Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Most heroes have impressive weapons like swords, retractable claws, or even superpowers. In our tale though, Tiffany Aching goes charging into battle with her mighty… frying pan. Yup.
But for Tiffany the frying pan represents her power—even when it seems like she's going to fail (because let's not forget that she's a nine-year-old), she somehow succeeds. The frying pan may seem silly and laughable at first, but it's made of iron (just like Tiffany's will) and will do some serious damage. Check it out:
Hah! It was. Jenny would've eaten you up if you'd used a stick. A frying pan is made of iron. Creatures of that kidney can't stand iron. (2.69)
In a way the frying pan is Tiffany's sword. It allows her to rush into battle and defeat her enemies fearlessly because she has a weapon that's specifically tailored to her. The frying pan is so powerful that it even destroys evil creatures and wreaks serious damage on the Queen.
The frying pan represents something besides Tiffany's power, though. Where do you expect to see a frying pan (besides in epic dream-world battles, of course)? Yup—the kitchen. And Tiffany lives in a world where women are expected to take care of the home and children and such. So the fact that she arms herself with a frying pan reminds us that she isn't just kicking butt and taking names—she's also breaking down gender stereotypes.