Storytelling

The motif of storytelling is integral to the novel’s plot. The characters who are most associated with this motif are Bridie, Hazel, and Dot. For each of them, storytelling is cathartic and an empowering way of coping with trauma.

To begin, Bridie instils a love of storytelling in Hazel. When Hazel repeats the story of St. Frideswide to Bridie, Bridie declares, “Telling stories is one of the greatest powers we possess. It’s like a dream you can fill with what you want. And the knight doesn’t always have to save the princess; sometimes she saves herself” (204). Bridie’s liberal way of thinking is undoubtedly progressive in the context of a 1940s English town. Bridie adores stories of powerful women like St. Brigid or St. Frideswide because they remind her that she is neither the first nor the last woman to choose independence over...