Cackle

“The void goes on and on, like a magician pulling scarves out of a hat.”

This simile compares Annie’s seemingly endless sense of sadness and grief after her breakup to the long string of scarves that a magician comically yanks from his hat. Just as that line of scarves keeps going and going, Annie is consistently surprised by the unending list of things to mourn when Sam dumps her: Her sense of self, her sense of security and place in the world, her ideas about her future, and more. Her sorrow reflects The Fear of Being Alone and the Freedom of Autonomy.

“I half expect […] townsfolk in suspenders to emerge from the shops, burst out of the doors and windows to bid me bonjour.”

This allusion to fairy tales hints at the way in which Rowan appears to be idyllic, but where the people actually insist on conformity. In Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, for example, Belle’s small town seems lovely, but the pressure she feels to stop reading so many books and get married is an apt parallel to life in Rowan. As long as everyone believes Annie is a “sweet girl,” she doesn’t meet with any social resistance, but as she becomes bolder, her behavior is interpreted as subversive and dangerous.

“You never realize how special it is to share a random inside joke until something funny happens and you have no one to tell. Then you realize how much of your life fades away without a witness.”

Annie fears that, without someone else to witness her life, it becomes forgettable and insignificant. Her thinking shows just how much she has come to depend on the validation of others to feel important and worthwhile. This idea highlights The Fear of Being Alone and the Freedom of Autonomy, as she will eventually learn to value herself and stop feeling the need to have a “witness” to her life to give it significance.

“I wouldn’t think someone so beautiful would feed on compliments the way she does. It makes me feel less pathetic for my need, to know that someone could be so self-possessed and still savor validation.”

This passage reflects another way in which Annie’s relationship with Sophie shows The Empowering Nature of Female Friendship. Sophie is so beautiful that Annie has trouble believing she enjoys compliments so much. Seeing that Sophie enjoys the validation of a compliment allows Annie to see a similarity between them, making the possibility of becoming as self-possessed as Sophie more of a reality.

“‘I guess she was just trying to be nice,’ I say. ‘A lot of people try,’ Sophie says […] ‘Trying doesn’t absolve you.’ ‘Oof,’ I say […] ‘I didn’t invent the truth, Annie.’”

Having internalized society’s desire for women to behave “nicely” and “politely,” Annie even polices Sophie’s tone, implying that because Sophie said something challenging without hedging, she was being harsh. Sophie plainly rejects this idea. In asking Annie about her personal life, Jill was being officious and unprofessional, but because she was trying to “be nice,” Annie excuses it. However, because of Jill’s nosy questions and her insistence on setting Annie up with a man, Sophie will not let it pass unremarked. Annie’s excusal of Jill and implicit criticism of Sophie highlights Small-Town Conformity and the Policing of “Difficult” Women.

“Fate is just another invention to trick us into complacency. Inaction. If one assumes that they cannot change their circumstances, they won’t try. When you think about it, really, there’s a myriad of ways we’re conditioned to passivity. Women, especially. Of course, I realized all of this a long, long time ago.”

Sophie does not believe in fate because she thinks it is a social construct, an idea invented to keep people from trying to change their lives. She suggests that this concept is used, in conjunction with other methods, to police women’s behavior by limiting their aspirations. Her remarks highlight Small-Town Conformity and the Policing of “Difficult” Women, as does her centuries of experiencing others’ attempts to restrain her.

“Maybe I should accept that this night isn’t going my way and take the loss with grace, instead of getting drunk and sarcastic, doubling down on the unpleasantness and actively contributing to the collective misery.”

Annie considers doing the socially acceptable thing when her double date goes terribly: Behaving politely (i.e., submissively) until the evening is over. However, she also considers behaving as rudely as Dan and Pascal have, and she eventually laughs when Dan spits bones from his mouth. Her initial hesitation to push back reflects Small-Town Conformity and the Policing of “Difficult” Women.

“Last night, the laughter made me feel immortal, but in the yellow light of day, I feel ashamed of it. it was crazy to laugh. Why did I laugh?”

