Life Through Death: the Strange Bedfellow of Hagar Shipley

The loss of lucidity by Margaret Laurence’s central character in The Stone Angel, Hagar Shipley, is, although important, only a small part of a much larger and influential allegorical message. The story that follows Hagar’s meandering diatribe is superficial to her rebirth through her progressive death. The gradual progression of the novel is paralleled by Hagar’s continual battle with both a failing body and mind. In a somewhat paradoxical state, Laurence makes life and death bedfellows in the same act: Hagar must die before she can truly live.
This downward spiral towards salvation is accentuated by Laurence’s effective use of narrative and descriptive passages to document Hagar’s descent and provide the reader with an enveloping story. Although this technique forms an important part in developing the story, it is the liberal use of symbolism throughout the novel that provides the integral mechanics for the development of Hagar’s character. The central role of sym...