The Stone Angel is a novel by Margaret Laurence that tells the story of Hagar Shipley, a 90-year-old woman who reflects on her life as she nears the end of it. The novel explores themes of identity, family, and the human condition through the lens of Hagar's life experiences.
Throughout the novel, Hagar grapples with her own identity and the expectations placed upon her by society. She is a strong-willed and independent woman, but she is also deeply flawed and often makes decisions that are not in her own best interests. For example, she stubbornly refuses to admit that she needs help from others and insists on living alone, even as her health deteriorates. This stubbornness is a result of her pride and her refusal to be seen as weak or dependent.
At the same time, Hagar also struggles with the expectations placed upon her as a woman in a patriarchal society. She is expected to be a dutiful daughter, wife, and mother, but these roles often conflict with her own desires and needs. For example, she is forced to marry a man she does not love in order to secure a financially stable future, and she is unable to fully express her own ambition and independence as a result.
The novel also explores the theme of family and the relationships that shape our lives. Hagar's relationship with her father is particularly complicated, as he is a domineering and controlling man who expects her to conform to his expectations. However, despite her difficult relationship with her father, Hagar also recognizes that he played a significant role in shaping who she is and how she views the world.
Ultimately, The Stone Angel is a poignant and thought-provoking exploration of the human condition. Through the story of Hagar Shipley, Margaret Laurence captures the complexities of identity, family, and the expectations placed upon us by society. It is a powerful reminder that, despite our flaws and imperfections, we are all ultimately human and deserving of understanding and compassion.
The Stone Angel Essays
This pride is inherited from her father, who is very proud of his social standing, and flaunts it. Similarly, Hamlet also departs from Elsinore. Do you think Id have her poking her nose in here and telling everyone? Hagar is estranged from both of them: disowned by her father and separated from Bram after moving to the coast. Laurence, 1988, 305 Sometimes these realizations come too late. In contrast to her negative character, Hagar exhibits a great deal of courage. At the age of 90, Hagar was able to painfully endure her journey to Shadow Point. During this her attempt to move to Shadow Point and live alone, Hagar remembers the many parts of her life and her life story is revealed to the reader in that fashion.
Stone angel essay
Margaret Laurence uses this stone angel, originally bought by Hagar's father, to embody the qualities of Hagar. The statue does not have eyes, and their absence is a metaphor for Hagar's lack of self-knowledge or clear perception. But pride can also mask genuine human emotions; stop those who feel pride from showing vulnerability, or weakness. Physically, Hagar did not lack courage. He struck and struck, and then all at once he threw the ruler down and put his arms around me You take after me, he said, as though that made everything clear. She was doubly blind, not only stone but unendowed with even a pretense of sight.
"The Stone Angel" Essay
Raised with the stern virtues of her pioneer ancestors, bestowed upon her through her father, Hagar becomes a tragic hero through a life of uncompromising pride a pride which sustained her during a stormy marriage and which overpowered her ability to admit that she has made mistakes and ultimately contributing. Laurence was successful in representing the living individual in this case. Eventually, the angel grows back his feathers and flies away, relieving the family. The reader is introduced to this stubbornness when Hagar is brought to Silverthreads nursing home to view the location. The stone angel stood not as a tribute, but rather as a means for self-advancement in the eyes of the town. Getting back to the fact that she could never pretend to be her mother for her dying brother in his deathbed, which was also out of her pride. By the usage of symbols, Laurence clarifies how obsessive pride causes on to make selfish and regretful decisions that ultimate leads to the deterioration of self.
