Indian Horse Essay

Maryam Al-Rubaiee

Mr. Cohen

ENG3U

February 26, 2026

How are the Experiences of Saul Indian Horse Represented?

Canada often celebrates hockey as a symbol of unity and national pride. For many Canadians, the rink represents a shared identity. Yet in Indian Horse, Richard Wagamese pulls apart this comforting ideology, revealing that national symbols do not exist outside its colonial history. Wagamese uses hockey as Saul’s motif throughout the book as a tool that reflects systemic oppression. Saul Indian Horse’s experiences are represented through the lens of his interest in hockey as a sport and as a community itself. Initially sacred and rooted in being a coping mechanism for Saul, the game becomes a tool of repression and racial violence. Richard Wagamese uses the motif of hockey as both a refuge and an illusion to Saul’s personal trauma. However, as Saul leaves St. Jerome’s Residential School and encounters racism in predominantly white arenas, Saul’s perception of this coping mechanism becomes skewed and consumed by rage and “blackness.” Wagamese shows that the sport was never true healing, but a temporary illusion that masked unresolved trauma. Saul’s experiences are represented as the broader cultural assimilation inflicted on Indigenous people in Canada. 

Wagamese initially presents hockey as a way of seeing the world, linking Saul’s vision as a “seer” to his grandmother’s teachings and establishing the sport as a space of continuity for his identity. Saul reflects, “If I could see myself doing it, then I could do it. It worked for any move. There was no explanation for how I could do what I did. I knew it as a mystery and I honoured it that way. My grandmother had always referred to the universe as the Great Mystery” (65). Saul’s skill is not portrayed as physical strength or fitness alone. It is rooted in his observation, patience, and awareness of the environment spiritually – qualities that have been passed down through his grandmother’s teachings. Hockey becomes sacred for him; Saul approaches it through Indigenous ways of knowing and not the Western ideology of competition. The use of the word “mystery” emphasizes his perception rather than physical dominance. Hockey becomes an act of insight, and the “mystery” elevates his skills beyond being an athlete and connects it to his Indigenous culture. The emphasis on seeing reinforces his identity as a “seer,” someone who understands the world through intuition. Wagamese uses metaphor to turn vision into spiritual awareness. Saul’s skills are described not in technical language, but in thoughtful language. This suggests that hockey is becoming sacred for him, and he has no intention of being competitive at this moment in time. Placed before chapters detailing cultural loss and residential school brutality, this moment provides contrast. In unchronological order, hockey appears as the best option, even though he faces the stereotypes about Indigenous people being less intelligent, only good at sports, and different or inferior. Saul experiences the dehumanization firsthand when he joins the Toronto team: “They never called me anything but “thirteen.” “Thirteen don’t talk much.” “I heard they’re like that.” Or, “Thirteen never smiles.” “None of them do" (162). Structurally, the first-person narration being used in a retrospective manner allows Saul, as an adult, to frame his childhood experiences with dramatic irony. The reader is meant to see the fragility of his current coping mechanism. In Michelle Balaev’s Trends in Literary Trauma Theory from Mosaic, published by the University of Manitoba, which brings insights for emerging trends in theory and literary criticism. It is argued that trauma is shaped by cultural narratives and place rather than existing as pure fragmentation. She states, “Yet, to what degree traumatic experiences disrupt memory, self, and relation to others is mediated by cultural values and narrative forms rooted in a place that disallows certain emotions to be expressed” (8). The residential school system was designed to sever Indigenous children from their families, languages, and spiritual traditions. Cultural practices were punished, and Indigenous identity was assimilated. Saul’s connection to hockey becomes deeply significant within this historical context. Although hockey is considered Canada’s national sport, Saul approaches it through Anishinabeg spirituality. By linking his vision as a seer on the ice to his grandmother’s concept of the “Great Mystery,” Wagamese demonstrates that Indigenous identity cannot be fully erased. Hockey becomes Saul’s safe place, even for a short amount of time, despite the efforts made by colonialism to destroy it.

Another way hockey is represented in Saul’s experiences is as a shield that allows him to repress his trauma. The effects that hockey and its community have had on his suffering postpones his healing in a proper manner altogether. Though, it brings him such a profound amount of freedom that he doubts he’ll ever let these negative components change who he is. This can be seen through Saul’s denial, 

They wanted me to bare my fists and fight. But I would not do that. I would not surrender my vision of the game. I would not let go of my dream of it, the freedom, the release it gave me, the joy the game gave me. It wasn’t anybody else’s game to take away from me. Father Leboutilier had said that it was God’s game. I had no head for that idea. But I knew for a fact that the game was my life (143). 

This moment emphasizes Saul’s resistance. He refuses to surrender his "vision" of the game, trying to reclaim the control over something others attempt to define for him. The pressure to “bare” his “fists and fight” represents expectations placed upon him, specifically racial stereotypes of aggression. His insistence that the game’s “my life” shows how deeply intertwined hockey has become with his identity. When Father Leboutilier labels hockey as “God’s game,” Saul rejects this imposed interpretation and desperately convinces himself that hockey is his way of resisting assimilation. The repetition behind the phrase “I would not” establishes defiance; this repetition mimics a vow, reinforcing Saul’s determination to resist. The short declarative sentences: “But I would not do that. I would not surrender my vision of the game. I would not let go of my dream of it,” suggests that Saul is attempting to keep the sacred meaning that he has for hockey. The contrast between institutional religious language and Saul’s own personal philosophy reflects Saul’s attempt to reclaim control over something colonization seeks to appropriate. This moment appears at a point of tension in Saul’s development, before the complete collapse of the hockey illusion. It functions as the final proof of free will before his trauma resurfaces violently. The use of dialogue rather than the recurring usage of first-person narration can be a marker for a transitional moment in Saul’s vision of the sport. 

