Identity Theft In Indian Horse By Richard Wagamese

Identity Theft

Racism is when you believe that everyone from one race has the same characteristics, which is used to distinguish which race is superior or inferior to another. Racism leads to the discrimination of people from different races, and restricts them from reaching their goals and aspirations. In the novel Indian Horse, by Richard Wagamese, racism is prevalent because the natives are discriminated in various ways. Racism alters people’s perception negatively, causing them to think of the victims as a lesser person, resulting in a loss of his/her identity.

The natives are forced to deal with the repercussions of the actions of the religious figures in the residential school, when they impose their beliefs on the natives. First of

all, due to the failed assimilation of the natives by the nuns and priests, cultural confusion takes place. After Benjamin dies, Saul’s mother and grandmother start arguing about how Benjamin should be honoured, “You told us by coming here that we would return to how things were.

But those ways are gone. Those gods are dead. We need to take my son to the priest so that he can be returned to the bosom of Christ” (Wagamese 31-32). The natives are forced to deal with cultural confusion because they have not been properly assimilated into society, and do not know about their heritage since they were forced to stop following their culture in the residential school. Afterward, during Saul’s time at the residential school he is forced to deal with the deaths of the other native children. After his experience with the fish, Saul talks about the gruesome experiences at the residential school, “I saw young boys and girls die standing on their own two feet.... That would never stop, never change so long as that school stood in its place at the top of that ridge as that school stood in its place at the top of that ridge, as bush and from the arms of their people. So I retreated. That’s how I survived” (55). Saul is forced to deal with these experiences, where the other native children take their own lives which teaches them to ignore the situations they do not want to deal with. Finally, the racism causes the religious figures of the residential school to implement their negative thoughts on the culture of the native children which makes them feel like lesser beings. After Saul sees the Iron Sister, he describes the effect of

the nuns and priests, “When your innocence is stripped from you, when your people are denigrated, when the family you came from is denounced and your tribal ways are pronounced backward, primitive, savage, you come to see yourself as less than human. That is hell on earth, that sense of unworthiness” (81). During the process of assimilation, the negative thoughts of the religious figures due to the racism makes the native children feel like lesser beings which is engrained into the children, which causes self-esteem issues, as well as the loss of pride in their culture. In conclusion, the natives are forced to deal with consequences of the enforcement of Christianity by the nuns and priests which are cultural confusion, disregarding of problems, and loss of pride in themselves and their culture.

Despite all that Saul has achieved in his life, the racism that he faces in hockey changes his identity, and what he thinks of his people. First, the racism among the players of the Marlies causes Saul to change himself in order to conform to what they and the crowd wanted Saul to do. After being on the team and facing the taunting, Saul reaches his turning point, “And when I refused to retaliate, my teammates started leaving a space around me on the bench. I sat alone in that territory of emptiness,...announcing to everyone that I was different, that I was not welcome among my own. Finally, it changed the game for me. If they wanted me to be a savage, that’s what I would give them” (164). From the beginning, no matter how hard it got, Saul refused to comply with everyone else and fight back, but the indifference due to the racism is so powerful that it forces Saul to change his character and turn to physical aggression in the game. Subsequently, the constant taunting that Saul faces changes what he thinks of his people. After describing how Saul uses music and work to escape from his problems, he talks says,“I heard ‘Chief,’ ‘Tonto,’ ‘Geronimo,’ dumb Injun’ or the hundred other labels men applied to me. But I never reacted. I wouldn’t risk the explosion I knew I would follow” (180). Saul is taunted continuously about being an Indian, which results in the negative connotation of being an Indian sinking into him, and is why he starts thinking that being an Indian is a dreadful thing. Last, the racism in the hockey league dashes Saul’s hopes and dreams. After describing the daily routine that Saul and Erv did during night time, “‘Saul,’ he said. “You ever pine for anything other than this? Ever have dreams of family, your own home, things like that?’ ‘No time for dreams,’ I said. ‘I had them once. They didn’t pan out. I don’t have them anymore’” (185). The racism changes Saul’s identity because before he had hopes and dreams, and the racism that he faces in the hockey league results in him turning to violence where he loses the joy for the game, and is why he completely gives up on his hopes and dreams that he once had. To conclude, the racism that Saul faces changes him and what he thinks of himself due to the indifference on the Marlies, taunting in the hockey games and the lack of goals and ambition in life.
Therefore, when people are racist, it changes their perception, which causes them to degrade the victims, resulting in a loss of their identity. The native children are forced to deal with the aftermath of the infliction of beliefs by the nuns and priests from the racism, which are cultural confusion, ignoring of problems and loss of pride in themselves as well as their culture. The result of the racism that Saul faces in hockey is the disregard while being in the Marlies, the insults during the hockey games and the absence of objective in life. The natives are mistreated by the white people, which is a major setback that the natives have to overcome in order to live their life to the fullest extent.

Works Cited
Wagamese, Richard. Indian Horse: A Novel. Vancouver, BC: Douglas & McIntyre, 2012. Print.