How does Elsa express her freedom in The Road to Mecca?

Elsa's an enlightened, free spirited woman. As a teacher of black children in apartheid-era South Africa, she has an in-depth understanding of the horrors of racial oppression. With this understanding comes a political awareness that gives her the confidence to speak out in a way that would be considered indecent for most women in this deeply conservative society. A woman of great energy and no little confidence, Elsa hopes to encourage similar traits in Helen, traveling the long distance to the old lady's home to help revive her flagging spirits.
Wherever she goes, Elsa shows her freedom by defying expectations of how a respectable white woman should behave. Normally, she'd be expected to have settled down by now, to get married, stay at home, and have kids. But Elsa's not like that at all. For one thing, she's very career-minded. She's passionate about teaching and isn't prepared to let any man come along and stifle that passion.
Her personal life is also characterized by its openness. She's just come out of a very intense romantic relationship, one that has left her somewhat bitter and emotionally scarred. Again, such behavior would not have been considered acceptable for a single woman in South Africa at that time, and by defying society's conventions so blatantly, Elsa is asserting her freedom as an individual and as a woman.