Throughout the book The Stone Angel, by Margaret Lawrence, the antagonist, Hagar Shipley, goes on two journeys. Firstly, she goes on a physical journey through the present, in which she ends up at Shadow Point. This journey ultimately leads Hagar to her death. Secondly, Hagar travels through a psychological journey through her past, in which she is lead to her present. Throughout this journey, Hagar strives to find out whether she caused her son John's death or not. The motif of the quest Hagar goes on is represented through the constant intertwining of her past and present, until she comes to peace with her self upon resolving her past problems.
             A quest is defined as "the act of seeking". In The Stone Angel, Hagar Shipley is on a constant search to put her past experiences behind her. Hagar's quests set up her life into stages. Her life begins in Manawaka and ends at her death, but through the course of her life, she is faced with challenges, which she must overcome.
             The first stage in Hagar Shipley's quest is her realization of her need for change in her life. It is on upon her realization of the fact that she must overcome her feelings about her son's death, her mistake of marrying Bram, and her strives for independence, that her quest in the present begins. Hagar's retreats into her past remind her of the mistakes she made in her lifetime, as well as the death of her favorite son. These were all major challenges that Hagar had to surpass during her lifetime quest. To fight her feelings, she attempted to leave her past behind her. In a recollection of her past, Hagar took John and they went to live with Mr. Oatley. This parallels with the incident when Hagar, in her old age, left to Shadow Point as an attempt to escape both her past and present life. Her past follows her though, as she states "To move to a new place- that's the greatest excitement. For a while you believe you carr...