She gave herself a taste of her powers.

She cut at herself mercilessly, and had to bandage the wound in a hurry to keep in life.
Metaphors were her refuge.

Metaphorically she could allow her mind to distinguish the struggle she was undergoing, sinking under it.

The banished of Eden had to put on metaphors, and the common use of them has helped largely to civilize us.

The sluggish in intellect detest them, but our civilization is not much indebted to that major faction.
Especially are they needed by the pedestalled woman in her conflict with the natural.