One of the most memorable protagonists in literature is Hagar Shipley. She is interesting to read about but she is not someone that I would like to know and definitely I would not want to live with her.
Hagar Shipley is 90 years old in this classic novel, living with her son and daughter-in-law, and she is the most miserable character you can imagine. She cannot care for herself, but hates receiving help. Her daughter-in-law is unable to continue caring for her, so she will need to move to a nursing home. Of course, she will not consider that and leaves on an adventure into the woods.
The epigraph at the front of this novel expresses Hagar's thinking. "Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light".
(Dylan Thomas)
"A fine portrait of a fierce old woman and the lives she dominated and diminished".
In the novel, Hagar's mind wanders from present to past. You learn about her childhood and her marriage. It certainly is a fine portrait of a woman who was always controlling and miserable. Very hard to like this protagonist!
There is a proliferation of covers for this novel. I have shown a few.
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| Margaret laurence |
This novel was written when Margaret Laurence was 38. I wonder why she was so interested in the topic of aging and death. She lived to the age of 61, when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and took her own life. Perhaps she had the same spirit as Hagar Shipley. She needed to be in control.
This novel is required reading in many schools. I can't imagine that the subject matter is interesting to students, but the writing is amazing and it is a wonderful portrait of time and place.
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