What Does Saul Symbolize In Indian Horse?

Throughout Indian Horse, Saul refers to the moon and describes its place in the sky. The moon represents a force both totally distinct from the world and intimately related to it.

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.

Why is the horse an important symbol for Saul’s people?

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.

How is hockey a metaphor for Saul’s life?

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.

What are symbols in Indian Horse?

Hoofprints symbolized how many times the horse and rider had successfully stolen horses from the enemy. Handprint on the shoulder was an oath of vengeance. Hail marks symbolized a prayer for the horse and rider to fall upon the enemy like hail. Snake symbol represented speed or stealth.

What is Saul’s goal in Indian Horse?

In Indian Horse, Saul seeks to find a sense of belongingness, as his experiences from the residential school leave him robbed of it.

Why was Saul important hockey?

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 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.

What happened to Saul at the end of Indian Horse?

There is a scene at the end of Richard Wagamese’s book Indian Horse where the main character, Saul, travels back to Northern Ontario, to where his family calls home, a place called God’s Lake. There, he is able to heave out in sobs the sorrow and anger caused by the life he’s been forced to live.

When Saul fell off his horse?

He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:3-6).

What does the horse symbolize in Native American culture?

American Indian horses were a primary symbol of wealth and strength. They were sacred to the natives. Whereas in other cultures horses were just seen as a means of transportation or an accessory in battle, the Native Americans viewed the horse as a sanctified blessing that should be protected at all times.

What does Saul discover from his vision at Gods Lake Indian Horse?

Saul’s vision ends on a tragic note, with the destruction of his ancestors by a landslide. The scene suggests that tragic destruction is a pattern in the history of Saul’s clan, played out repeatedly through the generations.

Why is Saul a tragic figure?

Northrop Frye calls Saul “the one great tragic hero of the Bible.” He is a “doomed man” from the start—he inherits Israel’s rejection of God and their desire to be like “all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5,20).

What is Saul described as?

Good looks, height, charm, and leadership ability. He was chosen by God, touched by his Spirit, and given the opportunity to be Israel’s first and greatest king. Saul’s own insistent disobedience against the Lord, however, dashed any opportunity for an enduring dynasty.

What are Saul’s characteristics?

It revealed Saul’s apathy, depression, raging temper, changed personality, and paranoia after his exposure to intense combat. The king was an almost completely different man than the humble, soft-spoken one prior to battle.

What is the most important symbol in India?

What are the National Symbols of India?

• The national anthem.
• The national emblem.
• The national animal, which is the tiger.
• The national flower, which is the lotus.
• The national tree, which is the banyan.
• The national bird, which is the peacock.
• The national fruits, which is the mango.
• And more!

What are the three symbols of India?

Ans. There are 17 national symbols of India namely Tiranga, Jana Gana Mana, Saka Calendar, Vande Mataram, National Emblem of India, Mango, Ganga, Royal Bengal Tiger, Indian Banyan, Ganges River Dolphin, Indian Peacock, Indian Rupee, King Cobra, Indian Elephant, Lotus, Pumpkin and National Pledge.

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.

How does Saul become a stereotype?

Saul is grounded in the Ojibway way of seeing, which informs his knowledge of the game. As his talent lifts him toward the pros, though, the game stops lifting him and instead becomes a site where the cutting racism of the Zhaunagush (the English/whites) drives Saul to become the stereotype the Zhaunagush want.

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.

How does trauma affect Saul in Indian Horse?

Saul is negatively impacted by the residential through his identity from being separated from his family, stripping him of his culture that made him feel unworthy and by the endurance of the trauma and abuse he suffers. Saul was taken away from his family by the white men also known as the Zhanagush to St. Jermomes.