The Indian Horse Character Analysis

Hockey is not only a sport to me, not only a pass-time or a hobby, to me it is a teacher. One that does not teach math or english, but one that teaches meaningful life lessons. Since the beginning, I have always been apart of a

A tale can be told in several different ways. Many people are aware of the astonishing feat of the 1980 USA Olympic Men’s Hockey team, who were huge underdogs in their bid to win the gold medal against the powerhouse USSR. The movie “Miracle”, directed by Gavin O’Connor, is the dramatic journey taken by this team, from the anxiety-filled tryouts in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to the exhilarating game against the USSR in Lake Placid, New York. The book, “The Boys of Winter” written by Wayne Coffey, is based on the same events, but takes a less emotional, more factual approach to the subject. The purpose of this essay is to compare these two resources, and to discuss how they differ in tone, style, and theme.

Since 1931, Hockey has meant so much to Canadians that it became a part of our identity. The Summit Series has created a new way of hockey is played , as well it gave Canada it's national title of a hockey culture , known by every hockey fan . This essay will prove how the 1972 Summit Series was a significant part in Canada's Hockey Culture Identity.

“At St. Jerome’s we work to remove the Indian in our children so that the blessings of the Lord may be evidenced upon them” (Wagamese 46). These words provide the exact mindset the white people had toward the Indians. In the novel Indian Horse written by Richard Wagamese, the protagonist Saul grows up and is accustomed to the period of time where there is a pro - white bias. A bias so strong that the racism becomes institutionalized. This bias in all its forms and degrees crushes Saul’s spirit and turns what could have been a terrific athletic career to years of fighting, searching and drinking. Through the definite racism of his taking, the sexual and verbal abuse he receives from high religious figures, as well as the hierarchy created within the National Hockey League it is clear Saul believes his people are inferior to the whites which, in tail, develops the racism and prejudice central theme in the novel.

Despite Saul's efforts at using the newly introduced sport of hockey to drive away his loneliness, he is victimized within the sport and is left traumatized. While playing the game, Saul remarks that “I knew that loneliness would be dispelled by the sheen of the rink in the sunlight, the

There is a great variety of characters in the novel, Indian Horse, by Richard Wagamese. Readers can clearly see the differentiating personalities, traits and behaviours among each character in the novel. This entices audience members to continue reading, to further explore the vast development of the characters, both static or dynamic.

In “Imagining a Canadian Identity through Sport: A Historical Interpretation of Lacrosse and Hockey”, Michael A. Robidoux discusses hockey’s history of violence and how it represents Canadian identity. He argues that hockey is aggressive because it allows “Canadians to display their proficiency in… a sporting event” and to distinguish themselves from other countries. His main audience is Canadians, as is evident from naming Jack Laviolette without explaining that he is a famous Canadian hockey player. His essay could also be appreciated by hockey fans, because they have some knowledge of the sport. The main purpose of this passage is to explain how hockey’s history of violence allowed Canadians to differentiate themselves from other countries.

In today’s world, many students have had some sort of tragedy happen to them or their families. In his novel, “Indian Horse,” Richard Wagamese chronicles the story of one man’s journey through his troubled life. He uses descriptive language to present painful memories of loss and abuse. "Indian Horse" accurately illustrates the effects of irresponsible drinking, the abuse that took place in Residential Schools, and the inspiring way in which adversity can be overcome; for these reasons, among others, Canadian students should engage with this subject matter despite its use of explicit language.

