Halfway Post- Indian Horse

                                                        

Kendra Wragg

English 12

November 4, 2013

 Halfway Post:

Indian Horse, by: Richard Wagamese             

1.The beginning of the novel takes place in Winnipeg, Manitoba where Saul lives with his family. Later in the story the novel takes place at St. Jerome’s residential school in White River Ontario where Saul is taken from his native home. This novel takes place during the 1960s. Manitoba is the home to Saul’s family who are aboriginal Ojibwa’s. The setting is very important in this novel because it is based on a historic event, being the residential schools in Canada during the 1960s.  Therefore, the setting is vital to this novel because if the setting changed the plot would also change. The Ojibway Indians originated in Manitoba, which makes the setting of the novel significant. A lot of the story takes place in a hockey rink, which is an important part of the setting due to hockey’s significance in Canadian culture. The most significant part of the setting in Indian Horse is St. Jerome’s residential school because Saul’s experience at the school is what the theme of the story is based on, and is a vital part of Canadian history. “My people are from the Fish Clan of the northern Ojibway, the Anishinabeg, we call ourselves. We made our home in the territories along the Winnipeg River, where the river opens wide before crossing into Manitoba after it leaves Lake of the Woods and the rugged spine of northern Ontario.” (Pg.1)

4. There are several themes in the novel Indian Horse; however one theme I am beginning to see emerge is staying true to your identity. In the case of Saul, the residential school is trying to rid him of his culture, family, beliefs and his aboriginal heritage. Although the residential school is trying to change him into something he’s not, Saul never forgets neither where he came from nor what he believes in. He uses hockey as an escape from all of the evil in the residential schools. “We were Indian kids and all we had was the smell of those fish on our hands. We fell asleep that night with our noses pressed to our hands and as the days went by and the smell of those suckers faded, there wasn’t a one of us that didn’t cry for the loss of the life we’d known before.”(Pg.54) Even when all the people around Saul want him to be something he’s not, he stands up for what he believes in and stays true to himself and his culture.  “There are times in this world when you have to look hard at yourself. The challenge you feel is the one that burns in your gut. I knew my team wanted me to buckle. They wanted me to bare my fists and fight. But I would not do that. I would not surrender my vision of the game. I would not let go of my dream of it, the freedom, the release it gave me, the joy the game gave me.” (Pg.143) The movie “Schindler’s List” has a similar theme because it again is based on a historical tragedy fueled by racism. In this case, Schindler stays true to his own identity by refusing to treat the Jews the way it is expected of him being that Schindler is German. While risking his life to stand up for what he believes in and not letting the Nazi’s force him to become one of them, he becomes a hero. Although Saul’s story is different, both Saul and Schindler go through similar struggles with immense pressure put on them to become someone they’re not. In then end, they both stay true to themselves.