The Emotional Journey of Saul in Wagamese’s Indian Horse Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese is undoubtedly captivating and entertaining. Even so, a close scrutiny of the novel reveals the novelist’s careful development of Saul’s character not only with the aim of capturing the journey he embarks on, but also linking his journey to the theme of suffering. Thus, rather than presenting a static character, Wagamese chooses to present a dynamic character whose emotional state evolves over time as he goes through various crises in his life. Saul goes through an emotional journey that is marked by pain, isolation, loneliness and fear, numbness and resignation, excitement, a relapse to isolation, and freedom, and this journey builds on the theme of suffering. Saul’s emotional journey begins with pain as a result of the loss of family members. Saul loses his sister Rachel first and this initiates the series of loses because Benjamin is also taken away and he is admitted into the residential school. Later, Saul loses Benjamin to death as a result of tuberculosis, and thereafter Saul loses his parents to alcohol because his father and uncle return home with, “the white man with them in brown bottles” …show more content…
Hockey arouses Saul’s interest in doing something fulfilling once more. He develops a sense of purpose. The narrator states, “Father Leboutilier brought me hockey books and answered all my questions. His passion for the game was contagious” (Wagamese 58). Thus, hockey gives Saul the chance to start healing emotionally. Saul states, “In the spirit of hockey I believed I had found community, a shelter and a heaven from everything bleak and ugly in the world” (Wagamese 90). Thus, hockey serves as an escape route for all the emotional turmoil that Saul has gone through, and he uses the hockey spirit as a tool to facilitate his healing
In Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken, the theme people often reveal their true natures in their darkest moments is illustrated through the use of character. In many cases, people show their true colors when exposed to hardship and suffering. During his time as a POW, living under the harsh
For example, Markku Jokisipilä stated, “As the worldʼs two hockey giants clashed together, world peace and other similar subtle ideals were pushed aside by national pride and political passions” (Jokisiplä 48). This quote explains that this hockey contest was valued as more than an Olympic hockey game for both the United States and the Soviet Union. He further develops this statement by providing a quote from Paul Henderson, who is known for scoring the “Goal of the Century” in the Summit Series. Henderson stated, “I guess war is the only thing that could bring a country together like that series did” (Jokisipilä 47). Because of the political circumstances during the Olympics, this quote describes how this hockey contest helped to unify the country.
I let myself mourn (205).” This is Saul’s emotional development because after many years of rage and emptiness, he is able to express his true emotions such as sorrow. Saul has allowed his self to beginning the journey to wholeness and rebirth having confronted his past and made peace. Saul’s return ends the vicious hold the white men held on him for numerous
In his essay inspired by Frans de Waal’s The Bonobo and The Atheist, Tyler reveals a persevering character through hockey, an area of spirituality and transcendence in his life. For instance, when describing Hell Week, an important event for Tyler’s hockey team, Tyler states, “We used to call it “hell week,” being that most didn’t make [it] through the whole week without throwing up at least once, myself included… Every drill I gave 110% to the point where I would need to get off the ice to get sick.” This quote describes the brutality of Hell Week and proves Tyler’s never-ending perseverance by the way he wholeheartedly commits to every single drill regardless of the extreme toll it takes on his body as well as his emotions and mentality.
Dealing with Adversity Throughout one’s life, adversity is inevitable. It presents itself unexpectedly in many forms; loneliness, despair, loss of a loved one, stress, and even in the actions of others. In the novel “Three Day Road” by Joseph Boyden, Elijah faces adversity after joining the war. However, the approaches Elijah takes to overcome the several hardships he faces makes him an undesirable model for coping with adversity. Elijah’s approaches are ineffective at coping with adversity because he follows misguided advice and becomes apathetic during war, resulting in major impacts on his life which lead to his downfall.
Oh, for the love of... hockey! It may seem sterotypical in suggestion; but perhaps Hockey is one of the most distinctively Canadian thing in the world; well, that and maple syrup. Hockey as a sport may not be the favourite of every single Canadian, but it does carry some heavy weight as a part of Canadian culture; it was created by Canadians after all. In the Canadian box office hit, Bon Cop, Bad Cop, we see the lengths to which a fanatic (in this case psycopathic) will go, had the sport of hockey (as Canadians came to know it) would be been taken away from Canada.
