Topic > Perseverance in the character of Saul in The Indian Horse

Perseverance is the most difficult but necessary quality for success; indeed, perseverance is a hard-earned trait for Richard Wagamese's protagonist, Saul in his 2012 novel, Indian Horse. Saul manages to persevere despite residential school, racist bullying, and the disease of being an alcoholic. Even though Saul doesn't have a perfect ending, he is able to persevere through difficult times enough to succeed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssaySaul is able to persevere when left with a sense of unworthiness, due to racism and succeeds when all odds are against him, due to his determination. First of all, he is determined to fight even if everything is taken away from him. Influential people or many jealous team members took away his culture, his religion, many opportunities but above all his hope. When Saul first arrives at the residential school, he describes it by saying, “When your innocence will be stripped from you, when your people will be vilified, when the family you come from will be denounced and your tribal ways and rituals will be declared backward, primitive , savages, you come to see yourself as less than human. This is hell on earth, that sense of unworthiness. This is what they inflicted on us” (81). This shows how unworthy residential schools make them feel and how much harder it is to succeed. Being alone makes everything harder because he has no support. Having success after having the childhood that Saul had in residential schools makes his success that much greater. Wagamese's protagonist doesn't let constant negative and racist words hinder his fight. Saul describes hockey as a game for “white” people by saying, “white ice, white players” (p.149). This is a very simple quote describing racism in the game. The game is played with a negative and racist mentality. Persevering despite racism is very difficult and shows how much determination Saul has since the playing field is never equal. In the end, Saul shows determination by persevering and fighting well even when he knows all the odds were against him. Saul knows it would be difficult to succeed, as many members of his Moose team remind him why not, "you first." you're not from here and you're taking a place away from someone else. The second is that you are a little brat and they will think that they have to protect you, defend you. ” (100). This shows how much determination he has, how he continues to fight even though they constantly remind him to stop. People reminding him why to stop makes perseverance much more difficult since he has no support throughout the journey. The fact that Saul has a thousand reasons to stop but only need one to stay shows how much determination Saul has to form the team while "taking" someone's place instead of "filling" one. Saul had a really hard time growing up, but he has a lot more determination, which it allowed him to fight well and persevere. Saul's success story is not his initial dream, but it shows perseverance through many challenges and the ability to redeem himself by having courage, hope and self-discipline. Saul suffers from alcoholism but manages to recover by having the courage to accept his illness and ask for help. He shows courage by returning to the New Dawn Center and works very hard to overcome it, saying "I came back because I needed a solid new start on a new path and I knew it would be difficult" (207 ). One of the scariest things in life is getting up after a person has fallen. Saul is brave and enough.