Similarities Between Saul Indian Horse And To Kill A Mockingbird

Reverse Revelations

Characters Jem Finch from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and Saul Indian Horse in Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese both have major revelations at the end of their story, but it is because of the different struggles they faced and their choice to be saved that they uncovered the pathways to their discoveries. To begin, Jem Finch and Saul Indian Horse both have large discoveries that show how much they have grown as characters. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the character Jem discovers that his neighbours and family, whom he once thought were good and pure, are not what they seem. This is a large part of his development as a character, and shows how much he has been exposed to given his young age. When Jem is talking with his

sister Scout, he seems to have a moment of clarity, and questions, "If there's just one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each other? If they're all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?

Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time... it's because he wants to stay inside" (Lee 304). Upon this revelation, Jem is finally able to see past his childhood naivety to the lurking issues in his hometown. Just like Jem, Indian Horse’s character Saul has a breakthrough at the end of his story. Rather than discovering people’s underlying evil, Saul discovers a purity in people that he had never before seen. He realizes that the place that he belongs, and feels the happiest is with the people who truly care about him. When Saul returned to his home in Manitouwadge, he talked with his old friend, Virgil, about how he has dealt with everything he has been through, as well as what he plans to do now. Saul explained how he has always felt most at home there, and that he needs to stay and get a job to feel like himself again (Wagamese 217). After years of struggling with depression and alcohol abuse, Saul realizing where he belongs changes his life incredibly. Although the characters discovered seemingly opposite ideas, they nonetheless help shape the

boys as they grow older. To sum up, Jem Finch and Saul Indian Horse similarly had major realizations at the end of their journeys that showed their growth as a character. Along with having different revelations, Saul and Jem face their own struggles, and in turn are affected in very different ways. Jem Finch dealt with racism indirectly by becoming involved in his father’s court case defending a man named Tom Robinson. Tom was a black man given the near-impossible case of going against a white man’s word, and being put against a prejudice, all white jury. Upon hearing the verdict, Scout's narration says, “I peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each “guilty” was a separate stab between them” (Lee 282). Although Jem is not the one on trial or being discriminated against, the case affects him as if he was. This meant that even though Jem feels a great aching for Tom and what he would go on to face, this problem does not affect Jem directly. In contrast, Saul Indian Horse deals with his struggles directly. At a very young age, he is torn away from his remaining family, and forced into a Residential School. Here he loses every ounce of hope and individuality he had, having to forget his old ways and replace them with the word of God. Saul’s narration states, “St. Germs scraped away at us, leaving holes in our beings. I could never understand how the god they proclaimed was watching over us could turn his head away and ignore such cruelty and suffering” (Wagamese 52). Being at this school, and having to face such brutality and inhumanity changed Saul in a way that can never be reversed.

So much so that it would cause him great pain in years to come. Different from Jem, Saul was the target for the extreme racism that that he was forced to face. In the end, the two boys face their own problems, but while Jem is not directly affected by his struggles, Saul is forced to deal with his own, head on. Similarly, characters Jem and Saul are both saved in their books, but there is a large contrast in the ways that they are rescued. Jem Finch does not have the option of being saved from his potential death. In this instance, Jem is rescued by someone else, saving him from deciding if he would live or die. After his school talent show, Jem was walking home with his sister, Scout, when they were brutally attacked. It was due to an unexpected hero, Boo Radley that the children came out alive and generally unharmed. When the sheriff, Heck Tate, returned from the crime scene, he reported, “Bob Ewell’s lyin‘ on the ground under that tree down yonder with a kitchen knife stuck up under his ribs. He’s dead, Mr. Finch” (Lee 357). It is inferred that the children's savior, Boo Radley is the one who stabbed Bob Ewell. However, this is never confirmed due to Heck’s desire to tell the public that the

wound was self-inflicted. Without the help from Boo, the children would have been killed by this selfish drunk. Unlike Jem, Saul Indian Horse does not have anyone to save him from his own potential death. With alcohol and loneliness leading him down a dark path, Saul is on a downward spiral. It is due to his own willpower that he is able to be his own savior. Saul says that he drank to the world at the bottom of the well where he was huddled in darkness, haunted forever by the knowledge of life (Wagamese 189). Everything that he had been through in life makes him want to forget the terrible experiences any way he can. It is only after a number of years that he is able to finally pull himself out of the dark well. Instead of having the decision on whether he wants to, or even can save himself like Saul’s character, Jem is rescued by someone else. This saves him from having to face a very difficult question; one that would change his life. In conclusion, Jem Finch from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and Saul Indian Horse in Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese similarly have large realizations, however it is due to their contrasting struggles and their decision to be rescued that they end up at this discovery.