“A Kicked Dog”
Soman Chainani writes, “He (Radley) fled like a kicked dog.” Radley’s dog-like status depicts his disappointment after Sophie declares that she is not interested in his friendship. Sophie’s snapping is equivalent to spitefully kicking a dog.
“Storybook Queen”
Soman Chainani expounds, “She (Sophie) could see to the forest edge, where her father, Stefan, stood with the rest of the perimeter guard. But instead of looking anxious like the others, he was smiling, hand on the widow Honora’s shoulder. Sophie grimaced. What her father saw in that woman, she had no idea. Once upon a time, her mother had been as flawless as a storybook queen.” The allegorical queen accentuates Sophie’s mother’s unparalleled attractiveness. For Sophie, Honora’s beauty cannot surpass her mother’s which makes Honora an inappropriate partner for Sophie’s father.
Princess
Soman Chainani writes, “Let the coward (Stefan) marry her (Honora) when I’m gone, she (Sophie) thought, glaring at him through the shutters. Only when she was gone would he appreciate her. Only when she was gone would he know no one could replace her. And only when she was gone would he see he had spawned much more than a son. He had borne a princess.” Sophie exploits the allegorical princess to underscore her unmatchable substance. Sophie’s manifest Self-Concept establishes that she overvalues herself and ponders that her value outstrips that of Honora’s sons. Consequently, she is persuaded that her father will be apologetic for his timidity which stalled him from esteeming her satisfactorily before her metamorphosis into a princess.
