One could imagine being the strangest and finding success against all odds satisfying. This, however, would be an incorrect statement. Imagine being a normal human being with one notable difference, in a world where that person would be judged heavily by society. In the novel Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, the main character, Saul Indian Horse, faces this situation. He was raised by violence and deprivation of care throughout his life, but, despite this, he was able to fight against the pain inflicted on him and pursue his passion for his beloved sport; hockey. Without knowing Saul and how he came to be the caliber of player he is, people saw him for his color before his skills. This shows that our society can be stubborn 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 lived by Aboriginal people in residential schools, the struggle and difficulties Saul faced during his hockey career and the regret he had when leaving hockey which resulted in his alcohol addiction. no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To begin, life at St. Jerome's Residential School was a devastating event for Saul and his friends. This was demonstrated in many instances throughout the book. One example shows Saul being kidnapped by a stranger who saw him on the side of the road, who forces him to school. When they arrived, they were immediately told to undress and wash themselves to prepare for class. The children were then bleached, to make their skin lighter. Afterwards, they were sent to the headquarters and Sister Ignacia, a nun who ran the school, told them that: “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 says, "I don't want any other father." to which the nun replies, "You have no choice." to which Lonnie replies, "I'll run." Which leads to the sister getting angry at Lonnie for disrespecting her. She grabbed a paddle and hit him repeatedly on the back of his knees and on the backs of his thighs. The horrific scene was described as "beating a skin". Then he said that, “At St. Jerome we work to remove the Indian from our children so that the blessings of the Lord may be evident 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, suffer similar abuse to Saul and Lonnie. At school the boys are punished for wetting the bed and, if they repeatedly commit this crime, they are sent to the Iron Sister; a small metal box in which a child would be stored for a long time. Katherine Wolf had bed-wetting problems, and because she never learned from her mistake, she was admitted to 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. Afterward, Saul is in the barn outside the school, starting to practice shooting, when he hears faint singing in the background. He sees Rebecca, finds her, “standing on the rough grass of the Indian yard, with her palms raised to the sky, and she was singing in Ojibway. It was a mourning song. I could tell by the feel of the syllables." Shortly thereafter, Rebecca committed suicide. This shows thelives that many indigenous children have had to endure. They had to live under very strict rules and restrictions, which led some kids to become mentally ill and take their problems out on themselves, causing many suicides. Furthermore, in the novel, Discrimination was seen many times towards 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 states that he is hurt by being an outsider, instead of the words he is told: “These guys weren't bad. They weren't cruel. They were simply indifferent, and that hurt much more.” He further adds, “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 he hasn't seen someone of his race play at his caliber. Furthermore, when Saul tried to adapt to the general public, he received a negative reaction every time. If he were rough, people would say he was "counting coups" or that he was "taking scalps" and if he were soft, "he was the stoic Indian", meaning if he had to take revenge against his opponents , the community would refer to the acts as its indigenous backward mind. He was considered bitter because during a match he was intentionally hit in the back of the legs. Instead of feeling sympathy for him, the fans laughed at him: “The Knights center cut me behind the knees and I fell to the ice… The crowd howled. My teammates even laughed… I dropped my gloves and started swinging. Considering the fact that Saul has been abused by the community, there is a lot of evidence to support this statement because it is seen that his teammates and fans disrespect him. Later in the novel we glimpse Saul's self-hatred based on society's judgment of him. Saul talks about how the racism he endured made him feel: “When it happened, I knew the game could no longer offer me protection. The truth of the abuse and rape of my innocence was closer to the surface, and I used anger, rage, and physical violence to block myself from it. Here he is saying that hockey gave him freedom and protection, but in reality it didn't help him and made things worse. This leads him to leave the blossoming sport. Likewise, Saul goes on to talk about how his mentor was never his friend and scarred him. “You are free. That's what Father Leboutilier told me the last time I saw him. Free to go wherever the game could take me. I trembled with anger as I remembered it. I have never been free. He was my captor, the guardian of my innocence. He had used me. I felt hate, bitter and hot. Father Leboutilier always told him: “You are a glory, Saul, these were the words he used instead of love, this was the phrase that started the heartbeat. The tugging, the pulling and the sucking.” He was told he could play when he was older, but he 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 him. These recurring thoughts have led him to rely on alcohol to maintain his sanity, this turns into an addiction “I let myself cry. I allowed every ounce of pain and despair, loneliness and regret to pour out of me. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore." He later decides to get help at the New Dawn Center. “I came back because I wanted to share the truth that I had discovered locked deep within me. I came back because I wanted to learn to live with it without drinking. He explains that he went because, 2018.