Indian Horse Blog

Indian Horse Blog

 January 18, 2013

1)

One of the more important scenes in Indian Horse is the scene where the Moose Hockey Team are eating at a restaurant after emerging victorious in a hockey game against another rough team from the city. This scene is where eight burly men walk into the restaurant from the bar and they begin to harass the team. The men proceed to walk players out of the restaurant and beat them and urinate on them. This is a major point in the book for plot development of Saul because here he becomes depressed because of the hopelessness that the team has. He sees how his teammate’s spirits have been broken. Before this moment Saul knew that the men could not take away his spirit, but in this moment after he sees his teammates emotions, he begins to question this and he begins to realize the true isolation between the two skin colours. After this moment he begins to see every thing differently, even hockey, which used to be his balm for these emotions; “I started to notice things after that. I started to see a line in every arena we played in” (137). All of these emotions come together in this scene when Virgil finally breaks the silence and he says: “They pissed on us, Saul” (135). This is the moment when Saul looks around at his teammates, who are filled with every negative emotion possible and he begins to feel helpless towards the isolation that is cast upon him and the Natives. This scene relates to plot because after this point, Saul’s attitude dramatically changes. His clean style of play only lasts a short time longer, until his emotions overflow. At this point his balm is broken and his emotions spill into the way he plays hockey. After this he no longer respects the clean game he used to play, and he begins to fight back during the hockey games. Finally, this scene relates to the theme of racism because it becomes apparent how isolated the Natives are from the rest of the Canadian population. The Natives are not even thought of twice before they have a label put on them; “But you what the scariest thing was, Saul? There was no yelling, no cussing, no nothing. They did it silently. Like it was an everyday thing.” (136). The Natives are thought to be inferiors and this quote shows how they treat them like they would treat an animal. It is like they were raised to hate the Natives even though they did nothing wrong.

2)

“When I got out back they circled me. The first one came at me and we got into it. But all he did was push me back and someone else grabbed me and spun me around and I got punched in the face. Then someone else grabbed me and gave me another shot. They pushed me all around that circle, punching and kicking and when I fell to the ground, dizzy, one of them stood over me and pissed on me. It was the same for all us… But you what the scariest thing was, Saul? There was no yelling, no cussing, no nothing. They did it silently. Like it was an everyday thing.” (136)

3)

I chose this image because it perfectly portrays the one-sided abuse that is going on when the Natives only mean well and have done nothing wrong, hence the arm around the shoulder.

 I chose this picture because it shows how the Natives are labeled all as the same thing, as soon as they are seen.

Three Day Road Close Reading Task

Three Day Road Close Reading Task

Prologue

The Prologue provides a concise and insightful snapshot of Xavier and Elijah as 12-year-old boys. 

1. Choose one sentence from the Prologue that you feel is the most defining of one of the three characters referenced. Quote this sentence and explain what you believe it reveals about the character.

“He hesitates, then swings the stick. The animal screams out.” (2) It reveals that Elijah is not prepared for independence in the wilderness and taking on the task of hunting for his own food, because he cannot kill the animal.

Returning

This chapter reveals Niska to be simultaneously vulnerable and powerful.

1. Choose one quotation that demonstrates Niska's vulnerability and explain your choice.

“We do not stay in the town long. It makes me too nervous. Automobiles they are everywhere.”

This quotation shows that Niska has a hard time adapting to life in a town and that he is vulnerable in this situation because of his anxiety.

2. Choose one quotation that demonstrates Niska's power and explain your choice

“Only a couple days ago I battled with every stroke until my arms were dead things and my lower back felt broken.”

This shows that Niska is strong because he can paddle until his body cannot paddle any longer because of his determination and strength.