Handkerchief

At first Ani believes the handkerchief her mother gives her is protecting her, but after the tragic events in the forest, she realizes "the idea was completely ridiculous, a bed-tale, a lie". Why is this an important moment for Ani? How does it serve her for the rest of the novel? What ideas or objects do you cling to in hard times? Why do you think the queen gave it to her?

She found that her protection and strength came from within not from some article she thought represented her mother's love and protection. She had to rely on herself and the goodness of others she came to trust. In hard times I cling to faith and love and hope. The Queen, I think, gave the handkerchief to Ani as a show of love for her daughter to the people watching so that they would think she was a loving mother and having a hard time sending her daughter away.
-Bookworm

Losing the handkerchief was a big turning point in the book, where she realized she has relied almost entirely on others and she couldn't do it anymore. For the first time, she was really living her own life, and not just doing or becoming what someone else wanted her to do. Because she had only herself to rely on during such a difficult time, she really started turning her weaknesses into strengths.
-Sanya the Duck