I struggled with this. I have a print above my desk of a curled-up woman as a reminder of a protagonist's underlying vulnerability. So, for me, "foetal" does equal vulnerable, and describing a character who wants to curl up and die isn't covering up, but is portraying one or more perceived weaknesses - even if it's what a dog does when it's being beaten in a billionaire's song. Maybe I'm missing the distinction in mindset between the writer and their character after a story is written?
Thanks for the inspiration!
I struggled with this. I have a print above my desk of a curled-up woman as a reminder of a protagonist's underlying vulnerability. So, for me, "foetal" does equal vulnerable, and describing a character who wants to curl up and die isn't covering up, but is portraying one or more perceived weaknesses - even if it's what a dog does when it's being beaten in a billionaire's song. Maybe I'm missing the distinction in mindset between the writer and their character after a story is written?