Pride, Rebellion And Freedom

Margaret Laurence is one of the most famous Canadian women writers. Her Manawaka Cycle which takes her own birthplace, Neepawa, as the prototype of the fictional town Manawaka is a representative of Canadian regional literature. All enduring writings of regional literature share a strong quality of presenting the regional features with a universal significance. Manawaka Cycle not only presents local color of Manawaka, but also explores common human bondage and the journey towards spiritual freedom, which holds an unfading appeal to readers and critics both in and beyond the English world.The Stone Angel, the first novel of the Manawak Cycle, is generally regarded as Laurence's representative work. This novel narrates the story of Hagar Shipley, who struggles to search for her self-identity and freedom all through her life. Hagar's life reflects Canadian ideology and ideological trends during that specific period. Hagar's pride leads to her rebellious life. She seems like the sightless stone angel in the Manawaka cemetery. She cannot realize her pride and prejudice. She cannot understand people around her. People cannot understand her either. Hagar doesn't achieve her self-identity and spiritual freedom until the very end of her life.This thesis intends to explore Laurence's feminism views in The Stone Angel through analyzing the characterization of Hagar and her inner journey towards self-identity and freedom, and further to evaluate Laurence's contribution to Canadian Literature.