An individual who experiences trauma with family can prevent the beginning of a real relationship. When someone goes through a traumatic experience with family, they often distance themselves and live a life alone. In the story Indian Horse, by Richard Wagamese, the main character, Saul, shows how family is the most important thing in life and how losing someone who cares so much about you can affect your life over time. Saul is alone and feels defenseless by those around him. Often, when Saul is approached by a friendly figure, he turns away and prefers to be alone. In different cultures and ideologies, family lifestyles differ. However, one aspect of the family is that it is important in every society because it is the foundation and main structure of the society itself. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssaySaul feels lonely and lacks emotional support from those around him. He believes that if he got close to someone he would lose them again. Saul had many problems with the people he cared about most in his life, these started to occur when he lost the people who meant the most to him. “I rested my head on her chest. She helps me and we stand there, in the darkness, trembling. I felt her tremble. Wrapped in the cracked canvas of an old tent, I huddled in the old woman's pain and felt the cold freeze her in place. I realized he had left me and I stood there crying into the empty drum of his chest. Throughout the story, we are shown the hardships Saul goes through, drifting away and trying to suppress memories of his youth and life. “Even now, I think back to that day, I can see the shimmer of the wake they left behind, its V and the diverging lines that lapped the shore.” Saul's traumatic past represents the repressed memories of his future self. Saul's past represents the trauma he will ultimately experience throughout his life. During his time Saul suppresses memories of his childhood and past that had radically changed his future life: “He stared at the ice while I told him about Father Leboutilier. I told him about my family and how I had come to St. Jerome's. I told him about the anger that was building inside me that I had never understood and how it had corroded everything, even the game. I talked to him about the road, about jobs, about cities and then about alcohol. Saul's past was only the beginning of his story. He suppresses memories because of what he experiences in residential schools. During his stay at San Girolamo Saulo experiences and sees things that a child of his age should not experience. We as humans will often do whatever it takes to protect and provide for our families. When things get tough, family is often one of the major contributing factors to a person's happiness. During the young age Saul is filled with this feeling of protection and love from his family, when he is taken away and his family leaves him alone, he loses this sense of protection. At the beginning of chapter 17, Saul describes Father Leboutilier as if he were another familiar figure in Saul's life. “'He was my ally. When the nuns and priests were too harsh on me, he was there to mediate and defend me." The role of family plays a very important role in Indian Horse, it not only shows the sense of loss, but also the harsh reality that you can lose someone who means so much to you so quickly. While at St. Jerome, Saul discovered hockey. Wagamese describes Saul's happiness and joy in sports and creates hope for life.