The Stone Angel – Margaret Laurence
Chapter One
1. The information that Hagar reveals about herself in her recollections of the stone angel are she is bitter, vengeful, strong, she’s open minded, and very spiteful. Her father is cold, very concerned about the dynasty of his family, shellfish, and seems and cares deeply about his status in society.
2. The cemetery flowers are a symbolic of the struggle between wilderness and civilization because Hagar when she was a little girl loved to walk through trails. She would always get dirty since the trails were only dirt. Which shows that the town is not civilized like any city.
3. “Smart as a whip, if only she is, she’d been a boy”. Her father wanted a boy to carry on the family name. Since Hagar was a girl she wouldn’t be able to carry on the name. Since later on in the novel we learn both of her brothers died so the name would end with her.
4. When Hagar says “I regretted that he’d... sired us here”. Hagar thinks that Scotland can offer her more imagination, pride, and interesting things would be going on. Hagar thinks the prairies are boring, dull, and to predictable.
5. The meeting between Jason Currie Lottie Drieser is unexpected and very inappropriate. Its inappropriate because they are meeting in a cemetery in the middle of the day. The comments he made after her death was she could of had much of a life, her type isn’t much loss in a town, and the lord works in mysterious ways.
6. The money that Matt managed to save was spent on a fighting cock. He spent the money because he knew who wouldn’t get anywhere in life so he spent on something stupid and pointless.
7. Hagar loves her brother very much but doesn’t have a whole lot respect for her brother. Matt asked her to put on their mothers dress. Hagar was unable to do this because she didn’t want to show weakness, since she assumes her mother was weak.
8. Marvin- Hagar’s only son living. Hagar brings him down and he rarely stands up for himself or his wife. Doris is Hagar’s daughter in law. Hagar always brings her down by calling her a slon and big boned. Hagar never shows any respect for Doris or what she does for her. Doris in my opinion is a nice , unappreciated woman.
9. I feel more sympathetic towards Marvin. Since he’s in his fifties or sixties, but yet still has to look after his mother. Most people at that age would be relaxing and enjoying the rest of their life. But in Marvin’s case he has to look after and worry about his mother.
Chapter 2
1. Hagar describes Mr. Troy the minister as annoying and also making fun of him both in her head and verbally. She calls him “gods little man”, and that he does everything by the book. Hagar thinks he doesn’t know too much since he’s so young and inexperienced. She also thinks he’s bashful and young. Since he tries to impress her with is knowledge.
2. Hagar’s reference to herself as a “Pharaoh’s daughter” is she feels that her father is one of the respected men in town. The same way a Pharaoh would be in Egypt. Also the dynasty or the bloodline which Mr. Currie is so very concerned about is another reason she refers to herself as a Pharaoh’s daughter.
3. Based on what we know about what she said about Jason Currie. Is that the comments Hagar made are not very accurate. Since even at an old age so remembers everything in such great detail. That doesn’t make sound very true. She’s making sound like a king or a pharaoh some sort or royalty. But in reality they’re just an above average family
4. Jason Currie intended Hagar to be another “monument” of his greatness because he loves to show off his wealth. Also if Hagar was his daughter she would be respected by everyone in town since her family is better off than most other families in town. But since she’s a woman she won’t be able to carry the name.
5. Bram Shipley is a strong built man. He has dark hair and a beard. He is very opened minded and very blunt. He’s an outgoing person since he asks Hagar to dance with him. He cares what other people think of him and always tries to impress Hagar either physical or with gifts. Hagar marries him for spite against her father. Since he was a Shipley just a simple farming family wouldn’t deserve to marry someone like Hagar. Whose family is somewhat higher class above everyone else. Also she marries him because the fact she couldn’t become a teacher, she would marry someone that would be of her standards. She also marries Bram to embarrass Mr. Currie and so everyone in town would think less of the Curries.
6. The members of Hagar’s family react to the marriage by showing disappointment. Jason Currie doesn’t want her to marry Bram and thinks she could do better. Matt had a gift but didn’t send it because he frightened that their father would find it. Aunt Dolly went to the wedding and didn’t really have anything to say.
7. Bram’s gift of a “cut-glass decanter with a silver top” was a fancy glass to hold liquor in. Bram wanted to impress her by buying her something of her class or style. The way she was brought up. Her response to his gift was it was nothing. She was hardly impressed at all. She says “I took it so casually, and laid it aside, and thought no more about it”. Which shows it was just a pointless gift for her and Bram expected her to do this.
8. Bram and Hagar differ in their physical side of their relationship because Bram acts like a beast and he experienced since he was married before. It seems Hagar doesn’t know what to do since she is a virgin. She complains about it . But later on in the novel she complains about how she misses the physical side of Bram.
Chapter 3
1. When Hagar is called a “young lady” by the doctor she is very annoyed. She feels like he is degrading her into a kid. Since she is quite old she feels like she’s a joke to him or something and is very annoyed. It’s almost like the doctor is babying her and she feels like everyone around her are treating her different since she’s old.
2. What Hagar reveals about her feelings in the last lines in chapter three is that the house she owns is no longer hers. But it is now Marvin and Doris’s house since they now have the deed to the house. Which, is another reason why Hagar feels that she is being treated unfairly due to her age.
3. Evidence from the book that shows Hagar was biased against Marvin from birth is “ That the child he wanted would be his, and none of mine?” They want him more then they want her according to Hagar.
4. “ If I had the wings of an angel/ Or even the wings of a crow/ I would fly to the top of T. Eaton’s/ and spit on the people below”. This can be interpreted into a metaphor for Hagar because she thinks she is so much better then everyone else. She thinks she is above everyone else and even if her and Bram do get married so thinks she still will be on top looking down on people and judging.