Shame is a powerful tool to change someone’s behavior. Annie feels empowered by her laughter at the restaurant, but when she gets some distance from the night, she feels ashamed of her actions. Her shame calls attention to Small-Town Conformity and the Policing of “Difficult” Women because shame is often used to get nonconformists to change their behavior. In the case of the double date especially, it is the men who behaved shamefully, not Annie, but Annie has been socialized as a woman to feel responsible for being polite at all times.

“I’m too ashamed to admit to Sophie that I can’t maintain my happiness on my own. That when she’s not around, I’m a pathetic mess who eats meals off of paper towels and uses her sleeves as tissues.”

Annie is so used to seeking validation outside herself that she struggles with the transition to validating herself. For a while, she seeks validation from Sophie instead of Sam, suggesting that the process of becoming self-possessed and confident isn’t linear. She experiences setbacks, but eventually she no longer thinks of herself as a “pathetic mess” when she’s alone, a benefit of The Empowering Nature of Female Friendship.

“When the clock strikes midnight, the lights flicker, and I have a strange, evanescent vision. I see a version of myself I don’t quite recognize parting the dark, standing before me and wearing an alien grin.”

At midnight on New Year’s Eve, Annie glimpses her future. This version of herself “part[s] the dark,” suggestive of the darkness the psychic said clung to her future and implying that the emergence of this self is precisely what is needed. The “alien grin” this version of Annie wears suggests a self-assuredness that gives future Annie the confidence to do anything. Annie’s new ability to have such visions emphasizes how witchcraft reflects her changing sense of herself.

“I used to think, ‘Why put in all that effort just for me?’ But I get it now.”

After Annie experiences the satisfaction of preparing and enjoying a beautiful meal just for herself, she recognizes how nice it is simply to do something for oneself. While one might be inclined to prepare a nice meal for their partner or family, going through this action to benefit only oneself suggests that one is equally as important and worthwhile. This is a new way for Annie to think about and care for herself, a big step in her realization of the freedom that accompanies autonomy.

“‘You’re a special person,’ I say. ‘Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.’ She sits up a little straighter.”

As Annie begins to feel more confident in herself, she’s able to start sharing that feeling with other women, as Sophie has done with her. In school, she tells Madison Thorpe, a student who struggles with social acceptance, that she is special, just as Sophie told Annie. This is just another facet of The Empowering Nature of Female Friendship, as it lifts them up and gives them the confidence to pass it on, helping other women in the process.

“‘I bet I’m still the funniest person he knows,’ I say. I breathe into the thought. It’s the sweetest peach. When I open my eyes, I find a small crystal bowl of gummy peach rings there on my desk right in front of me. I pop one into my mouth. Now that I’m thinking about it, Valentine’s Day doesn’t scare me.”

When Annie first sees the Valentine’s decorations at school, she is so unhappy that they fall off the walls when she passes by. However, after she gives herself permission to think of Sam, she realizes that she always had her own humor and power; she only told herself that he was an important part of her identity when he really wasn’t. As she considers her strengths, all unrelated to Sam, it feels sweet, and she magically makes a bowl of peach candy appear. The fact that she conjures something edible to symbolize the sweetness of her self-awareness highlights how witchcraft works as a motif of empowerment in the novel.

“Maybe the hardest thing for me to believe would have been that Sophie would want to be my friend. That she would take a special interest in me, take me under her wing. Maybe that was the most severe bend in my reality. After that, it was easy to believe in magic, to accept that ghosts are real and to play with cute spider accomplices.”

This line reflects The Empowering Nature of Female Friendship. Annie claims that being the recipient of Sophie’s friendship and love provided the gateway for her to change her perspective on herself and the world. After learning that someone like Sophie could think Annie is special, Annie says that believing in everything else—no matter how far-fetched it once seemed—became possible.

“‘I’m tired of living like this. Under her thumb,’ Oskar says. ‘It’s on us. We let it happen, and we’re letting it happen again. We have a moral obligation to do something. If not for our sakes, for Annie’s.’”

