Bella's Self-Discovery In New Moon

Self-discovery can be a scary thing especially after being separated from the one you love. In the novel New Moon, Bella is separated from her love Edward. She becomes depressed and her whole life changes. Bella's self-discovery can be compared to Saul in the book Indian Horse. Saul is taken to residential school and is separated from his family which changes his life as well. First, Bella uses adrenaline to see Edward and Saul uses hockey to forget everything that is happening. Second, Bella has her friend Jacob that she can lean on and Saul has the priest, Father Leboutilier. Finally, both characters become outsiders at school. The main characters in both Indian Horse and New Moon discover how much their lives have changed since being separated

Bella becomes addicted to adrenaline because it is the only way she can see and hear Edward. She realizes that she needs the adrenaline to keep herself from depression. In the novel, Bella starts learning how to ride a motorcycle because she knows it is dangerous. When she sees Edward, she falls off and says, "This had to be it, the recipe for a hallucination- adrenaline plus danger plus stupidity" (Meyer 187-188). Bella starts to discover that she likes the feeling of an adrenaline rush. It is the only way she can hear Edward's voice for a while and she develops an interest in doing things that involve adrenaline and danger to forget everything else. In Indian Horse, Saul is introduced to hockey by Father Leboutilier. One night Saul started to feel lonely and depressed. He starts to think about hockey and says, " I no longer felt the hopeless, chill air around me because I had Father Leboutilier, the ice... and the promise of a game that I would soon be old enough to play" (Wagamese 66). Saul develops a new passion for hockey and discovers that he can use it to escape the horrors of St. Jerome's. In conclusion, Bella and Saul both find a new passion that helps them with their struggles. What they discover about themselves is that they have the ability to forget about their loved ones and slip into a bit of happiness on their

Bella' old friend Jacob is always there for her when she needs him. When Bella realizes this she thinks to herself, "I'd been broken beyond repair. I needed Jacob now, needed him like a drug. I'd used him as a crutch for too long" (Meyer 219). This is when Bella realizes she has become dependent on Jacob as if he were a drug. She feels like she cannot live without him and she is more broken without Edward than she thought. This relates to Saul because he becomes close to Father Leboutilier while attending the school. He says, "Father Leboutilier was my ally. When the nuns and priests got too hard on me, he was there to mediate and defend me" (Wagamese 63). Like Bella, Saul realizes he has become dependent on someone else. He begins to depend on Father Leboutilier to defend him. In conclusion, These two characters start depending on someone to help them out. Bella depends on Jacob and Saul depends on Father Leboutilier. They both feel less lonely and more comfortable when they are with this