Stone Angel Symbolism Essay
Possessions
"My most treasured possessions are not things, they are only things, my friends, family and animals are what counts." Basically, "The best things in life are not things." Putting all of one's faith and trust into things one can see, and buy, instead of things that are felt, is much worse than never putting faith in anything at all. It is in people, in relationships between and about real living beings, that one will see the real truth and beauty of life. Things, objects, have no life, they cannot speak, they cannot feel; there is no possibility of true meaningful relationships. This is proved in Margaret Laurence's Stone Angel. She uses a piece of the past within Hagar's family to show the persuasive value possessions can have on a person. She uses family monuments to show this as well. Lastly, she uses a gift from a family member to prove her point.
John Hay Residence
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Hagar and the AngelIn the novel The Stone Angel, Margaret Laurence uses the symbol of possessions to illustrate that when a person hides themselves emotionally from the world, their relationships are consequently shallow and unfulfilling, until discovering that sharing bonds with people is an essential and inherent part of life.
In possession symbolism, the plaid pin is used to show Hagar concealing her emotions from everyone, including herself. She has always been proud of her heritage, and even as a child she coveted all of the intricacies that came with being a member of the Clanranald MacDonalds. Whenever Mr. Currie would ask his children about their heritage, it would always be she who would enthusiastically holler their war cry: "'Gainsay who dare!'" Eventually the pin was passed on to her, but she never speaks of it. Hagar loved their historical background, and it was...