Tereza wants “something higher”. She wants her body to be the only body for Tomas, she doesn’t want to cheapen herself. She wishes to live out her full potential, to allow her soul to shine through her body.
Yet, she experiences vertigo, the fear of the desire to fall and become like all the others. The vertigo stems from the strength it takes to stay upright and resist the draw of the abyss, especially in an environment where one seems to be swimming against the current. Falling is the easy route; sticking to one’s principles takes strength.