Comparing the Bible and Margaret Laurence's The Stone Angel: An Examination of Archetypal Referenc

Characters from one story to another may have different names, but their characteristics are often repeated. Applying Archetypal Theory to a text allows readers to recognize universal symbols, motifs, and patterns that appear in literature, myths, dreams, oral traditions, songs, and religions. Archetypal critics believe certain images, characters, and character types recur in literature, and all plots and characters are based on common myths, images, dreams, fairy tales, and legends (Davidson). Common character types are revealed when applying Archetypal Theory to Julia Alvarez’s novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, helping readers understand each character’s motivations. Particularly, common character types of the rebel, the ruler, and

Discuss features of plot, character and setting in different types of literature and explore some features of characters in different texts

"I wouldn't let him see me cry, I was so enraged. He used a foot ruler, and when I jerked my smarting palms back, he made me hold them out again. He looked at my dry eyes in a kind of fury, as though he'd failed unless he drew water from them." (Page 9) Hagar's father straps her hands with a ruler but even as a child, she will not let her tears be seen, she will not let him see that he is hurting her. Even when her brother Dan is near death, she will not comfort him, for it requires that she act as their mother, which to her is despicable. "But all I could think of was that meek woman I'd never seen, the woman Dan was said to resemble so much an from whom he'd inherited a frailty I could not help but detest, however much a part of me wanted to sympathize." Hagar cannot bear the thought of pretending to be someone as feeble and weak as their mother. Throughout her marriage, Hagar never lets Bram know that she enjoyed their lovemaking. "He never knew. I never let him know, it was all inner. (Page 81) When Hagar's husband Bram dies she does not shed a tear, not even when there is only her son to witness it. "But when we'd buried Bram and come home again and lighted lamps for the evening, it was John who cried, not I." (Page 184) Still, when her son John dies she does not weep, as if she had been born without tear ducts. "The night my son died I was

Third, while Ruth is suffering from a lack of love from an early age Hagar’s relationship with her mother and grandmother is the exact opposite. There is no question that love is present in this relationship. The oversaturation of love that Hagar receives from Pilate and Reba motivates her disillusioned and childish behavior. This is shown when”she lay[s] in her little Goldilocks’-choice bed” and Pilate and Ruth call her as “My baby girl” and allow her to act childishly and rash even though she is a middle-aged woman. (510, 516). Because she has never been forced to mature and grow up she can’t process her rejection from Milkman because she has never had to face rejection before because her parents would drop everything and anything for her

They had no power or voice to speak up for themselves and neither did anyone else on their behalf for the same reasons. Hagar is the first character to be analyzed by literal-feminism point of view. The majority of the time the story is told through the eyes of Sarai or Abraham, but the defenseless and vulnerable victim puts the concentration on Hagar. She is an Egyptian slave under the authority of Sarai. Sarai is in control of this entire text between the affairs and fate of Hagar and even the influence towards Abraham.

Hagar desires nothing more than to get away from Marvin and Doris and prove to them she can be independent. Even as Hagar is on her deathbed, her resentment towards Doris for putting her in this situation comes out as Doris is passing her a cup of water, Hagar snaps,

“…the naked riders leaning forward…They rode up out of the river among the willows…” –page 45

Hagar can not find her own sense of self-love, causing her to self-worth through tangible items, which lead to her death. Hagar’s breakup with Milkman leaves her feeling worthless

Hagar Dead, like most of the Dead family, holds a biblical name. The origin story of Hagar is found in the Old Testament where Hagar is a slave. Her owners Sarah and Abraham are too old to procreate. Sarah then convinces Abraham to have a child with Hagar yet when the child is born Sarah becomes filled with jealousy. This jealousy causes for both Hagar and her son to be banished.

characters. As well as biblical references to guide the readers to see and understand the

She expresses herself in ways that are more destructive. Violence is the outlet Hagar sees in expressing herself. Her “graveyard love” for Milkman initially mutes her voice (148). His goodbye letter “sent Hagar spinning into a bright blue place where the air was thin and it was silent all the time, and where people spoke in whispers or did not make sounds at all, and where everything was frozen except for an occasional burst of fire inside her chest” (116). Hagar is hardly aware of her own emotions and finds it impossible for her to tell Milkman how she feels because she has no identity. Instead, Hagar turns to physical violence. She was a “doormat wom[a]n” that “wanted to kill for love, die for love” (336). When she tries to kill Milkman, she finds herself “paralyzed” by her obsessive love for him (150). Like Ryna, her love left her. When Milkman left and “dreamt of flying, Hagar was dying” (363). Hagar’s extreme obsession ultimately turns self-destructive and assists to the cause of her death. She spends her last hours in a frantic search for clothes and cosmetics that will make Milkman love her again. She dies convinced that “he loves silky hair . . . penny-colored hair . . . and lemon-colored skin . . . and gray-blue eyes” unlike her own (346). To Hagar, her African-American race and body are worthless if they do not attract Milkman; she was trying to create “this ideal of beauty” that she could never have (Pereira). Hagar’s dependence on Milkman and

She is so ashamed of being seen with him that she does not want anyone to know that she has had his child. Her deliberate isolation pushed Bram away, and because of this, they miss a crucial moment of bonding with one another. Her fixation with only letting Bram see her a certain way, causes her to become recluse at the moment of this important event, pushing him further away, "When we got to the hospital, I told him to go. 'You're not scared, Hagar, are you?'… I only shook my head. I couldn't speak, nor reach him in any way at all" (100). She communicates to him that she does not want him to witness her giving birth, for fear of what she would look like or do. Deep inside she hoped that he would get the subtle hint of her fear without her having to say it; she is disappointed when he does not catch on but irregardless, she has the child without him present. Hagar continually attempts to housebreak Bram into being a 'suitable' husband; her attempts are fruitless and only widen the gap between them. "I could have been proud, going to town or church with him, if only he'd never opened his mouth" (69-70), her pride prevents her from being close with her husband, from accepting him and embracing him. Her fixation with her appearance, especially in the house of god impedes them from doing any activities together for fear of being seen. In doing so, Hagar alienates herself from the relationship, causing her to become lonely and isolated even more so than she

Introduction The author, John N. Oswalt, was first introduced to the subject of this book in his seminary studies in the 1960s. Oswalt introduces his book with a narrative of the similarities and differences that exist between the Old Testament and the literature of the Ancient Near East. Prior to the 1960s scholars believed that the Old Testament was unique and did not resemble the literature of the surrounding cultures, but now there has been a shift in thought. Many scholars believe today that the Old Testament is virtually identical to Ancient Near East writings. This issue of differences and

Besides the children of Macon Dead, there are other biblical allusions in the names of people. One of these is Hagar, Pilate's son and Milkman's cousin. Though the biblical Hagar is not well known, her character in the Bible reflects, in some ways, the character in Morrison's novel. In the bible, Hagar is Sarah's handmaiden. When she bares the son

As Hagar’s love for Milkman grows more and more obsessive, Morrison reveals the bitter consequences of life as a woman seeking intimacy in a strictly patriarchal world. In the beginning of the novel, Hagar is associated primarily with her female relatives, Reba and Pilate. Even then, well-fed Hagar declares, “Some of my days were hungry