ESSAY COMPARING "A JEST OF GOD" TO "THE FIRE-DWELLERS"
             The prominent life of Margaret Laurence, one of Canada's most renowned female authors, began on July 18, 1926, in the quaint prairie town of Neepawa, Manitoba. Unfortunately, at a very young age, Laurence suffered the tragic loss of both her parents. Laurence's love for literature gradually developed with the support and guidance of her stepmother, a teacher and a librarian. Early in life, Laurence decided she would fulfil her passion for literature by turning to a career in fictional writing. She used her brilliant writing skills to express her personal concern; the progress of women as they struggle for self-realization in a male-dominated world, thoroughly in many of her novels. Laurence's dedicated devotion to the female movement has been the powerful basis of several novels throughout her career, but most significantly in A Jest of God (1966) and The Fire-Dwellers (1969). However, even after completing numerous novels concerning the equality of women, Laurence continued supporting significant issues, such as world peace, social justice, and environmental protection. Her life story is inspirational and her works emit an influential persona. Sadly, Laurence lost a battle to cancer and passed away on January 5, 1987, in Lakefield, Ontario. Many avid readers of Laurence find that both A Jest of God and The Fire-Dwellers depict essential elements of the lives of women in 1960s North America. However, it is The Fire-Dwellers that most explicitly and realistically portrays the women's movement. Through an analysis of Laurence's use of characterization and thematic structure, the external and internal conflicts facing women are made poignantly clear.
             Laurence has the remarkable talent of starting from scratch and gradually creating personality traits to bring her characters to life. In A Jest of God, readers are introduc...