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The Effects Of Abuse In Indian Horse

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“Bruises fade, but the pain lasts forever” (Christina Kelly). This compelling quote depicts the horrifying side effects of abuse. In the gripping novel titled “Indian Horse,” author Richard Wagamese successfully informs readers about the severely unfair conditions in which the Native Indians were treated. Through Saul’s terrifying experiences in the Residential school and hockey tournaments, readers can effectively identify the purpose of the novel – treating someone through any kind of abuse can leave them with long lasting pain, and memories that will haunt them forever. There were numerous incidents at the residential school regarding physical abuse, and after effects that followed. The first one was when an Indian boy named Curtis White Fox was brutally abused for speaking his mother tongue. When he was found speaking Objibway, he “had his mouth washed out with lye soap for speaking Ojibway. He choked on it and died right there in the classroom” (Wagamese, 48). This is physical abuse that resulted in the little boy being dead. The pain and torture were too much to handle for the boy, as he was only ten …show more content…

Emotional and physical abuse were the two main types of abuse mentioned throughout the novel. Through extreme amounts of brutality and torture to emotional devastation and agony, “Indian Horse” certainly shows readers that living through abuse can have life long consequences. Readers can imply that being repeatedly beaten and tortured at a very young age makes the child live in fear and agony. Also, certain incidents such as being taken away from your parents at such a young age can leave behind pain, sorrow, and will definitely affect the child’s life in the future. “Indian Horse” successfully proves to readers that abuse can mentally destroy a person’s future and leave behind brutal memories, which will never be

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