Classroom imagery
This difficult drama plays out in an elementary school, with big letters on the wall, with bright colors around. The chairs are small, because they are made for children, and in the classroom, Torey is a real authority figure, because she is an adult, and Sheila is a child. Sheila has to adapt to this new classroom environment, but the drastic nature of her home life becomes an obstacle to her, and Torey takes it as her professional responsibility to try and help Sheila adapt.
The imagery of good and evil
Clearly, the novelist suggests that, as a teacher, she is a heroic person, and Sheila's opinion of her uncle is probably that he is a villain. Certainly, it is difficult to read about his treatment of his young niece without drawing similar conclusions. This literary depiction of good and evil also applies specifically to Sheila. She wants to become healthy and well, but the gravity of her suffering has left her with violent impulses.
Torture and children
Although children are innocent, this novelist doesn't pull any punches about what some kids suffer. For instance, this young Sheila suffers literal torture and humiliation by an uncle who even mutilates her genitals with a knife. This instance of absolute evil helps explain why Sheila rips the eyeballs out of the classroom fish. She is processing the reality and morality of her private torture at home. She is experimenting, trying to understand what torture amounts to, and the reader has to watch as she tries to believe that she is really innocent. Her emotions are far more confusing than she could let on.
The imagery of sainthood
Although this story is non-religious, it does involve innocence and evil, obviously so, and it features Torey as a kind of saint. This is because when Sheila tries to get a reaction out of her, Torey is consistently above that influence. That doesn't prevent Torey from connecting with Sheila, but it does establish a kind of order in the classroom. She earns Sheila's trust by listening, by being slow to judgment, and by giving the child positivity, joy, and welcoming.
