But lots of people don’t get to choose how they get to live. Like slaves.” “Well,” the reverend said, chagrined by her simple wisdom. “That’s true, too.”
But even as a slave, you choose how to react to your situation -- just as, while we choose how we live our lives, we don't choose our genes, where we're born, or how our parents raise us, all of which influence our possibilities. Any decent minister (or adult) could come up with that answer, although I understand that the point of this book is that Elizabeth and Madeline are much, much smarter than anybody else, and certainly than any man. (Calvin aside.)
