Deep Dive into The Save

By Joseph Bruchac
Story Murphy
G-block

Joseph-Cornell
The Save by Joseph Bruchac

● In this short story, Oren, a young Native American boy who struggles with his
ethnicity partakes in a lacrosse game that changes his perspectives on
everything. He makes a game winning play that he thought was pure luck and
belittles himself.
● His grandfather tries to talk to him about it to motivate him, but what truly
motivated him was when he saved his grandfather from getting hit in the head
by something, proving that his reflexes aren’t just luck.
Theme Throughout The Save

● In the short story “The Save”, Joseph Bruchac expresses the idea of how
someone's thoughts can make it difficult to connect with one's culture, but
how with the help of experiences, that connection can be made. The author
expresses this through conflicts, symbolism, and characterization.
● As the theme develops, a better understanding of the relationships Native
Americans have with their culture forms. The development of the theme also
allows readers to become more aware of the adversities Native Americans
face, have faced, and will continue to face.
Cultural Background + Author Background

● Joseph Bruchac is of American Indian heritage as well as the characters in his

short stories.
● He treasures his Native roots and writes his stories about what he's
experienced and learned from his culture. He values the stories told in the
past because of the deeper meanings they hold.
● He is a Native American author who writes about the experiences of being
Native American in order to both entertain and educate people.
Essential Question
● Nature, spirituality, and the relationship between humans and nature play a huge role in
Native American literature. Native American culture heavily values spirituality as well as
nature because they were here before humans and built the land that humans lay on now.
The relationship between humans and nature is very important and always mentioned
because nature is always teaching a lesson to humans. In this story, the buffalo was a
representation of humans and nature and the buffalo represented Native American culture
that was appreciated by non-Native Americans.
● Historical trauma and the legacy of colonization play a huge role in the educating factor
that comes with Native American stories. Reservations are mentioned very often in Native
American literature as it plays a significant role in the trauma that Native Americans
have/and are having to face. This changes the perspectives of the writing as it evokes
emotions that people not might anticipate feeling for the Native Americans. So authors
can educate, entertain, and evoke emotion from readers when integrating the trauma and
colonization of Native Americans. In this case, the author highlights the fact that they are
on a reservation and represents the impacts of that through the characters internal
conflicts.
Essential Questions
● In order to address the heavy trauma and challenges faced by the Native American
communities, many authors use humor to make it easier to digest for both themselves
and readers. Many other authors also incorporate it into their writing without directly
highlighting but instead highlighting the impact of it. In this story, cultural erasure
amongst oneself was represented but not directly written. Oren struggled with the
acceptance of his culture but only his low self-esteem and internal struggle was shown
rather than the fact that those troubles were caused by and erasure or disconnect from
his culture.
● The concept of identity in Native American literature is hugely covered on. Many Native
Americans struggle to find themselves as individuals but also struggle to connect with
their people and culture. Many Native American authors show the struggles of this in
order to show the growth that also comes with it. In this story, Oren struggles to connect
with his heritage and culture but as he learns lessons throughout the story and
communicates with his people, specifically his grandfather, he is able to find peace
within himself as well as a sense of relation with his culture.
Oren
● “He was actually on the same field with these guys, in a real game. His heart
should have been pumping with excitement. He’d finally been given the
opportunity to play the position he’d practiced for so very long. Instead, what
he felt inside his chest seemed like a lump of lead.” This is an indirect form of
characterization because it emphasizes Orens negative emotions and his
lack of confidence in himself without directly saying it.
● Another piece of indirect characterization that builds on this sense of low
self-esteem is, "I really am a bum was all he could think." Not only does this
represent his low self-esteem but also how he values himself so little in
comparison to other players on the team.
The Grandfather
● “His grandfather smiled up at him. “Better than I would have been if that hit me,” he
said, looking toward where the piece of metal was buried in the restaurant wall.”
This is a form of indirect characterization as it shows the calm and grounded
personality of Orens grandfather. This could also further represent that he is in tune
with his culture as when many people are in touch with their culture or religion, the
begin to become more grounded people.
● “Well,” he chuckled, “nya:weh, Grandson. Thank you! Remember what I said about
you having good reflexes? No way are you going to feel bad about this save.” This
quote also shows indirect characterization as it uses the grandfather relationship
with Oren to show how kind the grandfather is and how respects and cares for what
he loves.
Conflict
● Oren experiences many conflicts in within the story but a major conflict he
faces is man versus self
● Oren struggles internally in terms of confidence and self worth which is
significant to his development throughout the story
● Initially, during the game, he was talking down to himself saying things such
as “I really am a bum”(Bruchac 45). This internal conflict represents the theme
because of his initial low self worth which can then be turned into a sense of
worth and pride in his abilities. So the conflict and theme develop together.
Significant Symbolism
Buffalo

● There are many uses of symbolism in this short story but the ones that stick out the
most are the buffalo and the lacrosse stick.
● In the story, the buffalo represents Native American culture and the interactions
between the other boys and the buffalo show how others interact with the culture.
Another example of symbolism is the lacrosse stick and ball. The stick represents
his relationship with his culture while hime catching/saving the ball represents a
spark in the connection with his culture.
● This contributes to the overall theme and message of the story because it allows for
a deeper understanding of how many Native Americans feel about their culture by
using symbols that are significant to their culture, such as the buffalo.
Final Thoughts
● This short story covers many aspects of Native American culture that are
significant to understanding Native American people as well as their struggles,
their values, and how they overcome adversities.
● The significance of nature and spirituality was highlighted in this assignment
which created a broader understanding of the symbolisms shown in both this
story and those prior to it.

Nature-Connections
 Works Cited!
Asher, Hugh. “Nature-Connection and Native Americans or First Nation People.” An Darach Forest Therapy, 25 Nov. 2022,

silvotherapy.co.uk/articles/nature-connection-native-americans.

Assmann, Cody. “How Native Americans Used the Buffalo.” Frontier Life, 4 June 2019,

www.frontierlife.net/blog/2019/5/25/how-native-americans-used-the-buffalo-jemmey-fletcher-extension.

“Native American Author to Visit April 14 - SUNY Cortland.” Www2.Cortland.edu,

www2.cortland.edu/news/detail.dot?id=32e77343-f3ee-4c08-a805-040680c30fd6#:~:text=Much%20of%20his%20writing%20draws. Accessed 13 Feb. 2024.

Saulnier, Beth. “Joseph Bruchac ’64, BA ’65, Explores the Native American Experience.” Cornellians | Cornell University, 6 Jan. 2022,

alumni.cornell.edu/cornellians/author-joseph-bruchac/.

Spars, Brandon. “Perspectives on Cultural Appropriation, Part 3: Joseph Bruchac.” Brandon Spars, 11 Nov. 2021,

www.brandonspars.com/post/perspectives-on-cultural-appropriation-part-3-joseph-bruchac. Accessed 13 Feb. 2024.