Symbol: The Stone Angel
At the beginning of the novel, the narrator introduces a stone statue of an angel, ancient and battered by the ravages of time and the elements. Hagar, the narrator, identifies strongly with the statue. Hagar is rigid and unbending in her attitudes, abrasive and hard to many of the other people around her, and disinclined to express her feelings or to consider the well-being of others. Yet she is not completely without emotion: she feels the negative emotions of guilt, sorrow, and regret; she is simply unwilling or unable to express them, even when she is alone.
That Hagar should choose a stone angel as a symbol for herself is also a reference to her excessive pride. An angel is a more exalted and holy creature than a human being, and as a literal angel, so too does Hagar believe herself to be superior to the people around her.
Symbol: Water
The tears Hagar is unable to shed, even in private, are a symbol of emotion, as well as life and nourishment—things Hagar regards as dangerous. Although Hagar's father is shown teaching her the various liquid measurements in order to train her to work in the store, she rejects her father and is written out of his will. One of Hagar's older brothers dies after falling into icy water and she is unable to comfort him. It is not until she sets aside her pride on her deathbed that Hagar can finally open up emotionally and cry, releasing decades of stagnant and suppressed emotion. In the last scene of the novel, Hagar's son Marvin gives her a glass of water, which she insists on drinking herself without assistance. Water, which is used in the rite of baptism, is also symbolic for rebirth and new life. Thus this final action shows a renewed Hagar who is now willing to be revitalized by a connection to her own feelings.
Symbol: Eggs
Eggs appear frequently throughout the novel. As a child, Hagar watches dying chicks who have barely made it out of their eggs, and she is unable to bring them out of their suffering. Here, the egg can represent the sense of nurturance and compassion for others that Hagar has difficulty in feeling. The egg is also a representation for fertility and abundance, as Hagar later sells eggs to support herself independently of her husband.
Motif: Poems
At different moments in the novel, Hagar recites poems, such as the verse about "Old Meg" which she says to bring her courage while in the abandoned house. In the hospital, some of the elderly women in the public ward cry out poems or songs. It is Mr. Troy's hymn, requested by Hagar, that moves her to tears and brings a wave of realizations. In all instances, the hymns and poems are a source of strength and inspiration for characters going through tough circumstances.
Symbol: Physical Restraints
Hagar is physically strapped into a hospital bed to keep her from wandering, particularly because she has the tendency to sleepwalk and a history of running away from home. The physical restraints are a symbolic manifestation of how Hagar has felt manipulated by others her whole life. In reality, Hagar has not so much been controlled by others as she has by her own poor decisions that have curtailed her freedom.
