The Transformation

"She looks at the silk cloth on the bed; she never saw such a good one except the one she gave with her daughter whom she hid." (Le Fresne, 413-416)

This quote has a significant and allegorical meaning to it because when the woman sees the cloth she realizes what she has done. The cloth symbolizes purity or innocence. When the cloth is first shown, it is wrapped around a baby girl who is left in a tree. At the climax of the story, the daughter of the woman puts the same cloth on the bed for the couple, as if to [consummate the marriage] relinquish her innocence.