Nature Versus Nurture

Since Ruby and Gisselle are twins they present an interesting case for the debate over what shapes the character of children: inherent genetics or how they are raised. Ruby often wonders if she, rather than Gisselle, had been raised in the New Orleans mansion, if her personality would have manifested Gisselle's toxic blend of deception and self-absorption: "Would I have turned out this way had I been the first baby born and the one given to the Dumas family? Did the evil of that act settle in her tiny heart like a lump of coal and infect her every thought and feeling? Would that have happened to me" (p. 192). Though this line of thinking is mystical, there are other factors that could have contributed to Gisselle's wicked personality, including the bitter and vengeful attitude of their stepmother Daphne and the over-indulgence of their father. Having grown...