Analyzing the Roots of Saul Indian Horse's Abuse through Routine Activity Theory. What are the perfect conditions to commit a crime? This complex question demands a comprehensive analysis, taking into account the perspectives of both the perpetrator and the victim. In Richard Wagamese's 2012 novel "Indian Horse", the protagonist Saul Indian Horse endures devastating abuse at St. Jerome's Residential School. Father Leboutilier preys on Saul's vulnerability, manipulating it to commit atrocious offences against him. Routine activity theory presents a systematic approach to comprehending the dynamics of criminal behaviour. According to this theory, three key elements must align for a crime to take place: a motivated offender, a suitable target, …show more content…
"Motivated offenders" in the routine activity theory are described as individuals who possess both the willingness and ability to engage in criminal activity (Shymko). Father Leboutilier depicts his willingness and ability to engage in criminal behaviour through a premeditated plan. The first step of this plan involves deliberately placing himself in an environment that presents opportunities to execute criminal acts efficiently. He accomplishes this by obtaining a position at St. Jerome's residential school where the power dynamic firmly establishes the complete authority of the institution's members over Indigenous children with no oversight or accountability. The shortfall of accountability becomes apparent as Saul bears witness to Lonnie's repeated beatings until he eventually collapses, while Father Quinney passively stands by and watches (Wagamese 46). Instead of holding the nun accountable for her actions, Father Quinney permits the unimaginable to become normalized. This norm and power dynamic allows Father Leboutilier to exert control over vulnerable children without fear of retribution, amplifying the potential for his criminal actions. To progress his plan, Father Leboutilier’s …show more content…
Routine activity theory provides insights by explaining that a crime requires the presence of a suitable target (Shymko),without such a target, the motivated offender lacks the necessary incentives to commit a crime (Shymko). Motivated offenders consider two primary factors when determining an individual as a suitable target. The first factor is the absence of an effective guardian who can prevent criminal acts. In the absence of one, the likelihood of criminal activity increases significantly (Shymko). Potential offenders are aware that there is no one to hold them accountable or prevent their actions. In Saul's case, Naomi acts as a suitable guardian, ensuring his safety and preventing him from becoming a target; every moment spent under his grandmother's care guarantees protection. However, when Naomi becomes incapable of caring for Saul, he abruptly enters a state of complete vulnerability. This is when Saul becomes a target, as he is kidnapped and taken to a residential school: "Somebody lifts [him] up and … the old woman's arms fall away. [He] reaches out to her, shouting in a mixture of Ojibway and English'' (Wagamese 42). While Naomi's goal is to protect Saul from the horrors of residential schools, when she is unable to ensure his safety, he tragically becomes a vulnerable target. Vulnerability is the second factor in becoming a suitable
Characters are the backbone of a story that portray various themes which the novel Indian Horse sheds light on. The author, Richard Wagamese, communicates important ideas about family and tradition, and abuse and trauma through the stories of Naomi, Sister Ignacia, Virgil, and Father Gaston LeBoutillier. Fred Kelly and Naomi embody the themes of family and tradition to the protagonist, Saul Indian Horse, assisting him in navigating his identity as an Indigenous person in a world that attempts to obliterate his culture. Naomi is chosen to represent the theme of family and tradition since grandmothers are the ones who instill family and traditional values in their grandchildren in Ojibway culture. She has a strong sense of pride and devotion
The establishment of residential schools marks a dark chapter in Canadian history. The residential school system was a nationwide network of boarding schools with the purpose of destroying the Indigenous identity and assimilating children into the dominant European-Canadian culture. The schools were known for their harsh environments, abuse, and mistreatment, which led to generational trauma and long-lasting effects. Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, narrates the life story of Saul Indian Horse, a young Ojibwe boy whose identity is stripped away and who is taken from his family to attend one of these schools. The book examines Saul’s journey, from his traumatic school experiences to his love for hockey.
Imagine living in a world where the government works to erase your cultural identity from you and your people. Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, follows the story of Saul Indian Horse, a young Anishinaabe boy who navigates through a racist, unjust system while pursuing his dream. Along the way, he gets put into a residential school where they work to remove his indigenous identity from him which leads to an internal struggle. To overcome this struggle he must return to his indigeneity; this is demonstrated by Saul reconnecting with his ancestors, re-embracing his native language in the form of prayers, and taking part in rituals important to his culture. In order to fully heal as a person, Saul must return to a missing piece of himself, his
The book depicts the heartbreaking incidents of the main character, Saul Indian Horse, and the children around him who suffer cultural, mental, and physical abuse at the hands of the government-run schools. The cultural abuse that Indigenous children endured in residential schools is one of the most devastating aspects of residential schools’ destruction. In these schools, children are treated like clay, where the priests and nuns “work to remove the Indian from [the] children” (Wagamese 46-47). This cultural erasure is a form of colonization, where the dominant group seeks to assimilate the minority group into their culture, often at the expense of the minority group's cultural identity.
Through the Medicine Wheel, we are reminded of our lifelong journey that is continuous upon birth and living through youth, adulthood and senior years. In Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse, the protagonist Saul experiences many obstacles which shape and develop his character. Saul’s life can be divided into more than the four stages of life to better understand his journey. Saul’s Life with His Family The time Saul was able to spend with his family was very short due to the effects of the white men.
