Ship Breaker Fate and Free Will Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

Nailer shook his head. "I don't believe in Fates." But he said it quietly, low enough that she wouldn't hear. If Fates existed, they'd put him with his dad, and that meant they were bad news. Better to think life was random than to think the world was out to get you. (5.6)

As Nailer and his crew talk about Sloth's choice to leave him, he considers what fate means: If his life is dictated by fate (or the Fates as religious beings), then what has he done to deserve being saddled with his nutso father? Believing in fate means that he's saddled with his father for a reason, and he has a hard time believing this.

Quote #5

Nailer had been surprised that Sloth hadn't protested. He wasn't about to forgive, but he respected that she hadn't begged or tried to apologize when Bapi got out his knife. Everyone knew the score. What was done was done. She'd gambled and lost. Life was like that. (5.20)

Sloth's actions imply that life doesn't follow a set path; she made a choice, and now she's living with the consequences; she could have chosen to help Nailer, but she didn't. Fate seems to apply when it's convenient for characters to explain things away, but choice seems far more important.

Quote #6

The captain hadn't been lucky. And now Nailer and Pima were flush because of it. (7.68)

When Nailer and Pima scavenge the downed clipper ship, they stumble across the body of the captain. Nailer realizes that the captain's bad luck is really good luck to him and Pima. Is there always this trade off when we consider luck? That is, is someone's good luck always someone else's bad luck? And, if this is the case, how does this change how we view luck in the novel?