Memory and Past in Margaret Lawrence’s The Stone Angel

Abstract

Margaret Laurence uses first-person narration, flashbacks, and associative memory to explore the past. The Stone Angel is known for its deep examination of the role and functions of memory and its processing. The captivating influence of memory renders the narration successful, emphasising certain episodes, accentuating the favourable, and obscuring the remainder. The protagonist Hagar glides between the present and the past, speaking through private recollection with objectivity. The narrative encompasses all events in the life of an ideal woman who attempts to suppress her feelings, resulting in a life marked by failure, as she refuses to acknowledge the affections of others. She falls victim to post-war Canada, adhering to emotional constraints that render her apart from her family, ultimately jeopardising her life and rejecting the affection of others. She ultimately justifies her history and somewhat acknowledges her errors. The narrator Hagar, in her recollection of the past, plainly illustrates how she has repressed her emotions due to an emotional restraint aimed at preserving her pride. Hagar’s ultimate reconciliation signifies a constructive turning point, focussing on a promising future rather than dwelling on the irretrievable past. She reflects on the lost past and ultimately resolves to relinquish concerns about bygone matters, so attaining inner peace and liberation. The readers discern Hagar’s errors through the recall of the past. She uses associative memory to recall prior experiences and utilises the psychological mechanism of suppression to obscure the truth and conceal the true meaning.