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I am not sure I understand how no can be an answer to this question. When Deanna reflects "it didn't matter what she chose," her statement stems from her frustration in a particular instant. She is reflecting on the fact that what she chooses cannot control the actions of other creatures, but this does not mean that choice has no effect at all. The choices we make every day affect our lives if nothing else. For example, Deanna made the choice to leave her life in the city, to take the job with the National Forest Service, and to live a solitary life on the mountain. Lusa made the choice to stay on the Widener farm even after Cole's death. The choices Lusa and Deanna made had huge impacts on their lives.

However, I also believe that choices we make have a bigger impact than just controlling out own lives. Although Deanna wonders whether her choices matter if the world is set in its natural ways, I believe that since the world is constantly changing, it is affected by everyones' choices. It is like a chain affect. A choice you make, whether to attend a certain school or recycle a bottle, affects at least one other person's choices, which in turn will affect another person. This chain effect creates a world wide web of interconnected choices that would be impossble to escape. So choice absolutely matters.