The Stone Angel

This is essential CanLit 101. Iconic! For the longest time I have intended to read Margaret Laurence, and this is where I have started. I now know that I will continue on and read more of her work, especially the other Manawaka books in the series. I think we are looking at some essential Canadian literature here, and yet, nearly every high school student from St John's to Victoria would rise up and say "What? Are you nuts?" As much as this book is inflicted upon the high-schoolers of Canada, it sure has not gained a welcome reception by that age group! For the Canadian teenager, seeing The Stone Angel on the English syllabus has become the equivalent of.... hmmm what would one say? Having a radio that is locked on the CBC station? I believe this is because The Stone Angel is a book that is all about the "interior" and to truly love the book the reader must have an appreciation of the life processes involved in becoming an elderly person. From start to finish we are on the inside of this character Hagar Shipley. It is not the realm of the exciting pace and involved plotline. This book is rather a very somber, brooding, introspective look at a proud and uncompromising woman in her nineties. She is a woman who does not (in the slightest) want to succumb to the realities, adjustments, and inconveniences of aging and dying. As she faces the combined trauma of diminished health and loss of meaningful relationships, she has to come to terms with who she really is. How far will her incessant pride and irritable crankiness get her in this last year of her life? How can she escape from those who try to make it all easier for her? Will she confess her unmitigated (and inevitable) need of others... of those who truly, and undauntingly, care for her well-being? Will she break down or remain haughty? Laurence is simply brilliant in that she weaves a seamless web between the present and the past, between Hagar's current experience and her memories. It is not easy, the transition[s] that we who will live on into old age will have to make if we are to succeed at being old. This book pulls no punches with how difficult the process can be, especially for the type "A" personality. It is no accident that the book begins with the lines from Dylan Thomas: Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. It is a story about a woman who raged. And yet (in my opinion)there is not one real angry tirade in it! It is (I think) a different sort of "raging" that is being dealt with here in the story, as with the poem by Thomas. It is not the kind of raging that is with gritted teeth and defiance, [denial] it is the kind of raging that is mingled with profound sadness and regret... yes, anger too I suppose, but anger only because one has to leave behind so much of what one loves. Here is the realistic journey of a woman who has to come to terms with the fact that "what's going to happen can't be delayed indefinitely." I think the book is so

I want to respond to all those who object to this novel because it is 'depressing.' While it is true that The Stone Angel is not a light-hearted, comic-book romp through the life of Hagar Shipley, it is an accurate portrayal of a dissatisfied woman at the end of her life, wrestling with phantoms of the past and realities of the present. Laurence's brilliant use of the unreliable narrator, as well as her effective manipulation of time and place, make this novel resonate with me. If the novel is upsetting, it's not Margaret Laurence's fault, after all. She gives a justified portrayal of a woman's life, and if we get upset because of it, at least her work has accomplished some form of communication. If you don't want to get upset by literature (being upset triggers active thought about how you relate to the novel!), then I suggest a lifetime subscription to O! magazine.

As you can probably tell by some of the other reviews, this book will NOT be for everyone. If you're looking for a quick escape, lots of action or a strong romance, this is not the book you want. However, if you enjoy books that aren't your usual fare and are strong on psychological tension, this is an excellent choice. I absolutely loved this story of an elderly woman, a rather judgmental, cantankerous person. I like novels that show how a person grows and changes and I find slow change to be most believable and true to life, as it is in this book. Many readers may have found Hagar Shipley's life to be rather mundane, even dull. But I didn't - her marriage to a man she eventually saw as inferior and coarse, her relationship with her children, her desire to make a proper home and better herself - were all quite realistic to me. As she becomes increasingly frail and dependent on her son and daughter-in-law, she also comes to see her life in a different way. I won't reveal more but I do urge you to read this one and stick with it. Odds are, you'll want to read more by the gifted author, Margaret Laurence.

Hagar Shipley is a repressed woman, simply put, and one who is nearing the end of her long life. Realising she hasn't many years left, and watching her body and mind fall apart, Hagar comes to understand the chances she has missed and the mistakes she has made. Looking into the mirror she can still see the eyes of the young girl she once was, and through her memories works through the issues left unresolved from her life. By the end of the book you will understand this woman through and through and hopefully come to empathise more with the elderly. This is a beautiful work, written in lovely, flowing prose. Those who enjoy this book should also try Vita Sackville-West's 'All Passion Spent,' which is similar in theme. Two better works about coming to the end of life I've never read.

Most of the negative reviews seem to come from those who are forced to read this for their OAC requirements. I too had to read this book and I too could not, at the time, see WHY. In retrospect though I learned to appreciate what Hagar taught.....that space and the ability and right to choose for one's self is EVERYTHING. It's all we have. Hagar's right to choices was fading and she felt trapped - hence the reason she ran from her present and retreated to the days where she faced a future full of decisions.......Read this again when you are out of highschool and it all makes sense. Better yet, visit your relatives in a nursing home and think of Hagar.