Theme: Facing Reality
Children being forced to attend Residential schools and the way they were treated
It was apart of the Indian Act that all Indigenous Children would attend residential schools
Government men would go to reserves to find any children that were secretly kept by parents
When Saul and his grandmother journeyed to find somewhere to keep Saul safe, Saul ended up being found and forcefully taken to St. Jerome's Residential School
Children were treated like animals
They would beaten, verbally humiliated, physically bullied
Children were driven mad by the torture inflicted on them
Children would commit suicide
Unmarked Graves
Saul playing with the for the town team
At first, Saul was playing for his school team, but ended up playing with the town team because of his talent
Reality is that Indigenous people weren't welcome or treated equally compared to white people.
White children were jealous of Saul's talent
Saul gets kicked out of the team because the other kids "aren't getting on the ice as much as he was".
Reality is that it's because of his race as an Indigenous person
Father Leboutilier says that hockey was God's game, but when Saul asked where God was now, there was no answer.
The Moose team playing against the Kapuskasing team or any white persons team
When they entered the rink, everyone from the opposing team and from the area made fun of Saul's size, calling him the Moose's mascot, but he surprised them all by becoming the star player of his team
Teams would be jealous, since the Moose came out of nowhere and was able to beat white people teams.
The Moose thought of hockey as a fun game, and it was even more fun to win, but unfortunately, others didn't see it like that.
When the Moose went to a restaurant, the adults of the team were all dragged out one by one and harassed. When everyone returned, they were all reminded of how they were seen in this society.
White people still thought hockey was their game; their game to win, not the indian's.
"Everything was contained in that glance. All the hurt. All the shame. All the rage. The white people thought it was their game. They thought it was their world.
"
Indigenous were treated; like dirt beneath the white's feet. They were treated lesser and unequally
They would be verbally made fun of on the ice, and treated like garbage.
Even if the indigenous make changes or win games, they are hated for doing so
If the games didn't go according to the plans of the white teams, so they dealt with it through harassment, bullying and threats.
Saul going to play with the pros
Saul was picked on, discriminated and verbally attacked with racial slurs
His teammates would pick on him and his skin color
Even if Saul was playing with the pros, he would still be made fun of because of his height and race
Saul eventually snapped and was sick of everything that has happened to him, and decides to take it out in a game
After he got benched and snaped, Saul decides to quit the pro team
Saul took up alcohol just like his dad and uncle. All the racism and discrimination he faced led to him breaking down and alley becoming an alcoholic