Indian Horse

Indian horse

In Chapter 39, Saul recounts a story of two sisters at the residential school. Describe the story. How is this story symbolic of Saul's experience in Toronto?

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The story pauses as Saul remembers Rebecca Wolf, a girl he knew at St. Jerome’s. She arrived at the school with a little sister, who the nuns punish harshly for her timidity. When Rebecca tried to protect her, the nuns locked her up. While Rebecca was imprisoned in the basement, Katherine died in her sleep. When they finally told Rebecca, she went silent, then screamed. Finally, Saul watched as she walked out to the lawn and sang a song of mourning in her forbidden Ojibway tongue. Then she plunged a knife into her stomach. The other students sang a mourning song for her, ignoring the onlooking priests and nuns. In Toronto, Saul felt removed from his element: a literal fish out of water. His identity was mocked and exploited for the benefit of white people. Like the sisters, he wants to disappear.