How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"You're going to be leaving us, aren't you?" the Magistrix said suddenly […] "I just saw it, in the reflection of the bell. You were crossing the Wall…" (1.66)
In Sabriel's world, clairvoyance—the ability to see the future—is actually real, and some people can do it. If someone could predict your future, how would that change your ability to make choices? Would you feel like you were just going along with a prediction?
Quote #2
[Colonel Horyse:] "You have chosen a difficult path."
"Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?" Sabriel quoted, the words, redolent with echoes of Charter Magic, twining around her tongue like some lingering spice. Those words were the dedication in the front of her almanac. They were also the very last words, all alone on the last page, of The Book of the Dead. (3.29-30)
Sabriel's quote here from The Book of the Dead gets straight to the heart of this major theme. Here, it's asked as a question, but what do you think? Given what happens to Sabriel over the course of the book, do you think she chose her own path? It's tricky to say one way or the other, and that may be why this question comes up again later in Sabriel's story.
Quote #3
"You must not," said Mogget firmly, and his voice now seemed to carry all the weight of centuries. "You are Abhorsen, and must put the Dead to rest. Your path is chosen."
"I can walk a different path," Sabriel replied firmly, raising her head. (8.55-56)
Mogget argues that Sabriel's fate is predestined, but Sabriel herself disagrees. Can both of them be right? In this scene, Sabriel negotiates with Mogget and makes him promise to assist her in finding her father, something Mogget doesn't initially agree is the right course of action. But in making this choice, Sabriel follows the path of becoming Abhorsen, regardless.