Shortly after her arrival, Tiffany joins a group of apprentice witches her age ostensibly led by Annagramma Hawkin, whose leadership claim is based on having the tallest hat, the loudest voice and being bossy. She takes a dislike to her studies, expecting that being a witch would be more glamorous and not be so thankless, dull and seemingly pointless.
She works long hours with Miss Level to learn the use of plants, care for the sick and elderly and deliver babies. When she settles in to the cottage, Tiffany discovers that Miss Level has two bodies and a spirit named Oswald, an ondageist which is a sort of reverse poltergeist, a spirit that is an obsessive house cleaner. Miss Level then takes Tiffany to her cottage in the mountains. The encounter last only for a few seconds before Tiffany drives it out but it gives Tiffany and Miss Tick a fright. A hiver is a primeval being with no body or substance that takes over the mind of those who are powerful and eventually destroys them. At Twoshirts, Tiffany's mind is invaded by a hiver when she steps out of her body to eavesdrop on Miss Tick and Miss Level. Rob Anybody, the big man of the Nac Mac Feegle clan of the chalk wants to follow her because it is his duty to protect her but he acquiesces to his wife Jeannie who is jealous of Tiffany (after all Tiffany was once temporarily the Kelda for the clan and engaged briefly to Rob). Her former teacher, Miss Tick, who is also a witch, escorts her to the town of Twoshirts. Tiffany, as represented when under the control of the hiver, demonstrates the attitudes, doubts and fears as well as the self-centeredness of the typical teenage girl.Ī Hat Full of Sky revisits the young witch Tiffany Aching, who is preparing to leave her home in the chalk country (based on England's South Downs chalk country) and learn witchcraft as an apprentice and maid for the elderly witch Miss Level.
Pratchett explores the questioning of identity through Tiffany's development as an adolescent and as a witch as she comes to terms with wanting to be part of Annagramma's group of witches but not wanting to become just another sheep within that group, while developing herself as a witch and taking control of her life (as well as her mind), when the hiver tries to take her over.
Tiffany is on the brink of adolescence and is becoming "more conscious of image" of both herself and the world. The central theme in this book and the followup The Wintersmith, is 'coming of age' which is coupled with all the associated ideas of that theme the question of identity, self sacrifice and responsibility.
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