Why is God’s Lake important in Indian horse?
When at God’s Lake as a child, a place special to the Indian Horse family, Saul learns more on the history of his family. “[He] could see a camp of a dozen wigwams at the foot of the great cliff. … The land plays a vital role in helping Saul know where he is going by teaching him his family history and where he has been.
What does the horse in Indian horse symbolize?
One day, Slanting Sky came through the land leading a strange creature. He led the creature back to his people and told them its name: horse. … Saul’s family name is a constant reminder of his proud heritage. But it is also a symbol of the demise of his people and their culture, as this passage foreshadows.
What does Saul discover from his vision at Gods Lake?
Saul hears the sound of falling rocks. To his horror, he sees that the community of people living by the lake has disappeared, crushed beneath heavy boulders.
What is the significance of the fish in Indian horse?
Each expression that describes the fish were stark. They were symbols of sadness and wish. As a reader, the expressions were helpful for imaging. How the kids of the residential school felt, how much they missed their home.
Why is hockey important in Indian horse?
The most important and explicit symbol in the book is the game of hockey. After being forced to attend St. Jerome’s school, Saul Indian Horse discovers that he’s a naturally gifted hockey player. … Again and again, Wagamese uses hockey as a symbol for Saul’s life more generally.
What is the symbolic significance of the eagle feather in Indian horse?
Both Bald and Golden Eagles (and their feathers) are highly revered and considered sacred within American Indian traditions, culture and religion. They are honored with great care and shown the deepest respect. They represent honesty, truth, majesty, strength, courage, wisdom, power and freedom.
What is the main message of Indian horse?
Family and Tradition. Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse takes its title from the protagonist Saul Indian Horse’s family name, so it’s no surprise that family (and the traditions that families preserve) is one of the book’s central themes.
What does alcohol represent in Indian horse?
Like his parents before him, Saul becomes an alcoholic—partly, it’s implied, as a reaction to the tragic turn his life has taken, and to numb the pain of having his dreams taken away from him. Saul takes comfort in drinking.
How does Saul fit in to life at the residential school?
Saul is taken to live at St. Jerome’s Indian Residential School—a place that takes “all the light” from him. … When Saul arrives at the school, some gruff old priests take him to be washed and cleaned along with other Indigenous Canadian children. Then, he’s given a uniform, which doesn’t fit him very well.
What happened to Rachel in Indian horse?
It is Father Quinney, however, who finally agrees to allow Saul Indian Horse to leave St. … Mother of Saul Indian Horse. Rachel Indian Horse. Saul Indian Horse’s little sister, who is separated from her family when she is kidnapped by white men and taken to a Christian school for Indigenous children.
How does Saul change in Indian horse?
For a time it appears that hockey will provide Saul with a path to a better, happier life. But as Saul grows older, the trauma from his past and the racism he faces everyday bear down on him. He becomes violent, sullen, and an alcoholic.