The main character's decision to find a job to fund her flying lessons illustrates strong independence and resolve. This action shows her determination to pursue her passion for flying, despite potential financial obstacles and her father's initial lack of support. Amelia's proactive approach to securing a job for her lessons highlights her independence and commitment to her goals.
Excerpt from Amelia Lost, by Candace Fleming
(1) Amelia went to her first air meet just days after arriving in California. Flying was all the rage on the West Coast, and new airfields were opening almost every week.
(2) There were twenty of them in the Los Angeles area alone, and there was always something going on there – place races, stunt flying, wing walking.
(3) "I remember that first meet," Amelia wrote years later. "The sky was blue and the flying conditions were perfect . . . The planes streaked overhead like silver birds, gleaming in the sunlight."
(4) Amelia turned to her father, who had come along with her. "Dad, you know, I think I’d like to fly."
(5) Edwin was not enthusiastic about the idea. But she dragged him under the rope that bordered the field for a closer look at the planes. She had dozens of questions. But suddenly she felt too shy to ask them herself.
(6) "Dad," she said, pointing to a young man in uniform, "ask that officer how long it takes to [learn to] fly."
(7) Edwin dutifully headed off to speak with the pilot and soon returned with the answer. "The average seems to be from five to ten hours."
(8) Amelia just nodded, but "in her bones," she felt that "a [flight] would come soon."
(9) She was right. The very next day, she returned to the airfield because Edwin had arranged a trial flight. "I am sure he thought one ride would be enough for me," she later wrote, "and he might as well act to cure me promptly."
(10) A pilot stepped forward and shook their hands. "A good day to go up," he said pleasantly. Then he pointed to another flier. "He’ll go up with us."
(11) "Why?" asked Amelia.
(12) The pilots exchanged grins. "I understood instantly," she said. "I was a girl – a nervous lady. I might jump out. There needed to be somebody to grab my ankles as I went over." She told the fliers she wasn’t afraid, but they refused to listen. "I was not allowed to sit alone in the front cockpit."
(13) None of that mattered once the plane left the runway. "I was surprised to be able to see the ocean after a few moments of climbing . . . then the Hollywood Hills seemed to peep over the edge of the cockpit . . . and I knew what I wanted to do with my life . . . I knew I myself had to fly."
(14) "I think I’d like to learn to fly," Amelia told her family that evening. She tried to sound casual, "knowing full well I’d die if I didn’t."
(15) "Not a bad idea," replied Edwin, just as casually. "When do you start?"
(16) Amelia wasn’t sure. She needed to do a bit of investigating first. "I told him I’d let him know shortly."
(17) Edwin nodded, seemingly unconcerned. "I hadn’t thought she actually meant it," he later said. So days later, when he learned she had signed up for lessons, he was surprised. In hopes of putting her off the idea, he told her he couldn’t afford them. But Amelia was determined. She found a job in the mailroom of the local telephone company to pay for the lessons herself. What could Edwin do? "I let her fly," he said.
Fleming, Candace. Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Schwartz & Wade Books, 2011.
What character traits are illustrated by the main character's decision to find a job to fund her flying lessons?
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Dependence on others
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Lack of commitment to her goals
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Strong independence and resolve
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Easily discouraged by obstacles
1 answer