The Imagery of Sophie’s Beauty Routine
Chainani writes, “As for the rest of Sophie’s beauty routine, it could fill a dozen storybooks (suffice it to say it included goose feathers, pickled potatoes, horse hooves, cream of cashews, and a vial of cow’s blood). Two hours of rigorous grooming later, she stepped from the house in a breezy pink dress, sparkling glass heels, and hair in an impeccable braid. She had one last day before the School Master’s arrival and planned to use each and every minute to remind him why she, and not Belle or Tabitha or Sabrina or any other impostor, should be kidnapped.” Sophie conscientiously tends to her body to guarantee that she will be the most stunning among all her contenders. She is swayed that being eye-catching is contributory in rendering a girl a princess. Her customs aid her to craft a seamless body that would bid her an edge over other contenders.
The Imagery of the Dreaded Night
Chainani writes elucidates “After four years, the dreaded eleventh night of the eleventh month had arrived. In the late-day sun, the square had become a hive of preparation for the School Master’s arrival. The men sharpened swords, set traps, and plotted the night’s guard, while the women lined up the children and went to work. Handsome ones had their hair lopped off, teeth blackened, and clothes shredded to rags; homely ones were scrubbed, swathed in bright colors, and fitted with veils. Mothers begged the best-behaved children to curse or kick their sisters, the worst were bribed to pray in the church, while the rest in line were led in choruses of the village anthem: “Blessed Are the Ordinary.” The proceedings of the forbidding night authorize that the residents are petrified by the “School Master’s” advent. Parents are alarmed about the probability of losing their children; hence, they implement procedures to guarantee that their children would be ordinary (neither striking nor dreadful) to diminish odds of being snatched. The residents are not animated by the master’s arrival.
