“That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me. She meant to bestow a gift.”

This speaks to the duality of magic, which can be either a blessing, or bring anguish and pain if used irresponsibly. Fortunately for Ella, Lucinda is a dynamic character who learns from her mistakes and stops bestowing her meddlesome “gifts.”

“I knew I had to keep eating.”

A well-meaning Mandy, who baked Ella birthday cake, tells Ella to “eat.” Ella is terrified and sickened when she can’t stop. This illustrates the dangerous consequences of Ella’s curse.

“Mother issued one of her infrequent commands: never to tell anyone about my curse. But I wouldn’t have anyway. I had learned caution.”

Ella learns as a young girl that selfish and cruel people can exploit her curse. The secret of the curse also functions as a plot device. She can’t tell Char about the curse and that she fears marrying him will allow people to hurt him through her. Secrecy leads him to think she doesn’t want to be with him.