: The curse—triggered by a child losing their last baby tooth—symbolizes the violent end of innocence and the lingering presence of historical guilt. II. Narrative and Emotional Archetypes

: Wrongfully lynched by a mob in the 19th century after a disfiguring fire, Matilda's spirit represents the consequences of "miscarriages of justice".

In popular culture, the most prominent literalization of this theme is the 2003 film Darkness Falls . The narrative transforms the benign childhood figure of the Tooth Fairy into a vengeful spirit, .