Hagar's Pride example essay topic

Through out the novel "The Stone Angel", Hagar's pride manifests itself in her apparent hatred of weakness, poor self-awareness and inability to love; however, because Laurence tells the story from Hagar's point of view, the reader sees that she does in fact feel compassion, humility and love, but restrains these feelings behind a stoic, unbending exterior. The progress of the novel is Hagar's progress toward the expression of these emotions. Hagar is full of pride and fear from early childhood. At the age of six Hagar is already over whelmed with pride: "There was I, strutting the board sidewalk like a pint-sized peacock, resplendent, haughty, hotty-to ity, Jason Currie's black-haired daughter" (pg 6) Hagar has such vast thoughts about herself. She considers herself very stylish and appealing.

When something doesn't go right Hagar becomes weak and full of fear. As a young child Hagar believes that showing emotions is a sign of weakness. On one occasion Hagar tried to steal a handful of sultanas, but got caught by her father, who then whipped her with birch. Hagar was so proud and enraged that she didn't let her father see her tears: "I wouldn't let him see me cry, I was so enraged". (pg 9) Hagar's attempts to hide her weaknesses began the process of her turning into stone - a process of which she was artificially proud of. Little by little Hagar becomes cold, proud and blind, the same as the stone angel monument. The key to understanding this process is to understand that it's driven by fear: fear of the changes, fear of her weaknesses.

Hagar always tries to hide herself from others and can never express her emotions publicly. When Hagar's brother is dying she demonstrates her pride driven fear. The pride was driven by the fear of resembling her mother, which she considered a "meek woman": " But all I could think of was that meek woman I'd never seen, the woman Dan was said to resemble so much and from whom he'd inherited a frailty I could not help but detest how ever much a part of me wanted to sympathize. To play at being her-it was beyond me". (pg 25) Hagar's pride prevents her from doing such a little favour for a dying brother.

Hagar has a heart of stone. Hagar's pride also prevents her from expressing any love or compassion for her own mother. Hagar can never express her feelings in words, all she can do is cry, but as the novel progresses she can't even do that. Hagar is very similar to the Ancient Mariner. She carries her pride and fear like the Ancient Mariner who carries his Albatross: "Ah! Well-a-day!

What evil looks Had I from old and young! Instead of the cross, the Albatross About my neck was hung". The Ancient Mariner committed a sin, he killed the Albatross and his punishment is that he had to wear the Albatross around his neck. In the same way, Hagar wears her pride around her. Hagar's pride was like leprosy; it started from her childhood and spread through her entire life.

The disease is very contagious and infected everyone that Hagar was around. Bram, John and Marvin are all victims of Hagar's contagious disease. Bram was affected by Hagar by losing his laughter, John turned bitter and Marvin didn't get enough attention as a little boy. Hagar started to get more and more miserable and slowly drove herself into a wilderness. Hagar is slowly driven into a wilderness were she saw nothing but herself, she can't see Bram, and her two sons; only herself: "Pride was my wilderness, and the demon that lead me there was fear.

I was alone, never anything else, and never free, for I carried my chains within me, and they spread out from me and shackled all I touched". (pg 292) Hagar's wilderness is her trapped in stone. The reason that Hagar is in the wilderness is because of the fear she had in her heart. Hagar is always afraid of what people think of her. Another large motivator in her fear is her embarrassments. Hagar refers to her pride as chains that spread out from her and shackle all that she touched.

As a mother Hagar doesn't give enough love and attention to her family as she should have. She is embarrassed by her husband, who did many discriminating things in the town. Hagar is also ashamed of they way that her children go to school. Hagar is also full of guilt; the guilt for her dead husband and her son John: "Dead by your own hands or by mine?" (pg 292) Hagar cannot accept the past and is very overwhelmed by everything that has happened. Through out the whole novel Hagar is trying to change the past.

When she is walking around the nursing home she comes upon an old man. Hagar immediately thinks that man is Bram and is trying to figure out what to say to him: "So familiar he is that I cannot move nor speak nor breathe. How has he come here, by what mystery... If I speak to him, slowly, so as not to startle, will he turn to me with such a look of recognition that I hardly dare hope for it, and speak my name?" (pg 106) It is very clear that Hagar wants to change the past and make up to Bram.

As we progress to the end of the novel we see that Hagar is slowly beginning to understand her mistakes. When Hagar is walking around the beach she sees a boy and girl playing, Hagar stops to watch them play. The girl and the boy are playing house, the boy tries to impress the girl by doing many different things. The girl keeps rejecting the boy and disagreeing with everything the boy says.

Hagar becomes very concerned: "Stupid girl. She knows nothing. Why won't she praise him a little? She's so sharp with him. He " ll become fed up in a minute. I long to warn her- watch out, watch out, you " ll lose him". (pg 188) Hagar is beginning to understand the mistakes she made as a mother.

She has treated all her children and husband the same way without even knowing it. This is the first time that Hagar realizes her mistakes. Hagar's last days are very symbolic; the rain, the water and the rusty can full of water are all symbols of Hagar trying to find redemption. It is very difficult for Hagar. For Hagar to be totally free from her past and find redemption she needs to change. Knowing your mistakes is one thing but doing something about it is a whole different situation.

Hagar can't change; even lying on her death bed she shows her stubbornness by not excepting water but drink.