: Modern feminist critiques often view the shoes as a symbol of a woman’s desire to "kick open doors" to professional success, even as the narrative punishes her for doing so.
: To stop the dance, Karen must eventually ask an executioner to amputate her feet, a gruesome penance that emphasizes the era’s strict moral and religious codes.
: After wearing the shoes to her confirmation—a major breach of religious decorum—Karen finds she cannot stop dancing.
: Ballerina Victoria Page is torn between the demanding, obsessive impresario Boris Lermontov—who believes a great artist must renounce all personal life—and her love for composer Julian Craster.