In The Stone Angel Character Analysis

British novelist Elizabeth Gaskell once said, "I'll not listen to reason... reason always means what someone else has got to say." In The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence the life of a woman is displayed through her childhood, marriage and children. The main character, Hagar Currie, is a smart, stern, and stubborn lady that does not like people telling her what to do or how to live. Hagar does not let society or other's beliefs influence her personal decisions. Margaret Laurence shows independence throughout Hagar's life by displaying her hardships and how she continues to try and overcome them on her own. Hagar never found it kind to judge people, though her whole hometown of Manawaka never let that stop them. One evening, Hagar found herself

She is put in a hospital for several days and it is hard for her to move. Being independent Hagar, she does not want to accept help when she needs something as simple as drinking a glass of water. Marvin’s wife, Doris, tries to assist her with drinking it but Hagar refuses and throws a fit that she hold the glass of water herself. “’I’ll not countenance anyone else holding it for me,’” Hagar tells Doris. “I only defeat myself by not accepting her… I know it very well. But I can’t help it – it’s in my nature,” Hagar later thinks. (308) She learns the hard way though, trying to be independent is not always a good thing and that you have to accept help when you need it. Just as Hagar was trying to take a sip of water she dies, because she was too weak and too stubborn. Margaret Laurence shows in The Stone Angel that being trying to be independent can have its consequences. No person can do everything on their own, they must accept help from others when they need it. Hagar learns the hard way through not only her death, but several other experiences that independence is good to an extent. Hagar isolated herself from everyone she cared about because she was too stubborn to show that she needed assistance with