Biblical Imagery in The Stone Angel Stone Angel

Biblical Imagery in The Stone Angel

In her novel, The Stone Angel, Margaret Laurence successfully uses builds a character around biblical imagery. Hagar Shipley, a ninety year-old woman, does not accept things easily, like life. The name "Hagar" is recognized from the Old Testament as the Egyptian hand-maiden of Sarah, the wife of Abraham. By reason Sarah was unable to provide an offspring for Abraham. Since Sarah could not conceive, she gave her servant, Hagar, to her husband, so she can produce an heir under Abraham's name.

And Sarah said unto Abraham, Behold now, the Lord that restained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that i may obtain children by her. And Abraham hearkened unto the voice of Sarah... And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceieved, her mistress was aespised in her eyes". (Genesis 16, 2-4)

Symbolically, Hargar Shipley became a house keeper in her younger years. Hagar has always felt that she was to take care, nurture, serve others, it became her natural positon. Hagar saw herself as the "chatelaine," or possibly an outcast when she was married to Bram.

The Shipley house was square and frame, two-storied, the furniture shoddy and second-hand, the kitchen reeking and stale, for no one had scoured properly there since Clara died. Yet seeing it, I wasn't troubled in the slightest, still thinking of myself as a chatelaine. I wonder who I imagined would do the work? I thought of Polacks and Galicians from the mountains, half-breeds from the river valley of the Wachawa, or the daughters and spinster aunts of the poor, forgetting that Bram's own daughters had hired out whenever they could be spared, until they married very young and gained a permanent employment."

(p. 50-51)

Hagar is feeling like a prisoner in her own habitat, that she is not "free" in spirit; "I was alone, never anything else, and never free, for I carried my chains wihin me, and they spread out from me and shackled all I touched" (pp. 292). The imagery that Hagar is enslaved like the prisoners in the early era's, B.C.-A.C., she became a slave of her own emotions which is strugggling within her.

Also noted, Hagar also was seen and explained as "a creature of wilderness". Like the pharaoh's daughter, she left the security of her father and went to explore the wilderness. Hagar Shipley shows the same imagery. She leaves from her fathers wings so she can peruse a better lifestyle for herself.

As another character, John, one of Hagar's sons. John was Hagar's favorite son. John had a character of lying and deceiving himself. Hagar had hoped that John might be a faithful son as the example given, like Jacob from the Old Testament.

I wish he would have looked like Jacob then, wrestling with the angel and besting it, wringing a blessing from it with his might. But no. He sweated and grunted angrily. His feet slipped and he hit his forehead on a marble, ear and swore.

(p. 179)

Also Hagar had a son, Marvin, she never adored him, but finally realizes on how honorable Marvin was to her. This opens the doors of acceptance from Hagar to Marvin.

Now it seems to me he is truly Jacob, gripping with all his strength, and barganing. "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me". And I see I am thus strangely cast and perhaps have been so from the begining, and can only release myself by releasing him. (p 304)

There are similarities between Hagar of the Old Testament and Margaret Laurence's. The name Hagar is explained to mean "to flee". For example, the Old Testament Hagar fled from Abraham and Isaac. Magaret Laurence's Hagar's flights where when she fled from the Shipley place, from her husband Bram, taking her two sons, and secondly, she fled home to seek revenge on Marvin and Doris, her son and daughter-in-law, being childlike and ran away to create a scare.

Later on, as the novel progresses, Hagar experiences an epiphany, celebrating the manifesting of Christ's divinity, as Mr. Troy sang hymns when he visted Hagar in the hospital. Hagar realized on what she was missing in her life. "I'll drink from this glass, or spill it, just as i choose" (p. 308). This indicates that Hagar has a thirst, perhaps a spiritual thirst, that she began to make peace with herself. This stubborn woman learned to accept things as they are when they cannot be changed. Hagar had a chance to repent before passing away which lets her rest in peace.