There was a reason thatI liked this tale pretty well, but I was little let down by the fact thatall she did was punch a kid--horrible, I know, but not as extreme as King was making it out to be in the build-up
the 'sin' wasn't huge--it's all the uglier because it's almost petty. If he'd asked her to kill someone, she would have had a clear and easy reason to refuse. By making the sin 'minor' (though, as a parent, this is NOT minor to me. The thought of someone hurting something helpless, particularly a child horrifies me), he points out 1) her hypocrisy-- everyday 'morality' lies in the little things we do far more than in the large things, and 2) makes it easier to justify. He really points out the ugliness endemic in her soul, if you will.