own child by buying him clothes and equipment, this makes Saul feel like someone actually cares for him, and would go through the struggle to buy new things for him. Fred Kelly treated saul with lots of love and support during the time Saul spent with him.

Saul tries to find a sense of belonging with Father Leboutilier but sadly that does not end up going well because Father Leboutilier raped Saul, and this scares Saul for his whole life. On the other hand the Kelly’s Where a very good family, they took Saul in and treated him like their very own child. The Kelly’s and Saul’s relationship was a very good relationship, Saul enjoyed the time he spent with the Kelly’s this leads into him getting a spot in the Malboros. Saul does not ultimately find his sense of belonging at the end of the book, but he had some very good and very bad relationships during the duration of the novel....