What Is The Message Of Indian Horse?

Abuse and Trauma Saul’s shocking realization cements trauma as one of the key themes of the book. Wagamese shows how trauma, particularly when it’s caused by abuse, as it is in Saul’s case, can be a crippling burden for its victims.

What did Indian Horse teach us?

First, the story is a powerful reminder that reclaiming your story is a necessary component to healing. Second, Indian Horse answers the most important question we are left with when we see brutal statistics and headlines regarding First Nations addictions, mental health, and suicide epidemics.

What is the most important lesson from Indian Horse?

One of the most prominent lessons that he teaches you, is that no matter how hard life seems, you must keep on going and face your problems head on. It may seem like rock bottom for Saul, he is alone. Without any family or friends, stuck in one of the most terrible places you could even imagine, Saul is sad and lonely.

What does the Indian Horse represent?

Horses. Horses are a central symbol in the novel. The horse, Saul’s namesake, brings the teaching of the changing ways to come. Once Saul begins playing hockey, the players are frequently described in equine terms.

What is the thesis of Indian Horse?

Perseverance is the hardest but most necessary quality for success; in fact, perseverance is a hard-earned characteristic for Richard Wagamese’s protagonist, Saul in his 2012 novel, Indian Horse. Saul is able to persevere through residential school, racist bullying and the disease of being an alcoholic….

What are three main topics of the novel Indian Horse?

• Family and Tradition.
• Cultural Genocide.
• Abuse and Trauma.
• Racism and Prejudice.
• Transcendence.

Why should we read Indian Horse?

It is an excellent story that highlights an important part of our Canadian history. It re-tells Saul’s experiences at the residential school, and explores the effects it carries with him for a long time, often something that is ignored in the history of residential school students.

What lesson we can learn from horse?

Horses know exactly how you are feeling and, more importantly, mirror it back. Sometimes the reflection is unexpected. Because of their ability to read human facial expressions and to provide an instant reaction, horses are great teachers of self-awareness. If your horse is agitated, chances are you are too.

What does Naomi teach Saul in Indian Horse?

She taught Saul and Benjamin the traditions, how to hunt, how to harvest food and hull rice, and many other important survival skills. Other than Benjamin, Naomi was the only person Saul could connect to.

What purpose does it serve for Saul Indian Horse to tell his story?

He is advised to share his story in order to find peace, but he is unable to share openly with others. Instead, he is given permission to write his story down, so that he can “get on with life.” Saul begins with the story of his grandfather Shabogeesick and how he earned the name Indian Horse.

What does a horse symbolize?

The horse is a majestic animal that embodies the spiritual power of independence, freedom, nobleness, endurance, confidence, triumph, heroism and competition. Its symbol is associated with strength, courage and freedom.

What does a horse signify spiritually?

Horses symbolize freedom, power, courage, and wisdom in most cultures. A horse is often interpreted as a sign of liberty in dreams but can have gloomier meanings. In some Christian artwork, a white horse symbolizes death, and a pale horse represents famine in the Bible’s book of Revelations.

Why was Indian Horse written?

Indian Horse is in the form of a memoir written by Saul at the New Dawn Centre, as an alternative to him telling his story to the group there. According to Wagamese, he originally intended to write a novel about hockey, but the legacy of the residential school system gradually became a focal point of the story.

Who is the true hero in Indian Horse?

Saul Indian Horse
Its hero is Saul Indian Horse, a resilient Ojibway boy who becomes a self-made star on the hockey rink while enduring abuse by priests and nuns at his residential school.

What does Gods Lake symbolize in Indian Horse?

Gods Lake. Gods Lake symbolizes the value of personal heritage and family.

What does Indian Horse suggest about identity?

During the plot of Indian Horse the motif of “Identity” is most likely to be the most obvious theme in the novel. The story line is about how the main character ” Saul” is taken away from his Indigenous family and taken to the government ran residential schools located miles away from their home land.

Why is Naomi important in Indian Horse?

The grandmother of Saul Indian Horse, Naomi is, in many ways, the key maternal figure in Saul’s life. A strong and sensitive woman, Naomi takes care of Saul by telling him stories, keeping him warm, and reassuring him that everything is going to be all right, even when it seems otherwise.

What does hockey symbolize in Indian Horse?

Again and again, Wagamese uses hockey as a symbol for Saul’s life more generally. In Canada in the mid-twentieth century, hockey is viewed by many as a “white person’s game,” and therefore Saul’s love of hockey is symbolic of how different his life is from the lives of his ancestors.

How important is nature in Indian Horse?

The Value of Nature
The Ojibway culture greatly values nature and believes that nature is the source of all things good. The theme of the value of nature is shown many different times in the story, starting when Saul’s family goes to live in the woods to hide from the government agents.

What does alcohol symbolize in Indian Horse?

Like many alcoholics, Saul uses drinking as an escape from his sadness. Alcohol lessens his misery by making him less inhibited, louder and funnier. But of course, this isn’t a real solution to the problem—in the long run, it just makes him sadder.

What does Benjamin symbolize in Indian Horse?

Benjamin’s sickness (which appears to be tuberculosis, or another similar disease of the lungs) could be said to symbolize the lasting damage Canadian-European culture caused to the Indigenous community.