Sarah's cell
The placement of Sarah's cell, on the side of the church with no sunlight, is a metaphor for her struggles and for the deprivation that she undertakes in becoming an anchoress.
The Anchoress
In this novel, Cadwallader brings attention to a Medieval practice that is little known. In doing so, she brings the female experience in the Medieval Era to life, making this novel a metaphor for the many unheard female voices in history.
The hammer
After deciding to become an anchoress, Sarah enters her cell and the door is nailed up behind her. Using a metaphor, Sarah compares her suffering to the suffering of Christ during his crucifixion: "These hammer blows that sealed my door were the nailing of my hands and feet to the cross with Christ, the tearing of his skin and sinew."
Praying
Once Sarah was boarded up in her cell, she began to pray. She described how "they were part of me, like breathing," emphasizing how she had said the same prayers since childhood.
The female body
For Sarah, her body is a metaphor for her "fragility and desire," which she hopes to escape by becoming an anchoress. Her beliefs are partly motivated by seeing her sister die in childbirth, which showed her the consequences of giving up one's virginity.
