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The Significant Life Events of Saul Indian Horse
It’s quite obvious in this story that Saul has gone through many events in his life, some
are good, most are bad. Saul has witnessed some of his closest friends and loved ones die in
terrible ways, and these events have changed his life forever, but there are other events
which might make his life worth living. This novel is written by Richard Wagamese and it’s a
story about a boy named Saul who discovers that his passion is hockey. The first significant
event in his life is when his Grandmother Naomi dies trying to protect him. The second
significant event in his life is when he discovers skating at his residential school, and then
eventually hockey. The final significant event in his life is when Saul starts to play hockey at a
serious level and gets bullied severely. Saul has had many significant events in his life, as
well as many turning points.
The first event in this novel is Naomi’s death. Naomi and Saul were very close and
when she died trying to protect him it was very upsetting for Saul. Naomi’s death also had a
larger impact on Saul than just the initial sadness of losing a loved one. The loss of Naomi is
also what led to Saul being taken to the residential school, which was terrible. “I understood
that she left me and I lay there crying against the drum of her chest.” (Wagamese 42) This
quote shows how sad Saul was when Naomi died. He was so sad that he completely forgot
that he was out in the cold so that he could lie down and mourn the loss of his Grandmother.
“They took me to St. Jerome’s Indian residential school.” (Wagamese 43). It is very important
to note that this quote is on the page right after the first quote. This quote adds to the
significance of Naomi’s death, because it also resulted in his being brought to the residential
school. Naomi’s death was an extremely significant event in Saul’s life, not only because of
the trauma, but because it resulted in him being taken to St. Jerome’s.
The second big event in the novel is when Saul starts to skate and play hockey at St.
Jerome’s. As soon as Saul starts to play hockey, his life immediately gets better and he’s
able to forget about his traumas from the past. It’s a huge turning point for him. Saul starting
to play hockey also led him to be able to leave St Jerome’s to go play with the Moose, which
was a very positive experience for him. “I was a small boy with outsized skates and in the
world that hockey has created I found a new home.” (Wagamese 72). This quote shows just
how much Saul loves hockey. It created a new positive feeling for him. He mentions that it
created a new home for him, and this shows that he has a lot of love for the sport and that he
feels safe and comfortable when he’s playing it. Learning to play hockey completely changed
Saul’s life for the better. He was able to escape some of his traumas by playing it, and it also
leads to him getting picked up by the Kelly’s which further enhances his skill, and his love for
the game.
The final important event in this novel is when Saul gets scouted to a very serious
team in hopes that he will become a professional player. When Saul joins this team the
racism increased even more to the point where he didn’t even want to play hockey anymore.
The other teams would take cheap shots at his ankles, and the back of his knees only
because he was an “Indian”. Saul eventually get’s fed up with this and starts getting into
fights, which eventually causes him to lose the feeling of joy that comes with the game. “That
was the end of any semblance of joy in the game for me.” (Wagamese 165). This comes right
after the first fight that Saul had partaken in during a hockey game. This quotation shows how
Saul has lost his joy in the game. Saul should have stuck with his gut and stayed with the
Moose instead of trying to push himself further to play hockey seriously.
The novel Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese is a story about a boy named Saul
Indian horse who discovers his passion during one of the darkest times of his life. Saul has
had many significant moments in his life that completely changed the way his life was going.
The first significant event was when his grandmother died. This one was significant because
he loved her very much and it also led to him being sent to the residential school. The second
significant event was when Saul started to skate and play hockey in secret after doing his job
of shoveling the rink. This event is more positive than the others because it leads for Saul to
grow as a person and it gives him an escape from all the pain and suffering that the
residential school has brought him. The final event is when he leaves the Moose to go play
with a more serious team. The Moose had become like brothers to him and leaving them was
not a great choice. This is especially true because when he got to play for the team in
Toronto, his own teammates as well as the opponents were extremely racist to him. This
eventually led to Saul becoming very mentally ill. In conclusion, Saul has lived a very eventful
life, with many twists and turns in the direction of his life.

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The Significant Life Events of Saul Indian Horse

well as many turning points.

Moose instead of trying to push himself further to play hockey seriously.

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