Oskar’s hard line on Sophie and the proliferation of powerful women in Rowan highlights Small-Town Conformity and the Policing of “Difficult” Women. Although Sophie has done little but be a friend to Oskar’s ex-wife and support Oskar’s coffee business, he nonetheless blames her for his marital troubles and argues that she threatens the very town her magic supports. He also takes a sexist, paternalistic attitude to Annie, believing that he has an “obligation” to police her relationship with Sophie, as if Annie is not capable of choosing her friends for herself.

“‘I want you to focus on your own gifts. Your talents. I want you to continue to feed yourself,’ she says, pushing a stray hair out of my face. ‘When I met you, you were starving.’”

Sophie’s wish for Annie to keep on “feed[ing] [her]self” connects Annie’s powers and talents as a woman and a witch to appetite. Rather than continuing to withdraw from the world, as Annie becomes more confident, she engages with it more. Sophie urges her here to continue on that path instead of regressing.

“All I can do, all any of us can do, really, is embrace our power. Not restrain it for the benefit of those trying to do us harm. I’ve protected myself when necessary. I’ve saved myself. And, yes, on occasion I’ve taken some revenge. I think it not unreasonable, considering the circumstances.”

Sophie is confident that she has done nothing wrong and that she is persecuted merely for protecting herself and warding off those who might do her harm. She doesn’t hide her power, but embraces it, distancing herself from the sweet and submissive ideal. Sophie admits that she has avenged some of the wrongs done to her, including the murder of her friends and the townspeople’s attempts to murder her.

“But my time with Sophie has encouraged both confidence and the desire to seek what I believe I deserve. And I have a question I want answered. So I ask it.”

When Annie is once again face-to-face with Sam, the extent of her growth becomes clearest. Before meeting Sophie, Annie didn’t question Sam about his reasons for the break-up—she basically accepted them and found fault with herself. Now, however, she asks the question, risking his irritation or tone policing, demonstrating The Empowering Nature of Female Friendship.

“Why do I work so hard to appease him? It’s exhausting. I’m so quick to kowtow to his every need. Was it always like this?”

Again, Annie’s final conversation with Sam shows how much she has changed. She can see her former patterns with new clarity, such as the way she would simply acquiesce to his decisions and abandon herself. Having learned what it’s like to live without this compulsion, Annie has realized a new freedom that she does not want to relinquish, reflecting her changing attitude toward The Fear of Being Alone and the Freedom of Autonomy.

“A friend who saw something in me that no one else ever did. Not even you.”

Annie remembers that Sophie saw something special in her, something to value highly, and it doesn’t appear that Sam ever felt that way. In fact, Annie can’t ever remember him thanking her once during their eight-year relationship. This discrepancy calls attention to The Empowering Nature of Female Friendship.

“When we were together, everything was simple. I knew who I was, what I wanted. I ache for that sense of certainty. With Sam, I know exactly what my future looks like. There’s nothing scary about it. Nothing unknown.”

This line highlights The Fear of Being Alone and the Freedom of Autonomy. When Annie and Sam were together, Annie’s life was predictable and familiar, and there was a safety in that, which made Annie fear life as a single person. However, once she fully recognizes the freedom that accompanies single life, she sees how attractive and liberating it is. She no longer desires predictability. Now, she prefers freedom, choice, and possibility.

“Maybe I had the audacity to be human. Only I’m not human. Not really.”

Annie recognizes that her relationship with Sam “failed” because she dared to stop putting him first. It never occurred to her that he might take issue with her watching Netflix in her pajamas because she didn’t realize how selfish he was. She figures out that he broke up with her when she acted “human,” but she doesn’t even think of herself as human anymore. She’s a witch, and this realization reinforces witchcraft as a motif for female empowerment.

“I wonder how much of a woman’s life is spent this way. Enduring. Waiting for enjoyment or, fuck it, death.”

Annie realizes how long she lived, simply enduring her life rather than actually living it. She believes that this is what women are expected to do, though few realize it. Women wait, hoping for moments of joy amid a lifetime of compromise, and Annie refuses to do this anymore. This is, in part, what makes her a “difficult” woman, as she no longer fears being alone or incurring the judgment of others.