In the novel The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence Hagar Shipley's personality traits are relevant to the different aspects of her life. Discuss.

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In the novel The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence Hagar Shipley’s personality traits are relevant to the different aspects of her life.  She has many strong qualities that are expressed in a free manner.  Throughout her life her characteristics have been genuine to her character.   She is independent, she fights her weaknesses and she has lots of pride.

        Independence is defined as free from the influence, guidance, or control of another or others; self-reliant.  Hagar was truly independent because she always longed to do things on her own.  Even as a young woman, Hagar demonstrated her independence remarkably.  After Hagar’s marriage with Brampton didn’t turn out the way she expected it to; she demonstrated her independence once more by leaving her husband and starting a life of her own with her youngest son.  “ “Are we going to live with Marvin by the coast?”  John asked.  “No.  We’ll find a place of our own.  I’ll have to get a job.  I could be someone’s housekeeper.” ”   This quote reveals that Hagar’s will for independence is still emphasized within  her.  Thus, making her independent spirit flourish more than it had in the past.  Finally, Hagar made one final attempt to make her independence visible by running away from her home to go to Shadow Point.  She did this because she didn’t want to live in a nursing home and she wanted to prove to Doris and Marvin that she could live on her own. “How pleased Doris would be, if I went back, to say she’d known all along she couldn’t trust me out of her sight for a moment.  How she’d sigh and sidle up to Marvin with her commentary.  And then she’d- Of course.  I’d almost forgotten.  They’d crate me up in the can and deliver me like a parcel of old clothes to that place.”  Hagar could tell that she was slowly losing her independence because she could no longer do the things she use to on her own and this made her bitter.  Therefore, independence is an important quality in Hagar’s character.

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        Hagar viewed weakness as most do, a personal defect or failure.  Only, she couldn’t bear showing herself as weak.  She spent a lifetime trying to fight off her weakness’s.  Her determination to keep a strong exterior prevents her from comforting her dying brother, Dan.  She does not want to let her brother, or anyone else see her emotions.  “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, however much a part of me ...

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