Shadow of Night

Diana is the protagonist and first-person narrator of most of the novel. Her character develops through the novel in two main ways: First, she discovers the nature of her magical power. Second, her fiercely independent nature puts her into a continuous power struggle with Matthew and the social environment around her due to Gender Roles in Different Historical Periods.

Diana is unique among witches due to her weaving ability, and unique among weavers still. Goody Alsop says Diana has never been able to master spellwork because “you cannot perform the spells of other witches. You must devise your own” (293). This is why Diana’s magic seems random: She is creating spells in moments she needs them, without realizing she is doing so. This spontaneous spellwork led to Diana fearing her power and trying to contain it. She continues to do this until her father, Stephen, shows her how to accept her power. Stephen coaches Diana to let her familiar, a firedrake named Corra, out of her chest into the world around her, symbolizing Diana’s journey to acceptance of her weaver power.

Weavers can see and manipulate the threads that make up the fabric of the world, but their powers do not all work the same.