One could imagine being an underdog and succeeding against all odds is satisfying. However, this would be an incorrect statement. Imagine being a normal human with a notable difference, in a world where that person would be judged harshly by society. In the novel Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, the main character, Saul Indian Horse, faces this situation. He was raised throughout his life in violence and deprivation of care, but despite this, he knew how to fight against the pain inflicted on him and pursue his passion for his beloved sport; hockey. Without knowing Saul and how he became a star caliber player, people saw him for his color before his skills. This proves that our society can be ill-intentioned and judgmental. The book Indian Horse reflects a great example of how Canada lives in a dystopian society because the indigenous people faced constant torment throughout the book. This is based on the evidence of the tragic lives that Aboriginal people lived in residential schools, the struggles and difficulties Saul faced during his hockey career, and the regrets he experienced when he quit hockey, which resulted in his alcohol addiction. no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay To begin with, life at Saint-Jérôme boarding school was a devastating event for Saul and his friends. This was demonstrated several times throughout the book. One example shows Saul being kidnapped by a stranger who saw him on the side of the road and forced him to go to school. When they arrived, they were immediately told to undress and wash to prepare for class. The children were then bleached to make their skin lighter. Then they were sent to the headquarters and Sister Ignacia, a nun who runs the school, told them: “Your father is the Heavenly Father. You will learn it here. Your human father has nothing left to offer you. Lonnie, a classmate of Saul's, then said, "I don't want another father." » to which the sister replies: “You have no choice. ” to which Lonnie replies, “I’m going to run.” Which causes the sister to get angry at Lonnie for disrespecting her. She grabbed a paddle and struck him repeatedly behind the knees and the back of the thighs. The gruesome scene was described as looking like she was “fighting”. She then said, “At St. Jerome we strive to remove the Indians from our children so that the blessings of the Lord may be manifested upon them.” These quotes all reflect the residential school environment and the difficulties the children faced. Additionally, in the novel, two sisters, named Katherine and Rebecca Wolf, experience abuse similar to that of Saul and Lonnie. At school, children are punished for wetting the bed, and if they commit this offense repeatedly, they are sent to the Iron Sister; a small metal box in which a child would stay for a long time. Katherine Wolf had trouble wetting the bed, and since she never learned from her mistake, she was placed in the Iron Sister. While trapped in the box, she dies from suffocation and/or anxiety. Her sister, Rebecca, later learns what happened to her younger sister and becomes depressed. Next, Saul is in the barn outside the school and begins practicing shots, when he hears faint singing in the background. He sees Rebecca, we find her, “standing in the rough grass of the Indian courtyard, her palms raised to the sky, and she was singing in Ojibway.It was a song of mourning. I could tell by the feel of the syllables.” Shortly after, Rebecca committed suicide. This shows the life many Aboriginal children had to endure. They had to live under very strict rules and restrictions, which led some children to become mentally ill and take on their own problems, leading to many suicides. Furthermore, in the novel, discrimination is noted several times against Saul. Throughout the book, Saul is the main target of racism and we observe the differences between him and society. When introduced to his new Toronto Marlboros teammates, Saul mentions that he is hurt by the fact that he is an outsider, instead of telling him, "Those guys weren't bad." They weren't vicious. They were just indifferent, and that hurt even more.” He also mentions: “They wouldn’t let me be just a hockey player. I always had to be the Indian. referring to those who see Saul. He is constantly judged by society because they have not seen someone of his race perform at his caliber. Additionally, when Saul tried to fit in with the general public, he received negative reactions every time. If he were to be tough, people would say he was "counting a coup" or "taking scalps" and if he were to be soft, he was "the stoic Indian", which means that if he were to retaliate against his opponents, the community would label his actions as his backward indigenous spirit. He was considered bitter because during one match he was intentionally kicked in the back of the legs. Instead of fans feeling sympathy for him, they mocked him: "The Knights center hit me behind the knees and I fell to the ice... The crowd screamed." My teammates even laughed...I dropped the gloves and started swinging. Considering the fact that Saul was mistreated by the community, there is plenty of evidence to support this claim as he is seen to be disrespected by his teammates and fans. Later in the novel, we see Saul's self-hatred based on society's judgment of him. Saul recounts how the racism he endured made him feel: “When that happened, I knew the game could no longer offer me protection. The truth about the abuse and the violation of my innocence was closer to the surface, and I used anger, rage, and physical violence to stop myself. Here he says that hockey gave him freedom and protection, but in reality it didn't help him and only made things worse. This leads him to abandon the sport for no reason. Likewise, Saul explains that his mentor was never his friend and that he left his mark. “You are free. That's what Father Leboutilier told me the last time I saw him. Free to go wherever the game might take me. I shook with anger when I remembered it. I have never been free. He was my captor, the guardian of my innocence. He had used me. I felt hatred, acrid and burning. Father Leboutilier always said to him: “You are a glory, Saul,” those were the words he used instead of love, those were the words that began the gropings. The tugging, pulling and sucking.” He was told he could play when he was older, but would have to clean the ice and keep their dark secret. He loved the idea of ​​being loved so much that he was willing to do anything for it. These recurring thoughts led him to consume alcohol to maintain his mental health, which turned into an addiction. “I let myself cry. I allowed every ounce of grief and despair, loneliness and regret to flow out of me. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore. He later decides to get help at the New Dawn Center. “I’m there, 2018.