The Stone Angel



Photo Credit: http://digitalcollections.mcmaster.ca/

By MARGARET LAURENCE

Reviewed by JAMES RHA

Set in the fictional town of Manawaka, Canadian author Margaret Laurence paints a revealing picture of the impact of a lifetime of rancor and uncompromising pride through the eyes of a fictional character, Hagar Shipley.

Told in a first-person point-of-view, the reader is taken on an emotional journey that flips between past and present, as Hagar reveals intimate details of her stormy marriage, the death of her son, brother and husband, her failing health and eventual hospitalization.

Throughout the novel, Laurence executes her craft with remarkable insight and honesty as she introduces the reader to the inner workings of a mind full of disdain, suspicion, and unresolved pain.

Laurence's ability to create a three-dimensional character was evident from the myriad of emotions that I felt towards Hagar Shipley. As the story unfolded, I felt sympathy over the "senseless" death of her son, shock at the magnitude of her hostility towards Doris, respect for her resolve in carrying-out her "plan", and admiration for her final attempts at reconciliation with her son Marvin.

We live in denial of our own mortality. And like many other works of fiction that embrace the theme of carpe diem, The Stone Angel is a good reminder that no one has forever and that love is very democratic.

How much of it you receive is directly proportional to how much you give.