Williams 1

John Williams

Mr. Bonilla

NBE3U1

14 June 2024

Trauma and Healing Displayed in Indian Horse and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time

Indian

The discrimination and cultural assimilation Indigenous people went through caused the

lifelong suffering they were forced to bear. Indigenous identity is often associated with the

negative misconceptions about their community that society has engraved in people, not the

trauma they experienced. This pain tends to be brushed off, rather than used to work towards

their recovery. The novels Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese and The Absolutely True Diary of

a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie portray trauma and healing in the lives of various

characters. Although Wagamese focuses on the impact of residential schools and Alexie explores

life on a reservation, the novels cover themes of death, injustice, cultural displacement, and most

importantly, recovery. Both Indian Horse and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

explore trauma through their characters’ experiences of loss, mistreatment, and cultural

displacement, ultimately showcasing the diverse ways individuals heal and move forward.

Many people go through pain, severe or not, in different ways. In Indian Horse, the

protagonist, Saul, and many other Indigenous children are forcibly taken from their families and

forced to attend residential schools. In these schools, they suffered physical and mental abuse,

which stripped away their culture. For instance, Arden Little Light killed himself due to the

constant mistreatment from the priests and nuns. He was made a spectacle for other children to

pity, rather than being cared for because of his chronically runny nose. Saul states, “They began
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standing him at the front of the chapel, the classroom, the dining room (…) making us witness

the seeping track of the snot that bled down his face,” (Wagamese 49-50). Wagamese portrays

the horrors Indigenous children faced in residential schools, highlighting the sad reality they

endured. As a result, these children grew up carrying this lifelong trauma and the idea that they

are worthless because of their race, adding to their struggle with cultural identity and belonging.

Additionally, Saul witnessed many deaths at a young age. He “saw kids die of tuberculosis,

influenza, [and] pneumonia” (Wagamese 55) in St. Jerome’s, emphasizing how the children were

neglected. Saul also saw the death of his brother Benjamin, leaving him with no siblings to rely

on for protection or role models, causing his feelings of vulnerability and loneliness as he tries to

navigate life. The sight of his classmates and family dying while he was a child created a wound

that may never heal since it was all he was exposed to while growing up. In summary, Wagamese

uses the events in residential schools and the loss of loved ones to showcase the negative lasting

effects it has.

Unlike Saul, Junior, the main character in The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,

never experiences the cruel treatment of residential schools. Despite this, he still experiences

cultural displacement and the loss of loved ones. When Junior transfers to Reardan, a

predominantly white school located away from his home on the Spokane reservation, he

experiences cultural disconnection. He struggles with feelings of not belonging and the idea that

he betrayed his culture by attending school with the same people who oppressed them. This is

shown when Junior claims that “ [He] was still the kid who betrayed the tribe,” (Alexie 159).

Junior’s transfer results in a loss of culture as he struggles to reconnect with the people on his

reservation; he is stuck in a place void of his friends, family, and Indigenous background,

causing a lack of ties to his identity. This leads to his feelings of isolation, further pushing him
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into the depths of pain caused by being labelled a traitor by his people. Moreover, Junior

experiences the loss of his older sister Mary. Junior states that his “sister’s spirit hadn’t been

killed” and that “she hadn’t given up” (Alexie 91) despite the challenges of poverty and

confinement they faced on the reservation. He deeply mourns the loss of Mary as she made him

feel inspired and he looked up to her. The loss of his inspiration and strength results in Junior’s

feelings of loneliness as he has no more role model. Overall, Alexie uses Junior’s loss of cultural

identity and family to depict trauma in his novel.

Everyone deals with trauma and loss differently. In the two narratives, Wagamese and

Alexie delve into the complex responses to these emotions and how the two protagonists handle

their experiences differently. Wagamese shows that through the death of Benjamin, Saul and his

mother Mary have different ways of coping. To start, Saul cries and weeps harder than he ever

had (Wagamese 33), signifying how deeply Benjamin’s death affected him. In fact, this memory

was so significant to Saul that he still recounts it many chapters later. The reason for this could

be that Saul believes the cause of his death, tuberculosis developed in a residential school, is

unfair and reinforces his idea that Indigenous people are heavily mistreated. Comparatively,

Mary handles Benjamin’s death through her “keening by the river” (Wagamese 31), which is the

act of making a long, sad sound, particularly because of the loss of a loved one. This represents

how she became an empty shell of her being and how the grief has taken her over and caused her

to act out on it. Moreover, the reader is led to believe she never recovers from the loss as she is

no longer talked about after she leaves Saul to bury Benjamin. In summary, Wagamese depicts

the struggle of losing loved ones through Saul and his mother and their individual ways of

handling the pain.

