The theme of duality and dichotomy is present almost constantly in the novel Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese. Although there are multiple possible identities of the two worlds, the most important would be the difference between indigenous and European culture. This division is present in the personal development of the protagonist (Saul Indian Horse) and is the main cause of the main conflicts in the plot. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To begin, the disagreement between the two worlds is a major cause of conflict in the novel. More specifically, the conflict between these two worlds is an effort by one world to eradicate and remove another, and the effects of this shape the plot of the story. A testament to this would be the residential schools that Ojibway children are forced to attend. Sister Ignacia (a residential school nun) explicitly explains that the indigenous culture had to be eliminated. “At St. Jerome we work to remove the Indians from our children so that the blessings of the Lord may be demonstrated upon them.” This conflict is further emphasized by the way Saul and several secondary characters (including natives) are attacked for their behavior. compete later in the story. After Saul's hockey team (the Moose) is attacked behind a bar and urinated on, he talks to a member of the team (Virgil Kelly) about why they were attacked. Virgil explains that the team "crossed the line" by being in the same restaurant as the whites by saying that "The whites think they have the right to get back at Moose." Virgil's explanation of racism and xenophobia is a key moment in the story, highlighting the injustice faced by the indigenous people. The strong influence of the disparity between the Two Worlds drives the story, always present in Saul Indian Horse, the protagonist, who is influenced by the relationship between these two worlds. It changes often throughout the story, changes caused by the aforementioned conflict. His family and friends are often in emotional turmoil because of this cultural divide. This is established when her grandmother and her parents argue about religious differences, and her parents have adamant opinions about the gap between cultures. "'He would have said that all the gods are one." '”This conflict in such a personal area, and similar conflicts between European and indigenous cultures, cause Saul to retreat towards others, fearing further hostility. When such hostilities are rooted in identity prejudice, Saul, who possesses aspects of both cultures, experiences responses from alienation to animosity from these two worlds. “In St. Germs the kids called me Zhaunagush because I could speak and read English.” Saul and the Moose ran into the black heartland of Northern Ontario in the 1960s and we were hated. Hated. “There is hatred between these two cultures and there is almost no middle ground. As previously stated, this leads to him feeling very lost and emotionally disconnected, a huge character change. Saul dissociates himself from his personal identity to to "get rid" of the two worlds in him, hoping that this would prevent conflict. "That would never stop, it would never change, as long as that school remained in place on top of that ridge, as long as they kept tearing away." the Indian children from the bush and from the arms of their people. So I retreated. That's how I survived. Alone when the tears threatened to break out of me at night, I swore they would never hear me cry who I showed them was a quiet, reserved, unfeeling boy."sent to a residential school for some of his worst moments. Residential school, however, would not have caused all the mental changes in Saul's character. As he interacts more with the world, he connects more with other Ojibway and experiences more harassment from white people. Another crucial moment of character development - Saul becoming angry and losing his (spiritual) sight, is due to the accumulation of all the racism and violence he has faced due to the antagonism between the two worlds. As explained above, some of this antagonism comes from the residential school and other teams, but some of it comes from the bush camp where he worked at his first job. He describes it by saying, "When I came out, I took the intensity of the bush camp with me" and becomes prone to anger. After dealing with so much aggression and violence, Saul becomes jaded and vengeful, rejecting the same aggression and violence. There is “no joy in the game now, no vision” for Saul. He eventually ends up losing contact with many of his loved ones, becoming reclusive again. After so many changes in the protagonist in the world he was born into, caused by the world he was pushed into; Saul ends up feeling empty and damaged. His character deals with a tremendous amount of pain and change. At the worst part of his life, he was affected to the point that he indiscriminately lashed out at everyone else for what people had done to him. However, Wagamese's purpose in writing Indian Horse was not to write a book about anger and only anger. The distance between two worlds and the hatred it caused the protagonist are not there just to tell a story how tragic it is. The actions against Saul and the other Ojibway characters may be unjust, but the previously analyzed reactions (repressing emotions, hurting everyone else) were demonstrated by the author to be a poor response to the adversity they faced from the other world. The final development in Saul is how he learns to heal from what the world has done to him. He and his people were “not responsible for what happened to them.” After all the hatred from European culture, it's easy to see how the Ojibway characters and Saul wanted revenge. In fact, Virgil asks Saul if he wants him to hurt the people who hurt him. “'Did you want me to chase that asshole? Make him feel some of the same pain?” At this question, Saul refuses the offer. It is likely that Saul understands what anger can bring, as he had previously acted on anger and ended up pushing everyone away and hurting people he didn't want. it was more than just him. If I went after everyone, I'd be on the hunt for a long time. Eventually, I learned that the only one I could trust was myself. "Saul knows that the problem of one world oppressing another is bigger than him and his loved ones. He also knows that revenge often ends up triggering other revenges, creating an endless cycle. After everything that has happened, he knows that his anger must be dealt with first. The key word in the term two worlds is "worlds". Saul's breakdown occurs because he tries to act alone, in his anger. The big conclusion is about how the protagonist recovers from the pain, from the hatred. Saul states it himself, saying that there are “better ways than running away, abandoning people, fighting, drinking,” to deal with what white people do. they did to him and his loved ones. He finds a way to heal, he finds it by returning home and reuniting with his friends. Keep in mind: this is just an example. Get a custom essay from our expert writers now end, the gap between the two seem to outweigh the importance of those.”