The Vilna Gaon asks a question; the child asks 4 questions in the mah nishtana on seder night – but when do we answer him? He explains that the real question being asked in the mah nishtana is not ‘why matzah,’ ‘why marror,’ etc. Rather, the child notices a contradiction in our behaviour on seder night. On the one hand we are behaving like royalty (we lean, dip twice), but on the other hand we behave like slaves (we eat marror and matzah). Thus, the child is asking in the mah nishtana why do we do these things which have contradictory messages? And we DO answer the child, immediately. We say ‘avadim hayinu lepharoah bemitzrayim vayotzienu…’ – we tell him that we were slaves in Egypty to Pharoah and HaShem took us out. We were slaves – so we do things to remember the slavery. And HaShem took us out with might – so we do actions which show freedom. And so there is no contradiction; it is just two parts to one story. And on a deeper note, it is not a contradiction because in life it is the tragedy that causes the redemption. And so too here, it was our crying out from the slavery that started the process of HaShem redeeming us.
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