How Is Saul Resilient In Indian Horse?

Resilience is a necessary quality that can support one throughout their entire life. Saul shows resilience in many areas of his life. One example is when he loses his entire family and is placed in a residential school but can withstand all his misery to find a new identity while playing hockey.

How is Saul portrayed in Indian Horse?

But as Saul grows older, the trauma from his past and the racism he faces everyday bear down on him. He becomes violent, sullen, and an alcoholic. It’s not until many years later, when he is a grown man, that he begins to acknowledge the roots of his unhappiness.

How does Saul heal in Indian Horse?

The land has a positive influence in Saul’s life because It helps him connect his abilities as a seer, it gives him solace and it heals him spiritually.

Is Saul in Indian Horse a hero?

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 sacrifices does Saul make in Indian Horse?

Throughout Saul’s life he is forced to make sacrifices for himself and the people around him in order to survive, his isolation is what gets him through. Everyday people see the reproductions of community and how surviving isn ‘t an easy thing. Personal sacrifice can be nearly impossible, but is a necessity in life.

What challenges does Saul face in Indian Horse?

As Saul moves up in the hockey world, he faces racism and discrimination. Saul struggles to continue playing and with the idea of giving up his dream. The book ends with Saul struggling with his addiction to alcohol and facing the reality of the trauma of what he went through in the Residential school.

How does Saul cope with trauma in Indian Horse?

Saul felt heartbroken and scared, he did not want to be taken away from his grandmother and wanted to continue walking with her. He does not want to leave her dead body there, Saul and his grandmother Naomi are very close with each other, Saul loves her very much, she did everything she could to keep him safe.

What condition is Saul being treated for?

The novel begins with an Ojibwe man struggling with alcoholism who finds himself at a treatment facility called the New Dawn Centre after his latest binge. He identifies himself as Saul Indian Horse, a descendant of the Fish Clan of the Northern Ojibwe, or Anishinabeg.

Why is Saul so skilled at hockey?

After being forced to attend St. Jerome’s school, Saul Indian Horse discovers that he’s a naturally gifted hockey player. He becomes so adept at the game, in fact, that he gets the opportunity to move to a new town and play with a talented team of significantly older boys.

How does Naomi impact Saul?

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.

How did Saul lose his identity?

Saul was sexually abused by Father Leboutilier, the person who Saul that had love for him. He loses innocence and a connection with someone whom he looked up too. This too affected his trust and made him feel different around others.

Why did they cut Sauls hair in Indian Horse?

This removal of hair parallels a common humiliation and dehumanizing tactic, such as the Nazis shaving the heads of prisoners in concentration camps. The scene where Saul’s long hair is cut off is a real moment for the actor, Sladen Peltier, who plays Saul.

Why does Saul drink in Indian Horse?

Like his parents before him, Saul becomes an alcoholic—partly, it’s implied, as a reaction to the tragic turn his life has taken, and to numb the pain of having his dreams taken away from him. Saul takes comfort in drinking.

What does Saul discover from his vision at Gods Lake?

Gods Lake is a place where the spirit world and physical world meet, and there Saul discovers that he is capable of visions and communion with his ancestors. His revelations begin an emotional journey to discover his own identity.

How old is Saul at the end of Indian Horse?

When Saul realizes his teammates have stopped talking to him as a result of his violence, he leaves Manitouwadge once he turns eighteen.

What gift does Saul have in Indian Horse?

Hockey
Saul is a seer, a gift he inherited from his great-grandfather, a skill that his beloved Ojibway grandma recognizes in the boy. Hockey, as Saul lives it in the first half of the book, is not a sport; instead, it is an embodiment of the same sort of life force that moves through the universe.

How does Saul learn to protect himself from abuse?

Jerome’s, Saul comes to stay with his two adopted parents, Fred Kelly and Martha Kelly, both of whom went to St. Jerome’s as children. Saul finds the courage to tell Fred and Martha about his abuse, and Fred and Martha admit to him that they experienced similar abuses at school.

How does Saul use hockey to cope?

Saul uses hockey as a major escape route and as he plays hockey he stops being reserved and becomes livelier. Hockey helps him forget about his problems. For instance, he said that the game kept him from remembering; that as long as he could escape into it, he could fly away (Wagamese 199).

How does hockey make Saul feel?

Freedom. Point 1: Saul experiences freedom when he plays hockey. It helps him to escape from reality. He forgets all his troubles when he plays hockey, giving him power.

Why did they cut Sauls hair in Indian Horse?

This removal of hair parallels a common humiliation and dehumanizing tactic, such as the Nazis shaving the heads of prisoners in concentration camps. The scene where Saul’s long hair is cut off is a real moment for the actor, Sladen Peltier, who plays Saul.

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.