Hamlet And Indian Horse Character Analysis

In Fifth business, Hamlet, and Indian Horse, the protagonists Dunstable, Hamlet, and Saul inner turmoil is caused by their lack of direction, sense of self, and spiritual connection. First, the characters’ lack of direction is caused by their strained relationship with their parents and from the roles that are forced upon them.
Additionally, Dunstable, Hamlet and Saul fail to have a strong relationship with their parents. For Dunstable, his mother became more controlling after a neighbour, Mary Dunstable, had a premature birth after an injury, which causes her to become simple. His mother’s controlling behaviour, in forcing him to spend all of his time caring for Mary and her child, causes Dunstable to become dependent on his mother. After …show more content…
For Dunstable, he grows obsessed with the concept of saints, and dedicates years into researching and revaluating everything he thought of religion, even going against what religious figures thought. Dunstable’s guilt, as he felt he was the reason she was injured, is what mainly drives him. Once more, he does what he feels obligated to do, in proving that Mary worthy of being saint despite her slowness, showing what little self-worth Dunstable has for himself, Hamlet, in contrast, has a spiritual encounter with his father’s ghost, who asks him to kill his uncle in revenge. Hamlet is not confident, however, in his own ability to decide whether to take revenge or not. Although clever, he is still young and naïve, being faced with such a complicated issue would be difficult and confusing for him. Unlike Dunstable and Hamlet, Saul is separated from his spirituality. In losing his culture, and by extension his family’s spiritual beliefs, he loses a part of himself. Saul is left with nothing except his damaging addiction, and is left feeling worthless and unloved. Overall, what the characters choose to do with their spirituality differs between …show more content…
Dunstable and Hamlet’s inner turmoil remains, as they fail to resolve their inner dilemmas, while Saul finds relief. How a person copes with parental strain, peer pressure, trauma and depression determines how they overcome these dilemmas. When an issue is left unresolved, and a person chooses to brush aside or become indifferent to their issues, they will find that their life becomes hollow. It is important for a person to develop their own roles, identity and beliefs if they are to ever to be