5. Hagar and Bram’s relationship might of changed if Bram sought comfort from Hagar after Soldier’s death because she might of thought that he was weak and then she would lose respect for him. Which she has done with several other characters in the book over stupid little things that most people wouldn’t even consider weak.
Chapter 4
1. Hagar could not express her feelings to Marvin when he was leaving for war because she couldn’t show weakness but instead she shoots him down. This moment was a reminiscent of her failure to communicate with Bram after Soldier’s death because she loves Bram and Marvin but will not show it. When they need it the most or try to even comfort them at the very least in serious situations.
2. Bram thought it was necessary to apologize after sex because he thought it was punishing her and also that’s the only way he show his emotional feelings towards Hagar. Their feelings are similar because they don’t express them openly. They differ because Bram is more open minded and tries to impress Hagar and Hagar just can’t show weakness of any sort.
3. Hagar is so fussy about John’s habits of speech because he swears like Bram does. Hagar thinks that he talks like a Shipley and she tries to encourage him to have habits like a Currie.
4. Some examples of Marvin trying to impress Hagar from childhood to adulthood are when he filled up the wood box. He asked to see what a good job he did and she didn’t even look and said it would be just fine. Another example is when Marvin is heading off to war. Hagar doesn’t even show any compassion towards him and acts like its nothing major but just something minor.
5. The type of statement Hagar was making when she walked out of the Currie store with Bram was to show everyone that Bram wasn’t as good as her and she wanted to cause a scene.
Chapter 5
1. Three examples of Hagar’s inability to express her feelings to members of her family is when Marvin goes to war. When Marvin is leaving she doesn’t say anything she acts like it’s no big deal and he’s doing nothing that really matters. Another example is when Soldier dies. Hagar isn’t even sympathetic towards him and in Bram’s mind he must be thinking it’s another bad investment gone wrong. Another example is when her son John is dying. She acted like it was mutual and did show some remorse when he asks her what happened to the girl he was with. She said she was a live but really she was dead.
2. What is ironic about Hagar becoming a housekeeper is that Aunt Dolly was a house a keeper and Hagar said that she would never want to be a housekeeper herself.
3. John’s new friends are similar to Hagar’s childhood friends because John’s new friends are high class. But really he just made them up. Hagar finds this out when she calls the doctor house to ask if John was there. The doctor didn’t never heard of John Shipley. John’s real friends are like Bram. Since they’re drinking and cussing like Bram. This is a reason why he never told his mother the truth. Since he want to impress her.
4. The regression of Hagar’s relationship with John was he was being rebellious against his mother. Hagar loses respects for him when he lies about his friends and also when he cusses and appears weak when he’s unable to lift the stone statue.
5. Bram simply said “hard boil a few eggs” because he didn’t know what to say to Hagar and he was mocking her. If Bram did try to get her to stay it would be hard to say how she would react. Either she think he was weak or think that he was standing up for their marriage.
Chapter 6
1. Hagar’s fear when she was laying alone at night at the fish cannery was she wished that Bram could be there to lean against her and to protect her. She then also realizes how much she does miss Bram and that she will still always love him.
2. The ways that John has changed since his return home are he is an alcoholic and he is fooling around with Arlene. Bram’s and John’s relationship has changed because John is starting to turn out to be like Bram by drinking and cussing all the time. But John does look out for Bram when he is dying.
3. The intended irony in Hagar’s words when she finds out what has happened to John’s knife is that he said he traded it for a pack of smokes. Which shows how much he really cared for the family treasure. At first he lies about saying he lost but really he did trade for something that is not even worth anything.
4. The reason why Hagar returns home when she learns that Bram is sick , is because she still cares from Bram and wants to be when he dies. She also feels that she has to be there because they are married and also because they were a family for so many years.
5. John has always tried to please Bram because he was more manly and also worked on the farm and such. Marvin cares for his mother when she’s older. For the longest time Hagar always thought of John more than Marvin but in the end, Marvin ends up caring for Hagar. John ends up being like Bram.
6. Hagar didn’t believe John when he said “some drunk” pushed over the stoned angel because he acted so casual about it. John probably did it because he knew it meant something to his mother. Also it couldn’t of been an accident because the statue had red lipstick on it.
7. When John said the Curries and Shipleys were “only different sides of the same coin” is they are all the same but different statuses in society. Both families are hard working , very concerned about their families, and are the founding families of the town.
8. The symbolism of the stone angel at its current state is old, aged, and not as beautiful as it once was. You can say it symbolizes Hagar at her age since she’s older and beaten up.
9. The significance of burying Bram in the Currie family plot was to show to her father that you will always remember that his daughter married a Shipley. Also some sort of revenge and to show that the Curries and Shipleys are connected.
10. The irony of Hagar being mistaken as Bram’s first wife is Hagar thought she was a slob. Also Hagar thought she was always better then Clara.
Chapter 7
1. Hagar was so defensive when Jess called John “Johnny” because John was his given name. Johnny to her sounds weak and improper. She feels like no one else deserves to give him a name.
2. When Hagar says “Take warning my girl. You’ll be sorry” is that she realizes some of the mistakes she made with her loved ones and wishes now she could of changed them. If she had of not left Bram, maybe he would of lived longer. Maybe if Hagar was a better mother John wouldn’t of been an alcoholic and died in a car crash.
3. Unlike Hagar, John expresses his feelings openly to everyone except Hagar. He doesn’t express his feelings to Hagar because she never expressed her feelings ever to anyone. John probably thought if he did express his feelings to her she would of thoughtless of him or lose respect for him.