Hockey first started in Canada in 1875 when Canada was becoming a nation and forming a cultural identity (unit2). Canada was beginning to transition from a rural environment to an industrialized society and hockey was the new modern sport that was up and coming (unit2). In the late 1800’s hockey was first sought out to control the lower class by encouraging a more active and healthy life style by playing sports. In this time period, hockey was intended to eliminate gambling, alcoholism, and poor health choice during leisure time (unit2). Thus, hockey first stared out to be a sport that was meant to shape the identity of the Canadian society in a positive manner by reducing unwanted behaviour, but as society continued to change to a more urbanized environment, Canadians shifted there focused to the importance of masculinity

Like many Canadians, Bowling can recite simple statistics about the game; six of seven Sutter brothers played in the NHL (239) or Bobbi Clarke’s battle with diabetes are a couple of examples. It is easy to determine, from his narrative and expressions, Bowling is a fan of hockey and has been for his entire life. Like many other fans, he realizes the game has changed and in his opinion, not for the better. Along with his narrative, Bowling uses contrast to support his opinion in such a way that balances the old traditions with the new nuances of the game. For example, Bowling draws on some parallels of one of the newest superstars in the league, Sidney Crosby, to unequivocally the greatest player of the game Wayne Gretzky: Sidney Crosby “is expected to challenge the scoring statistics of Gretzky one day” (239). Bowling continues to use contrast comparing the years it takes to master skating with the simple fundamentals of running, jumping, and catching (239); basic skills used in baseball, basketball and football. His view is that hockey players are the most skilled athletes in the world and other athletes pale in comparison. Furthermore, he adds to this contrast by stating “if you can’t skate, you can’t even take to the playing surface.” (239); this description compliments the demands, skill, grace and beauty of the game of

The 60s, a time most people remember to be full of partying, overrun with tacky Afros, high Hippies, and cheap Lava Lamps. However, even in the happiest of times, no matter how peaceful the world seems, you can always count on a minority being mistreated, which during the 60s was happening right here in Canada, specifically in Residential Schools. These institutions were designed to assimilate native children into Canadian society, but in reality, they more often than not became host to the mutilation of the native people’s rights, all in the name of the gods that every man, women, and child of Canada worshiped. Richard Wagamese’s book Indian Horse focuses on this aspect of Canadian history. The story follows the life of Saul Allen, an Ojibwa

For this reason, another common mythology is that Canadians were lucky. Not only did the eight-game series test the will of both teams, it demonstrated that there was a new hockey power. Instead of showing complete dominance, Canada realized that there was much to learn from the European style of play. On September 27th, 1972 the nation celebrated as Paul Henderson scored with only thirty-four seconds left in the game. Our best players won an eight game series by the slimmest of margins and it is recognized as the biggest victory in the history of international hockey, which inspired countless books and documentaries. The mythology we long to find is a collection of stories that is of central significance to

The attempt of cultural reassertion by the Aboriginals into society advanced for a short time, however, in the National Hockey League from the mid 1970s to 2000, the amount of Aboriginals participating in hockey were at a very low number. Valentine (2012) demonstrates that Aboriginal representation in the National Hockey League consisted of at least 1 percent of the league’s players, which is a direct relation to the cultural racism experienced in sport in Canada (pp. 107-108). Aboriginals were segregated from the dominant white culture, which further created challenges for them to leave Aboriginal communities to pursue sporting opportunities (Canadian Heritage, as cited in Valentine, 2012, p. 111). Valentine (2012) makes an excellent point

Although racism, discrimination and progression of character is prominent in the books Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese and To Kill a MockingBird by Harper Lee, Indian Horse displays it in a much more upfront way. In the two novels, they both display a high degree of racism, except one shows it first hand and the other shows it second hand. Indian Horse shows a very upfront and hard-to-read version of racism towards aboriginals. At one point in the book, the main character, Saul and his team go to an out of town game and go eat at a little restaurant after. A group of white boys come over and tell them that they have to earn the right to eat there (Wagamese 133). They then take each teammate individually out behind the building then beat them

For more than a century, hockey historians have found that precisely tracing the sports origin is not only a difficult task but, a virtual impossibility. Therefore I can only try to deduce for myself, from the records, claims, and accounts, which are available to me, when, where, and by whom the first ice hockey was played. I’ll also discuss the early problems and obstacles that the NHL encountered. Plus I will also tell a little bit about early equipment, along with early game play and ice conditions that players encountered. Lastly, the Stanley Cup, which is the most prized and oldest sports award of the NHL. It has been won many times, by many different teams. Ice hockey is traceable to games played on fields as far back as nearly 2500