Stone Angel
Margaret Laurence has referred to her literary works as "character novels", in which all aspects of her writing are secondary to the comprehensive and precise development of the character of the protagonist. The Stone Angel is an ideal representation of how Margaret Laurence succeeds in creating a character, Hagar Shipley, with a distinct disposition by utilizing the words and actions of the protagonist. Born the only daughter of Jason Currie, a proud, obstinate, "self-made man", Hagar, unlike her two brothers, inherited her father's callous virtues. " 'You take after me,' he said as though that made everything clear. 'You've got backbone, I'll give you that.' " (p.10). Like the stone angle statue that rests in the Manawaka cemetery intended to mark the grave of Hagar's mother, Hagar herself is ostensibly made of stone, bearing a frozen and cold exterior, presenting utterly no hint of emotion which dwells below the frosty surface. Hagar's excessive pride, her uncontrollably judgemental attitude towards people, and even her courage and self-reliance become apparent in the novel through her thoughts, words and actions. "Pride was my wilderness and the demon that led me there was fear." (p. 292). In the Stone Angel, pride i
"The next day I got to work and scrubbed the house out. I planned to get a hired girl in the fall, when we had the cash. But in the meantime I had no intention of living in squalor. I had never scrubbed a floor in my life, but I worked that day as though I'd been driven by a whip." (p.52) Hagar Shipley is unmistakably one of the most memorable and perhaps despised fictitious characters in literature. In her book the Stone Angel, Margaret Laurence concentrates on developing the character of the protagonist, Hagar Shipley, and successfully creates an individual with very distinct traits. Through the words and actions of Hagar, page by page, Margaret Laurence reveals the dire pride that Hagar possess, her judgemental nature, and surprisingly even a positive quality, her courage. Even though the stone angel statue in Manawaka cemetery is symbolic of Hagar and her cold, emotionless exterior, Hagar's heart is filled with passion and a desire to express it. Hagar's pride paired with an excessively passionate awareness of the past glories of the Currie name, causes her to become scornfully judgemental of others. This quality is evident through out the entire novel. Hagar perceives the negative and weak qualities in a person, without the slightest distinction or appreciating for the positive. She is condescending towards every character that is mentioned, even the people that are close to her. Hagar regards Aunty Doll, the housekeeper, as "such a homely women with her sallow skin..." (p.17), Lottie Drieser, Hagar's childhood friend is "light as an eggshell," (p.27), Mr. Troy, the minister "is a stupid man" (p.55), and Doris, Hagar's daughter-in-law as "far from timid as any woman I've seen, and yet she persists in this mouse mask, like the horrid children with cartoon ears..." (p.28). The character who suffers the most in the novel as a result of Hagar's judgemental nature is her own flesh and blood, her son Marvin. Hagar deems Marvin as having lack of natural charm, never being much of a conversationalist, and she insists on writing off his slight speech impediment with irritation. As a result of her attitude towards Marvin, she reckons that he is inadequate and denies him the love that he seeks. Sadly, this has detrimental effects on Marvin and Hagar's relationship, to the extent that they are unable to express their true feelings towards on
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Approximate Word count = 1599
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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