The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence (1964)

The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence (1964) The story centers around ninety year-old Hagar Shipley, an aging woman living with her son and his wife. Hagar is forgetful, spiteful, remorseful by turns, but always evincing an indomitable spirit. Born and raised on the prairies of Manitoba, Hagar is of the pioneer generation. Her father was one of the early settlers of the town, the fictional Manawaka, and she has inherited his stubborn Scottish resolve and temper …

…plot. The water imagery helps to establish the theme of death and to attempt the impossible - escape from death. The flower imagery showed the way Hagar lived her life and the way she should have lived her life. Margaret Laurence is brilliant in her use of imagery to further propel the strength of her story. Without this outstanding application of imagery, the novel The Stone Angel would not be nearly as powerful as portrayed.