As though she were crystal
On the night of the ball Teddy encourages Tilly to attend despite the contempt of the villagers. Tilly is reluctant to Teddy’s advances at first, afraid of the curse she believes she has on her, but slowly gives in. On the night of the ball Teddy holds her as if she were crystal, and it seems as though a beautiful love story will ensue between the two.
Like a black thing
Tilly lives with a terrible feeling of guilt inside her that to her feels like a black thing, an evil that creeps upon her when she feels the safest. She pours her soul out to Teddy about her past, the scrutiny her mother and her went through in Dungatar, and the unfortunate accident that she indirectly caused leading to the death of a young boy.
Pain no longer a curse
After her mother dies, Tilly decides to turn the pain they endured by the Dungatar people into revenge. She decides to make it her catalyst and her propeller. It is clear that Tilly no longer wants to live in guilt and shame, and it foreshadows the climactic end of the novel.
Like terrified children lost in a crowd
Tilly sets fire to Dungatar before secretly leaving while everyone attends the Macbeth play. It is her perfect revenge for the pain they caused her and her mother. The people of Dungatar, those who bullied Tilly as children and continued to bully her as adults, are described as terrified children in a crowd when met with the sight of their destroyed home. It is a description appropriate based on their behaviors and mindsets shown in the novel.
