Hey guys I just finished a paper on the Stone Angel and I'm supposed to argue whether it is a tragedy or not. Here is my first draft, I haven't written the conclusion yet but I am just off to work so I will have it done when I come home. Let me know what you guys think ! Any and all comments welcome, thanks in advance!
"With her life nearly behind her, Hagar makes a bold, last step towards freedom and independence." This synopsis of Margaret Laurence's novel, The Stone Angel, essentially reveals Hagar's tragic journey through life. A tragedy can be defined as such that the protagonist is brought to ruin or immense sorrow most often due to a tragic flaw or lack of ability to cope with unfavourable circumstances. Throughout her life Hagar strives for independence and freedom from a controlling father to an embarrassment of a husband. Unfortunately each attempt only leads her further into captivity and evokes pity upon her. Through the controlling reign of her father Hagar develops her tragic flaw of pride. This proud attitude puts Hagar on a parallel course with King Lear and this misstep ultimately leads them both to ruin. Therefore Arthur Miller's words ring true when he stated that Hagar is, "ready to lay down [her] life, if need be, to secure one thing-[her] sense of personal dignity," as Hagar is willing to venture to hell and back in order to solidify her proud nature. This evidence beautifully illustrates how The Stone Angel is considered a classic tragedy filled with sorrow and despair.
Jason Currie proves to be a man of authority and power. A proclaimed self made man, Hagar's father is controlling and domineering over his children and rules with an iron fist. As Hagar states her intentions to marry Bram her father quickly dismisses the notion and states, "You'll not marry that fellow ever, I can vow to that much." (pg. 48) Just as Hagar seems to fight her father's will Mr. Currie further presses his point by telling her that, "no girl would wed without her family's consent." (pg. 49) This evokes a spirit of rebelliousness in Hagar and she replies to her father, "it'll be done by me," (pg. 49) and marries Bram of her own accord. In doing this Hagar essentially emancipates herself from the Currie family and the controlling grasp that her father once had. This sense of captivity evokes a sense of pity upon Hagar and early on the readers are given a sense of tragedy that is to follow Hagar throughout her life. However free Hagar now believes herself to be now she is soon to realize that she escapes one cage and soon finds herself locked in another.
Unlike her father, Brampton Shipley's abrasive and shameless behaviour utterly controls Hagar by impeding her status of "uncompromising pride." Hagar is not controlled by Bram through his will towards her but through his own actions which lead to the deterioration of Hagar's social life. During a church sermon Bram grows restless and states, "won't the saintly bastard ever shut his trap." (pg. 89) Bram's rude attitude during church persuade Hagar to stop attending mass as she explains, "I preferred eternal damnation in some comfortably distant future, to any ordeal then of peeking or pitying eyes." (pg. 90) As Hagar renounces her faith by stating, "can God be One and watching?" (pg. 93), this illustrates a significant change in Hagar's personality and character. She denounces God fearing others' opinions however her suffering is greater than her offence. Hagar's choice not to attend church represents society's tragic flaw, our everlasting struggle with the opinion of others. The disruption of Hagar's piety was quickly followed by the unsettling of her social reputation by Bram's lude and inappropriate behaviour. Her marriage soon becomes cumbersome and once again Hagar flees towards independence and freedom. As she packs her and her son's things John asks "are we going to live with Marvin on the coast," Hagar replies, asserting her desire for independence, "No. We'll find a place of our own." (pg. 140) Hagar is not physically controlled by Bram, as with her father, but through a social aspect. The deterioration of her reputation and pride through Bram, force Hagar to seek her solace in freedom from the reign of any man. As Hagar flees from one cage to another she arouses pity upon herself as her tragic situation goes from bad to worse. Hagar's character is warped and forever altered due to the two controlling men in her life and we see great sorrow brought upon Hagar. This tragic character desires only independence and the ability to lead her own life however she struggles desperately to free herself from the tight grip of her father and husband. However dominating Jason Currie may have been he passed along a great sense of pride to Hagar, which consequently led to her own ruin.
Hagar and King Lear both embody the tragic flaw of pride. However this flaw precedes their offences. Hagar's pride stems from her domineering father. He questioned her often, "Have you no regard for my reputation?" He would impress upon her often that, "nobody's going to hand you anything on a silver platter. It's up to you, nobody else." Hagar eventually becomes proud, independent and arrogant, like her father. Their pride, however, predisposes them to believe they cannot wrong. The Currie father and daughter flaunted their pride to the extent they seized their respective children's independence and freedom. This prideful tendency is Hagar's greatest offence however is trivial compared with her suffering. John's death came about due to her "uncompromising" desire to sustain her family's social status which spurred an argument between mother and son. Suspecting Hagar's involvement in Arlene's departure, John was furious and he drank, eventually getting hit by a train. Hagar's prideful inclination indeed precipitated John's death. And losing a child is life's greatest affliction as King Lear well knows due to his proud attitude which led to the loss of his most beloved daughter.
I can't bear to feel indebted. I can be as grateful as the next person, as long as it's not forced on me" (pg. 258). Hagar's attitude and persona exemplify her struggle. Indeed, parallel to Lear, Hagar's pride is zealous and unyielding, the constant misstep leading to ruin. She's prepared "to lay down [her] life, if need be, to secure" her dignity and her pride. Travelling to The Point (Chapter 5), we witness her determination. She, independently, cashed a cheque at the bank, purchased her necessities and hitchhiked to her destination. Constantly worried and frightened, she persevered. This journey is similar to Lear's during the Storm; an exertion of the soul. She scared Marvin and Doris, but Hagar's purpose was to maintain her dignity and pride, to keep from suffering for her dignity is really all she has.
This seems very strong. I'll be interested to see the conclusion.
A tragedy can be defined as such that the protagonist is brought to ruin or immense sorrow most often due to a tragic flaw or lack of ability to cope with unfavourable circumstances.
This definition is somewhat tautological, as you use the word "tragic" in the definition of the word "tragedy."
My only comment on content is that you assert -- repeatedly -- but do not demonstrate your central thesis that Hagar's fatal flaw is pride. How is this demonstrated? Does she or do other characters agree with this assessment of yours? Is she really prideful or does she simply have more pride than men like her father think women should have? You say that pride is Hagar's flaw in the same way that it is Lear's flaw. That's a lot of pride! Prove it.
Yep, you definitely need to explain how Hagar shows pride. You sort of do this now. Her stubborn refusal to listen to her father works well, here, as when she marries against his wishes, she finds that in fact the man she married was not a good match for her. Her concern for her social reputation is also a form of pride, and one that causes her to live her life differently than if she didn't care about other people's opinions. But you never really state this explicitly, anywhere, and you keep mentioning her suffering and how she is controlled by others, so that it is difficult to follow your reasoning.
