The term symbolism in its broadest sense means the use of an object to stand for something other than itself. In The Stone Angel, Margaret Laurence uses the stone angel to sybmolize the Currie family values and pride and in particular, the pride and cold personality traits of Hagar Shipley. There are three primary areas where the stone angel is used to symbolize characters in the novel. They are: the Currie family pride as a symbol of egoism and materialism, Hagar's lack of compassion for her family and friends as symbolized by a heart of stone, and Hagar's blindness to the feelings and needs of the others as symbolized by the blindness of the angel.

The stone angel is symbolic of the Currie family pride and values. The stone angel memorial is purchased and brought from Italy by Jason Currie at great expense and placed at the grave site of his wife, in the Manawaka cemetery. The stone angel is the largest and most expensive memorial in the cemetery. Alt

foot ruler, and when I jerked my smarting palms back, he

You go on down. I'll be there in a moment. Go on now, for

made me hold them out again. He looked at my dry eyes in

now at my bidding. The night my son died I was transformed to

I found my tears had been locked too long and wouldn't come

pride intact, like some maidenhead. (81)

It was her pride that keeps her from speaking up and fighting for her brother, Matt when Jason sends her away to college to become more civilized. Although Hagar knows Matt deserves to go more than she does, her pride prevents her from showing her true feelings to Matt:

inherited a frailty I could not help but detest, however much a

was going over to South Wachakwa or Freehold and would be

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1595
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)