Similarly, Alexie demonstrates the different ways Junior, the protagonist, and Agnes, his

mother, handle the death of Mary, their sister and daughter. During the wake for Mary, Junior

“was in this weird fog” and “there was a snowstorm blowing inside” his chest (Alexie 209). This

demonstrates how her death seemed surreal to Junior, causing him to have a hard time accepting

that she was gone. The “snowstorm” he felt in his chest symbolizes the flurry of sadness, anger,

and grief he was feeling, showing how the loss of a family member can traumatize and affect

people negatively. In this case, Junior no longer feels like his usual brave and carefree self, as he

is traumatized and begins jumping to the conclusion that the people around him will die too. This

is shown when he starts praying to God for his father not to die like Mary (Alexie 203).

Additionally, Junior’s mother, Agnes, deals with Mary’s death by profusely crying. Junior states

that she “was now broken and that she’d always be broken” (Alexie 208), signifying that the loss

of Mary will forever impact and change her. The death intensifies Junior’s mother’s fear of

losing him too as seen when she begs him to “[not] ever leave” her (Alexie 207). Overall, the

trauma Junior, Saul and their mothers go through insinuates that the passing of a loved one

leaves a lasting effect on people and can forever change how a person deals with loss.

Despite the many accounts of trauma and loss, both novels show various characters

healing and moving on. In Indian Horse, Fred and Martha Kelly are prime examples of how it is

possible to recover from the trauma experienced in residential schools. Both individuals lived

through the residential school system and used time as a means to heal and come to terms with

the horrors done unto them. Fred visits his old residential school every year to “try to find

forgiveness” (Wagamese 209) for the people who caused the abuse he suffered, seeking closure

for the trauma he experienced. By confronting his dark past and actively trying to make amends,

Fred accepts and acknowledges the pain he feels, allowing him to take one step closer to healing.
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Furthermore, Martha has been living in Manitouwadge, a mining town, and states that “time,

distance, and not thinking about it” (Wagamese 210) helps her. This shows that although the

atrocities committed in residential schools are deeply wounding, healing is achievable with time.

Both Fred and Martha Kelly’s actions symbolize hope for reconciliation as they have been

recovering from the pain residential schools inflicted.

Additionally, in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Junior heals from

trauma and cultural disconnection with the help of his friends Rowdy and Penelope. Rowdy

helps Junior by providing him with a best friend and a source of strength. This is shown when

Junior says “I noticed that the only Indian who hadn't turned his back on me was Rowdy.”

(Alexie 144), displaying Rowdy’s active support and value for his and Junior’s friendship. The

support Rowdy shows helps Junior through challenging times as he knows he can always count

on Rowdy. Moreover, Penelope symbolizes a beacon of hope in Reardon for Junior. Despite their

cultural difference and the negative stereotypes portrayed of Indigenous people, she accepts and

befriends him, providing Junior with a sense of belonging in Reardon. Penelope also acts as a

light during Junior’s time at the school and makes him happier, as shown when he says “The

only person who [makes] me feel great all the time [is] Penelope,” (Alexie 118). This shows that

Penelope is important to him and gives him a sense of joy no one else can, lightening up his time

at Reardon. Ultimately, Wagamese displays recovery through Fred and Martha’s healing journey,

while Alexie portrays Rowdy and Penelope’s support to help Junior in his struggles.

Overall, Wagamese and Alexie display healing despite the various accounts of trauma

and suffering in their novels Indian Horse and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

They highlight the lasting effects the loss of a loved one, residential schools, and cultural

displacement can have on an individual through characters such as Saul and Junior. However,
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despite the negative experiences explored throughout the novels, recovery is also shown;

ultimately showcasing how even with trauma, one can find their own way to heal and move

forward in life. Beyond the pain and suffering, the theme of hope is evident through several

characters’ coping mechanisms and healthy relationships with others. This goes to show that no

matter what one may be going through, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
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Works Cited

Wagamese, Richard. Indian Horse. Madeira Park, British Columbia, Douglas & Mcintyre, 2012.

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York, Little, Brown

And Company, 2007.