"The Stone Angel"

Analytical Essay # 113952

English > Analysis
Literature > Canadian

"The Stone Angel"

An analysis of the character, Murray F. Lees, in Margaret Laurence's 1964 novel "The Stone Angel".

1,025 words () | 4 sources | MLA | 2009 Canada

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the function and significance of the character Murray F. Lees in the novel "The Stone Angel". The paper determines his influence on the character of Hagar and examines his contribution to the central themes of this novel.

From the Paper:

"Murray F. Lees somewhat brief appearance in Laurence's 1964 novel The Stone Angel begins in chapter eight. Lees arrives at the old cannery by the sea in what can only be characterized as a crises moment for the elderly Hagar. This crisis manifests itself physically as well as spiritually and emotionally. Physically, Hagar is utterly alone; the cannery is empty and devoid of human occupation, even the "derelict" fish boat is "only a skeleton, such as one that might have been washed up somewhere centuries after it had set out for heaven with its Viking dead" (Laurence 215-216). Having run away from home the previous day (144), and armed with only the scantiest of provisions and no water (149), no one alive knew where Hagar had gone."

Sample of Sources Used:

Cooley, Dennis. "Antimacassared in the Wilderness: Art and Nature in The Stone Angel." Reprinted in ENGL 432: Modern Canadian Fiction: Supplementary Readings. Burnaby: OLA, 1998. 1-13.
Gerson, Carol. "Unit 5: The Stone Angel." Revised Fifth Ed. Engl 432: Modern Canadian Fiction. Burnaby, OLA, 1998.
Laurence, Margaret. The Stone Angel. Canada: McClelland & Stewart, 1964.
Osachoff, Margaret, Gail. "Moral Vision in The Stone Angel." Reprinted in ENGL 432: Modern Canadian Fiction: Supplementary Readings. Burnaby: OLA, 1998. 1-9.