INDIAN HORSE 3
players of his race would receive mockery from the spectators in the stands. The psychological
attack gets too much that it manages to make Horse lose his focus and gives in to drunkenness.
He does so with the intentions of consoling himself from the intense racism attacks.
Analysis
Personally, I feel disturbed by the idea of separating the children from their parents and
culture to make them learn a new language, as it is in this situation. While the act may have been
done with the intention to promote national cohesiveness, the consequences were so inhuman
that no caring authority can dare do its citizens. In the book, Wagamese presents how the
children were starved and sexually harassed in the schools (Wagamese, 12). Critically analyzing
the kind of punishment those children endured, I think it is safe to say life in those schools was
equivalent to that in a penitentiary. As a result, many readers are likely to conclude that this book
is more of inciting feelings of the readers than it is promoting unity in Obijibway.
As for racism, I am, just like anybody who reads this book, likely to feel highly irritated
with the way the spectators’ racist remarks managed to waste the talent and abilities of this
young man’s talent (Wagamese, 2012). While I do not support Horse’s decision of turning to
alcoholism as his reliever, I understand that is what any desperate person in his situation would
have done. And as for Wagamese, although he wrote this novel hoping to reconcile the Ojibway
community, reading the content in this book might hurt the already healed scars in the hearts of
those who share the same race with Horse; as well as those who feel like their grandfathers
endured the same feelings. And if that happens, Canada may return to what it was more than 60
years ago, which is an undesirable thing.