“You know how to make the ice work for you, Saul. That’s why you should be playing at a higher level. You’re wasted here.” “I’ve never been anything other than a Moose.” He turned in his seat to face me. “I know. But they’ve taken you as far as they can.” “I can’t just leave.” “Sure you can. And they would want you to.” “How do you know that? “Because they love the game too” (150).

The back and forth rhythm mirrors his internal conflict. Saul’s reluctance to leave the Moose reflects his fear of displacement, a direct reference to the earlier forced removals from family and culture. His advancement in hockey structurally parallels assimilation. To move “higher” requires leaving his community behind. This connects to Mizuta Noriko’s argument that traumatic memory is often carried in silence and embedded deeply within identity. In her article, published by the University of Hawaii Press which is known for providing diverse and global perspectives on various issues related to Japanese culture and society, she explains that “when individuals “cannot speak” of the remnants of trauma engraved upon their minds, the trauma becomes engraved at a deeper level, upon a cultural unconsciousness” (2). Saul’s reluctance to leave the Moose can be read as more than loyalty. It reflects how his past has shaped his sense of belonging. His identity is “engraved” in this team. Leaving would mean confronting change and separation once again. Historically, Indigenous individuals who sought success within Canadian systems often faced separation from their communities. Saul’s dilemma reflects this issue, that participating with the promise of advancement leads to risking further displacement from Indigenous culture. Hockey therefore becomes a place where belonging itself has to be negotiated. 

As Saul encounters racism outside of the residential school, hockey shifts from this image of a refuge to a complete battlefield, revealing that this false sense of safety cannot protect him from systemic hatred embedded within Canadian society. Saul reflects on this himself, he recognizes the toxicity that the community has affected him with. “There was no joy in the game now, no vision. There was only me in hot pursuit of the next slam, bash and crunch. I poured out a blackness that constantly refueled itself” (176). The absence of “joy” and “vision” signals the breakdown of hockey’s sacred meaning for Saul. What once gave him clarity becomes aggression. Saul is no longer playing with his profound insight, he is reacting with rage just as people assumed. The rink itself becomes an extension of colonial violence, where racial slurs and physical violence reinforce that he is not accepted there despite his talent. The word “blackness” functions as the personification for internalized rage. It suggests something self-sustaining and consuming. The phrase “no vision” symbolically represents the loss of Saul’s identity as a seer. The violence behind “slam, bash and crunch” creates auditory harshness, reflecting his emotional deterioration. Wagamese uses the metaphor of “blackness” to suggest his trauma response manifesting physically. Saul’s language becomes harsher and more fragmented, mirroring his deteriorating emotional state. Chronologically, this shift marks said deterioration. The narrative gradually removes hockey’s sacred tone and replaces it with the aggression the stereotypes have placed onto Saul. “The game was me alone with a roaring in my gut and in my ears. I heard nothing else. When the other members of the Moose stopped talking to me, I knew that I was beyond them, the tournament teams and the game, forever” (176). The reader will recognize the shift before Saul fully does, and it adds to this sort of irony in doing so. Kaminer and Eagle, the authors of Traumatic Stress in South Africa which was published by Wits University Press, known for their long history of publishing in many diverse fields, including psychology. They argue in chapter 4 that trauma shatters belief systems and disrupts identity. They write, “While the nature of cultural or religious belief systems about how the world works may differ, they all offer a framework of causes and consequences that people can draw on to make sense of events in their lives, including trauma” (7). Saul’s belief that hockey provides safety is shattered. When the rink becomes hostile, his coping mechanism collapses and intensifies how his trauma affects him. Indigenous athletes historically faced racism in predominantly white Canadian leagues. The rink mirrors broader societal prejudice. Wagamese shows how wrong it is to think that participation in something that is meant to create unity guarantees belonging. 

Richard Wagamese represents Saul Indian Horse’s experiences through the ever-changing motif of hockey. Initially grounded in his spiritual vision, hockey preserved Saul’s identity amidst the erasure and assimilation of Indigenous cultures. However, systemic racism corrupted this sanctuary, exposing how society casts these people away. Wagamese’s portrayal of Saul suggests that symbols celebrated as inclusive can conceal histories of violence. Hockey may stand as a marker for Canadian pride, but Saul’s story shows how deeply colonial trauma persisted beneath these narratives of unity being broken time and time again. By dismantling Canada’s most celebrated symbol of unity, Wagamese leaves the reader questioning whether reconciliation is possible without first confronting how carving the path for your identity is a huge required first step to the path of overcoming trauma.

Works cited

BALAEV, MICHELLE. “Trends in Literary Trauma Theory.” Mosaic: An Interdisciplinary Critical Journal, vol. 41, no. 2, 2008, pp. 149–66. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44029500. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.

Kaminer, Debra, and Gillian Eagle. “TRAUMA AS A CRISIS OF MEANING.” Traumatic Stress in South Africa, Wits University Press, 2010, pp. 60–79. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.18772/22010105096.7. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.

Noriko, Mizuta, and Hannah Osborne. “Urashimasō: Memory as Trauma and Recovery in Literature.” Review of Japanese Culture and Society, vol. 30, 2018, pp. 221–43. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/48618709. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.

Wagamese, Richard. Indian Horse: A Novel. Douglas & McIntyre, 2012.