the stone angel
What is a Fortress Without a Well? Margaret Laurence's novel The Stone Angel is a story which revolves around aninety year old protagonist, Hagar Currie Shipley. Hagar lives with her son, Marvin, anddaughter-in-law, Doris, both in their sixties. Because Hagar is now in need of professionalcare which Marvin and Doris cannot provide, they have decided to put her in an old agehome. When Hagar learns of this decision, she runs away from them and hides in an abandoned fish cannery by the sea. Although Hagar has thought about her life many times before, the time she spendsat Shadow Point gives her the opportunity to do a serious search of her past in order todiscover why her life has been so empty. During this review, she focuses on the eventssurrounding her son John's death and discovers, with the help of Murray Lees (someoneshe meets at the cannery who shares a similar experiences with Hagar), that she has beenindirectly responsible for her son's death. Also, while at Shadow Point, Hagar sees many similarities between her and the oldmariner in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. She asksherself what albatross has she slain for mercy's sake and quotes a line d
The Mariner, for a short time, with the Hermit andthe water snakes, feels salvation from the albatross, yet he must forever walk earth telling,those who he sees can benefit, his story. The ship, engulfed in fog, with sails thinwent nowhere until, one night, the Mariner and his crew were visited by a Spectre-Womanand her mate Death. This sentiment stopsher from taking pleasure in anything, like her husband's affection. An orphan's curse would drag to hell A spirit from on high; But oh! More horrible than that Is the curse in a dead man's eye! Seven days, seven nights, I saw that curse, And yet I could not die. Hagar makes peace with John by thinking Mr. The Mariner does receive temporary salvation from his suffering granted to him bethe Hermit. Thus, bycomparing the two stories, the reader understands that Margaret Laurence's The StoneAngel is like Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner; a story aboutcrime, punishment, repentance and salvation. A punishment was served by both in watching those close to them die while theythemselves must go on. When being punished, she would not cry out for him to stop since it showed weakness onher part. Hagar did not want to be toldwhom to marry. Hearingdogs in the distance, attracted by the injured gull, Hagar hides not wanting to bediscovered by the dogs. The Mariner and Hagar both suffered from the crime of excessive pride and theyeach suffer in a personal hell befitting of their respective crimes. Due to thedegree of the Mariner's greed, he did not enjoy the fact that the albatross was taking thecrew away from the Mariner by entertaining them and dancing around the ship like a largeand graceful dancer: And a good south wind sprung up behind; The Albatross did follow, And every day, for food or play, Came to the mariners' hollo! (ROAM, Pt. Later, Hagar foolishly dismisses Marvin and devotes her attention to John, whomshe sees as more of a Currie than a Shipley.
Common topics in this essay:
Mariner Hagar,
Marvin Doris,
Hermit Hermit,
Currie Shipley,
Currie Jason,
Ancient Mariner,
Lees Hagar,
Mariner's Hagar's,
Moreover Mariner's,
John SA,
mariner hagar,
murray lees,
stone angel,
samuel taylor,
currie shipley,
son marvin,
marvin doris,
rime ancient,
pride leads,
ancient mariner,
help murray lees,
abandoned fish cannery,
rime ancient mariner,
currie shipley hagar,
samuel taylor coleridge's,
|
Acceptance Essays
