Similarities Between 'To Kill A Mockingbird And Saul Indian Horse'

Unfortunate circumstances form children into adults. Scout Finch, an adventurous tomboy from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, and Saul Indian Horse, a native boy from Richard Wagamese’s novel Indian Horse, both prove that to overcome challenges you must have faith, resilience, and courage; Scout uses her challenges as learning experiences, but Saul triumphs as he uses his past experiences to mature and develop a new sense of self. For instance, Saul’s superior growth can be proven as he went through hardship early on in life. Overtime, these hardships led to his development of the quality courage. His loss of all sense of familiarity within the story ultimately causes him to fill the void in his heart, which was once overtaken

with love and kindness. He is forced to discover the courage that was deep inside himself in order to continue on and live through his family's legacy. After his brother's illness and later death, Saul’s parents left God’s lake, their home, and travelled to the mainland in hopes of finding a sense of closure. The young boy was left with his grandmother, who was deeply motivated to continue their trek with or without the rest of the family.

While on this journey, the cold winter wind took her and her soul left her body (Wagamese 22-23). This hardship caused Saul to come to terms with death. He was forced to no longer avoid it, but embrace it. He was required to grasp hold of the courage that his family had implanted within him to continue on to reach the point of adulthood. Unlike Saul, Scout has had little experience with physical death and courage gained from grieving and moving on. The young girl instead has had to grow up with the fear that death approaches suddenly to those who are innocent. The racist community of Maycomb has caused her to see the awful treatment that the blacks are forced to endure. For example, days before Tom Robinson, a black man who was wrongfully committed of rape was put on the stand, several men tried to lynch him (Lee 204-206). This was a defining moment as Scout realized that death is not something that people achieve or deserve, but ultimately fall witness to. Although Scout could not fully comprehend the extent of the men's desired actions, she understood that Tom did not deserve to die and was only threatened as a result of his skin

colour. She was forced to have the courage to believe that society would prevail and overcome the racial barrier that they were under. Following this, when it came time for Tom’s trial, she had the courage to let go and be courageous in the justice system, for Tom and Atticus’s sake.

The young girl uses the fear of death to gain courage. Overall, she utilizes the treatment of those around her in order to form herself into a courageous individual. However, when comparing the two children's experiences with death and their courage gained from the experience, Saul’s struggle taught a larger lesson. The young man was forced to no longer rely on anyone but himself and be courageous through all circumstances. Whereas within To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout is provided with the comfort of having the ability to fall back on her community for guidance in times of trial. Therefore this does not provide her with any necessary reason to strengthen her courage quality. The next component addresses the fact that surroundings play a large part in the formation of adults. Although situations vary, both Saul and Scout were forced to witness and form opinions on things that are far too complicated for their simple minds, all while challenging their faith. For example, the residential school system forces Saul to fit into the idealistic Christian standards while leaving his native culture and roots

behind. He is a victim, required to hold onto his faith and persevere through harsh circumstances. St. Jerome’s Indian Residential School destroys Saul, as he experiences things that no one should have to endure. His thoughts on the school and Christian religion can be seen when he states, “We lived under constant threat. If it wasn’t the direct physical threat of beatings, the Iron Sister, or vanishing, it was the dire threat of purgatory, hell and the everlasting agony their religion promised for the unclean, heathen, the unsaved” (Wagamese 80). The priests and nuns at St. Jerome's go to extreme lengths to ensure that Indian beliefs are scorched, like paper easily thrown in a crackling fire. The school challenges Saul. It makes him different. Despite their efforts, he learns to rely on his Indian heritage when he feels his faith is threatened. By the end of his time at St. Jerome's, Saul leaves the school holding onto his heritage, as it is the one thing that truly made sense to him. Equally, Scout is made witness to a society that judges individuals based on something so insignificant. Unlike Saul, she is a bystander. The young girl does not contribute to the harsh words thrown at blacks, but does not stop them either. She does not fall victim to the words or actions, but overall feels the effects. Surprisingly, these effects cause Scout to have faith in her community and family. She turns to them for guidance as it is the only thing she knows how to do; no matter if it is right or wrong. This can be seen when several children at their school call both Scout and her brother Jem, nigger lovers (Lee 112). These harsh words make Scout reconsider her decision to stand back and listen to the words of her elders. Their words cause her to think about Atticus’ decision to defend Tom and test her faith in her family and society in the process. Specifically, they make her have faith in individuals older and wiser. She forces herself to believe that they are making the right decisions for society, no matter if their actions may seem wrong.The light of faith is often bleak and goes unnoticed. Both characters take situations that are less favourable and pull the ultimate lesson of faith out of them. Although Scout does this well, Saul again surpasses and takes the larger lesson, which is that faith forms maturity no matter the age. Finally, both characters show a resilience that is tested by the environment and people around them. Saul’s resilience is evident towards the end of the novel, as he refuses to accept the taunts and harsh words thrown at him by the opposing hockey teams. Hockey is Saul’s life. It gives him purpose and allows him to escape from the staring eyes of individuals around him. His resilience is challenged to a greater length when he is scouted by the Toronto Marlboros. This team looks beyond the exterior barrier of skin, and saw Saul for who he really is; a great hockey player. When he finally accepts their offer and moves to Toronto, Saul begins to feel a whole new level of stress and judgment. Instead of being commended for the great hockey player that he really is, once again, his Native American ethnicity came first and makes local headlines. After name calling and loss of love for the sport, Saul decides to head back to the Kelly’s in Manitouwadge (Wagamese 164-166). Once home, Saul found his passion in a different form, coaching children. Teaching hockey turned out to be more rewarding to Saul then playing. His resilience allowed him to find a new, better opportunity that led to greater happiness. Similar to Saul, Scout Finch has had to be resilient in her efforts to rebound from negative comments and situations. The young girl has had to demonstrate a level of toughness that makes her stand out amongst others. To expand, Scout feels trapped by the stereotypical female ways. While at Aunt Alexandra’s luncheon, Scout sits deep in thought, pondering her femininity: “Ladies in bunches always filled me with vague apprehension and a firm desire to be elsewhere, but this feeling was what Aunt Alexandra called being ‘spoiled’” (Lee 83-84). After several of the ladies comment on Scouts unfeminine apparel, the once confident, shining girl is deeply hurt. Their words cut like knives through her soft flesh. This quote ultimately allows the reader to see into the mind of Scout Finch. Specifically, it shows her struggle to remain strong and resilient against the whispers and thoughts of others. Their opinions hurt her. Although she quickly rebounds from their harsh words, her resilience is tested and she is made obvious of the thoughts of society. Likewise, both characters use their ability to recover quickly from circumstance and persevere to be stronger individuals. Again, unlike Scout, Saul uses his resilience in a more elaborate way to gain opportunities and skills that lead to his future success. Saul and Scout both suffer and grow through their experiences and struggles, yet different from Scout Finch, Saul is able to learn and gain a sense of self. Their resilience, courage, and faith are constantly tested as society is ruthless and takes no pity on those who are seen as lesser. After losing his family, home, and dignity, Saul becomes an involved member of society and finds his passion again. Young Scout Finch never attains the greatness and maturity that Saul was able to achieve. Nevertheless, Saul and Scout took substandard situations and found the little pieces of courage, resilience, and faith within them; ultimately crafting their young frames into developed minds.