The Save

Story
“The save” follows a young iroquois boy named oren, who is doubtful of his
abilities to play lacrosse, and is deeply afraid of embarrassing himself. The story
begins in the middle of a lacrosse game, where the protagonist makes an
impressive save in the game on accident, expressing his guilt to his father later
about feeling as though he didn't deserve to be praised for what he had done.
However during this, he yet again acted quickly to save his father from a piece of
flying metal from a nearby explosion, proving he was indeed skilled.
Theme Throughout the Story
Requirements:

● Oren believes he is unskilled in his sport, but he actually just lacked

confidence in himself.

● Through this, we gain a deeper understanding of the essential question by

understanding the challenge he must overcome and the adversity he faces
relating to his identity, through the symbolism of the game of lacrosse.
 Cultural Background + Author Background
● The Iroquois, also known as the Five Nations, are a group of people native to
northern America, specifically in the great lakes area around upstate new york that
spoke Iroquoian languages. These nations included the Mohawk, Oneida,
Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca tribes.
● The Iroquois believed the creation of the earth came from a sky world, created from
a woman who fell from it and planted seeds apon the back of a great turtle. They
also believed that this woman had two sons, who controlled the forces of good and
evil that impacted their daily lives.
● They also believed that every creature had a soul, and subscribed to the ideology to
never take more than they needed from the earth, and used every part of their kill.
● Women held an honored role in their society because of their belief that they were
liked to the world's power to create life.
 Essential Question
● How do Native American writers address the historical and contemporary challenges faced by
their communities, such as displacement, cultural erasure, and social injustices, in their literary
works?
Often, Native American writers address the challenges of cultural erasure or social injustice by
calling attention to these issues in everyday occurrences of life, often highlighting instances of
resilience. in this story, the protagonist exemplifies these themes with his personal connection to a
key cultural game, lacrosse, and his resilience in overcoming his personal struggles with his
confidence in his skill playing the game.

● How does the concept of identity, including individual, communal, and cultural identity,
manifest in Native American literature? How do Native American authors navigate the
complexities of cultural identity in their works?
In the story, the protagonist’s doubt of his abilities to play lacrosse tie directly in with his conflicts
with his identity, due to the game being of native origin. Because of this, he feels as though his
abilities in the game are in direct correlation to his core identity and part of where he draws his self
worth from.
Characters - Oren
● “had been given a chance. A chance to look like a bum.”
Oren directly states his lack of confidence in himself, directly belittling himself and
expressing his doubts with his abilities, being confident in the fact he will only
embarrass himself. This is further pushed by the constant repetition of the
sentiment.
● “How he felt like a fraud. How he didn’t deserve any praise at all.”
This is direct characterization, through Oren’s explicit thoughts and emotions. The
text plainly spells out how he is feeling in the moment and tells us exactly how the
contents of the story have made him feel so far.
Characters - Oren’s grandfather
● My door is always open. That was what his grandfather always said to
Oren.

This quote directly shows Oren’s grandfather’s relationship with his grandson, as
well as his feelings towards him and his willingness to support him.

● “What’s wrong with luck? If I had to choose, my goal would be to have

somebody on my team who’s lucky any day of the week.”

This quote shows directly Oren’s grandfather’s encouragement of his grandson,

and his willingness to uplift him while encouraging him to grow.
Conflict
Man vs. society - the main character expresses conflict with feeling as though
because of his blood, he should be expected to be naturally skilled in lacrosse,
And that his skill must live up to his native american ancestry. “the Bulls weren’t
buffalos at all… not one of those kids on the visiting team was Indian.”

Man vs self- expressed through the protagonist’s criticism and insecurity in his skill
in lacrosse, and constant self-belittling throughout his inner dialogue. “I really am a
bum was all he could think.”
Significant Symbolism
● Lacrosse

Lacrosse symbolises heritage and traditions, as it was created by the native

american people. Therefore, its used in place of a deeper meaning of traditional
customs, and as a display of skill in native practice.

● Buffalo

The imagery of buffalos was used to connect the opposing team, the bulls, to
“native” imagery, or rather lack of it. As the quote “the Bulls weren’t buffalos at all”
highlights they were not of native ancestry, which connects back to using the
game of lacrosse to symbolize connection to native heritage.
Final Thoughts
“The save” is a story about self confidence, and cultural identity. It's a deep story
about the concept of feeling secure in your own identity and culture, through the
gaze of a popular sport, first belonging to the native american people. This creates
a more personable connection to the reader to a more abstract and personal
concept.
Works Cited!
https://blog.nativehope.org/the-history-and-culture-of-the-iroquois#:~:text="Iroquoi
s"%20also%20refers%20to%20a,media%20are%20still%20felt%20today.