Racism and abuse is like an evil shadow that never stops following an individual throughout their life. A person who experiences this evil shadow is Saul Indian Horse, where the oppression, racism and abuse have followed him throughout his life along with the circumstances he faces. Indian Horse, published in 2012, depicts the hardships in the life of Saul Indian Horse resulting in struggling with prejudice, generational trauma and oppression. In Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse, the hardships, obstacles and devastating struggles Saul has to face at St. Jerome’s plays a significant role throughout the novel. Saul’s experiences with oppression and trauma in playing hockey result in detrimental impacts on his life, suffering through intergenerational
The detrimental and unfair categorization of people by race, gender and more, commonly known as discrimination, affects many in society both mentally and emotionally. Many instances of this act of hatred occurred among Aboriginal and Native Canadians in the 20th century. However, for a little Native Indian boy stepping onto the rink, this is the norm that surrounds him. Saul Indian Horse, in Richard Wagamese’s “Indian Horse”, faces discrimination head on, where his strengths for hockey are limited by the racial discrimination from the surrounding white ethnicity. Consequently, this racism draws him into a mentally unstable state, where he suffers heavy consequences.
To emphasize just how much power Lengel possess, Updike states that “Policy is what the kingpins want. What the others want is juvenile delinquency.” Anything that goes against Lengel’s rules is an act of pure delinquency, completely symbolic of the authoritative demands forced upon teenagers of the
In the novel by the protagonist Saul Indian Horse faces many battles throughout the duration of his life. In the beginning he is removed from his family and culture and put into residential school, one of Canada’s darkest corners. While attending residential school Saul faces many tragic experiences, these include abuse, rape, dehumanization,
People encounter many obstacles in their lifetimes, obstacles that are too arduous to overcome by themselves. They must find a way to get through these difficulties, and there is always something, or someone, that helps keep them sane through these hard hours. To Saul Indian Horse, the main character of Richard Wagamese’s novel Indian Horse, that obstacle is St. Jerome’s Residential School and the very element that kept him sane was hockey. In the residential school, Saul is abused both mentally and physically, witnessing the continued deaths of his Indian classmates. Fortunately, Saul was able to keep himself sane through hockey.
In the novel Indian Horse, written by Richard Wagamese, the main character Saul Indian Horse endured many hardships as a child leaving a permanent impact on who he became as an adult. The trauma he faced as a child shaped him from a happy young boy to an aggressive, dissociative alcoholic. Every aspect of his adverse childhood contributed to making him into the man he became, but the countless deaths Saul witnessed, the time he spent at St. Jerome's having his identity stripped from him, becoming a victim of abuse, and the endless racism he endured played momentous roles in his adult development. At a young age, Saul witnessed many deaths of both his peers and his family members. First it was his brother, then his grandmother, next many of
Routine activities theory, as proposed by Cohen and Felson, states that crime depends on the presence of a motivated offender and a suitable target that lacks proper guardianship (Winfree & Abadinsky, 2009). When both elements are present, it is more likely that an individual will either commit a crime or be victimized. Cohen and Felson defined motivated offenders as individuals in need or who desire the benefits they can obtain from committing a crime (Winfree & Abadinsky, 2009). Suitable targets (people or objects that motivated offenders deem satisfactory as targets of their crimes) are assessed along four dimensions: exposure, the accessibility of the target; guardianship, the presence of preventative measures that protect the target;
Figure 2.1: A graphical model of the Routine Activity Theory Source: Felson and Cohen (1979 cited Ukwayi (2013). Applying this theory to this study from Cohen and Felson theoretical framework reveals that the kidnappers constitute an offender; the suitable targets are the people that are attractive to the potential kidnappers. Today everybody is the target of the kidnappers. The absence or weak of capable guardian such as the police or other law enforcement agencies to prevent the crime from occurring. The Nigeria Police Force seems hapless in dealing with the situation of kidnapping, as the force is not adequately equipped to combat the men¬ace (Olajide,
Situational crime prevention (SCP) and rational choice theory (RCT), together, provide an insightful explanation as to why people commit crimes and what can be done to deter them. Much of the work done in RCT and SCP was founded by Derek Cornish and Ronald V. Clarke, who wanted to understand the decision-making process of potential offenders and focus on the spatial and situational factors that make such crime possible (Farrell and Hodgkinson, 2015). This paper aims to explore SCP and its relationship to RCT, as well as analyze the works of Keith Hayward and Graham Farrell in their discussion of these ideas. This paper has four objectives: first, the paper will discuss SCP and RCT and explain the link between the two concepts. Second, this paper will examine Hayward 's discussion of RCT, SCP, and cultural criminology.
When deciding the best time and place to commit a crime, perpetrators think through these elements precisely. Since they wish to avoid detection, criminals will frequently blend in with the crowd. If a criminal is going to steal from someone and sees a law enforcement officer around, he or she is less likely to commit that crime to avoid trouble. Routine Activities Theory argues that crime is a routine function of peoples’ lives which white collar crime can be used to dispute this