The Stone Angel

Hagar and Lottie- Two Sides of a Nickel

Its forty-two years since Hagar made her appearance in The Stone Angel as the protagonist of a fiction that has assumed legendary status amongst the Canadian classics . Beneath the horrible exterior , that 90-year-old Hagar Currie Shipley displayed , she can be touted as a classic example of a stiff upper lip Prairie woman . Suppressed under the anger , lies the wrinkles of pride and prejudice of a lifetime that saw all her relationships crumble and egos not so humbled . Hagar has consumed literary experts repeatedly to

visit her surroundings and society in Manawaka to understand her . We delve again in the conservative society , revisiting the friendship and hatred of Hagar and Lottie as The Stone Angel reopens its pages of history

Implications of social status on Hagar and Lottie

The social status of Manawaka distinguished the well-bred Hagar Currie Shipley from the lowly Lottie Dreiser . She appears to be a victim of her own imagined status . It was her good position in society that makes her see doctor 's daughter Charlotte as her best friend . Lottie in comparison is at the bottom of the social ladder . Hagar 's backbone for social repute is her father . Lottie is illegitimate and does not have a father Being from a pioneering family Hagar keeps up appearances , which shaped her decisions . Jason Currie , a self-made , successful , reputed businessperson who prides in his `high stock . Obviously , he ostracizes Hagar when she marries Bram Shipley despite his low social standing Later Hager is portrayed very much a proud wife despite a bad marriage Early in life Lottie tells Hagar that Bram is not the man she should be seen with because , he has been seen with half breed girls ' With her high reputation , it was surprising Hagar fell for Bram , a widower . His late wife was fourteen years younger

Hagar 's checkered relationship with Lottie shows her contempt for the latter . She never considered Lottie of the same social class . Destiny plays John 's wild card to confront Hagar with her past . Hagar strongly disapproves John and Arlene 's marriage saying that they are no match for each other . In fact , Hagar goes one-step further than her father does by asking Lottie to send Arlene to work in the east . Thinking this would help solve the problem for both the women . In old age Hagar feels it would be better if she had not allowed her pride and emotions to lose her son not so much by accident but more by design . Even though she loved him , she refused to shed a tear when he died . No wonder she stoically says , The night my son died I was transformed to stone and never wept at all ' As a mother who gave birth , she seemed too hard-hearted

On the contrary , she shows her real emotion to a complete stranger Murrus F . Lees . She did repent and was learning from her mistakes However , it was too late for her to change . Had...