In Kezia's emotional understanding, the reduction of fear is not merely a change of feeling but what deeper change?

Correct answer: The ability to read father's character through experience and affection, not fear

The governing concept is a shift in perception, not simple emotional relief. At the beginning, Kezia’s fear acts like a filter: it makes her read her father’s silence, commands, and serious face as evidence of cruelty. After the frightening night, she directly experiences his protective and affectionate side. Consequently, she begins to interpret his character through evidence and emotional understanding rather than through inherited fear. Option A states this deeper change precisely. She does not need to compare him with Macdonald, reject Grandmother, or erase the pin-cushion incident from memory. The incident remains part of her learning because it helps her distinguish a loving intention from a child’s mistaken interpretation.