This passage depicts an important scene for the character Saul, because it is where one life ends and an other begins. Physically a life is lost, the life of his grandmother, who was frozen to death, while on their trek to Minaki where they would have resided for the winter months. This is understood in the first two lines where he talks about the ‘what if’s’ of his situation: “If our canoe hadn’t […]”(Wagamese, 42) “We would have found[…]”(Wagamese, 42). Her death marks the end of Saul’s life as an Ojibway, as his life of living off the land, with his family, who are now all either dead, missing or taken away. The way she died also marks an important detail to the plot of the story.
During my short life, I have not had many life altering experiences; however, one thing that has changed me for the better is playing hockey. Since I started playing hockey in eighth grade it has been something I have become passionate about for various reasons. One reason is my love for the game in general, and more specifically for playing goalie, the one position that holds the balance of the scoreboard. The second reason is being a part of a team. This is important to me because it gives a strong sense of purpose to the player.
It is like a breath of fresh air, in contrast to the somber and heavier sections mentioned previously. It”s a noteworthy part of the story because it drives the plot forward, as the author displays Saul’s newly found passion for hockey, as well as his brotherly bond with his teammates. In the text, the reader is introduced to concepts such as laughter, expression and freedom. This demonstrates that, in the midst of the most gruelling and sorrowful times at the residential school, Saul has finally found a safe haven. The spirit of the game is an excellent outlet to distract him from the everyday upheaval and abuse.
Father Lebourtille introduced Saul to the game of hockey, this sport soon helps saul leave the school. Saul found hope in hockey it made him feel like he was free. “ I no longer felt the hopeless, chill air around me, because I had father Leboutilier, the ice, the mornings and the promise of the game”(Wagamese 77). Hockey becomes the main focus in saul’s journey because it provides him with hope, and happiness two very rare things that cannot be found at the school. Father Lebotiller becomes a father figure to Saul, helping him get better and better at hockey, protecting him from the other nuns and priests.
Using hockey as an outlet, Saul escapes the horrendous influence of the school and copes with the many atrocities he faces and ultimately reclaims his true self. For Saul, hockey became a means in which he can escape the abuse from St. Jerome’s. For example, when Father Leboutillier learned of Saul’s interest and skill in the game, the both of them became closer, in which Saul describes Father Leboutillier as a father figure. Saul quotes, “Father Leboutillier was my ally. When the nuns
Saul endured many hardships and painful times throughout his life, but without hockey Saul’s life could have taken a much darker path. Hockey was a magical sport for Saul and was a huge source of freedom and escape while growing up. His talents ended up leading him to play for the Toronto Marlboros, which changed everything for him. Instead of hockey being an outlet and a source of freedom, it became the barrier to Saul’s healing. He became an outcast and a fool in Toronto and later changed his game from a goal scorer to a goon.
A Long Way Home can be inferred as an inspirational and poignant tale. The story of how an Indian boy came across such hardships early on in life, and yet, defies the odds is truly incredible. Found in Mr. Brierley’s action-packed story are instances of bittersweet moments. Although these moments are all different in nature, they all share the common meaning of bittersweet, of which is: “pleasant but including or marked by elements of suffering or regret.” After being acquainted with this story, I realized that Saroo’s bittersweet moments where characterized by gains and losses.
The death of Saul begins the second book of Samuel. This twenty-four chapter book is packed with episodes of David’s life and the series of events, which took place. In this book, the Lord gives us the ups and downs of the sweet singer of Israel. David in chapter one is seen in distress because of the death of Jonathan yet is blessed to know his seed would be building God a house (2 Sam. 7.12-13).
“Laughter and Tears are Pretty Much the Same Thing…” The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a heartbreaking tale shrouded by humor. From the very beginning Arnold Spirit, “Junior,” was dealt a cruel hand, but from the very beginning he uses humor to mask what is a rather miserable existence. Spirit’s character was born with cerebral spinal fluid in his brain that caused many problems in his early life, including a dangerous surgery and seizures (1-2). However, he defies the odds and lives, forced to go on as a poverty stricken, speech impeded, awkward-looking, Indian boy who is constantly ridiculed and bullied for his station in life.