Castles in the Air
Amy is moved from the art table to the flowers by gossip she did not earn. She works the slight as if it were a commission. Aunt Carroll sees the character, not the sketches, and Europe goes to Amy instead of Jo. The book is blunt: a disciplined response to unfairness can open a door that talent, loudly defending itself, will never be handed.
Key Insight
Work is not only hours at the desk. It is also how you occupy the afternoon when the assignment is beneath you. Jo would have been right to fight. Rightness was not the ticket.
