Triumph and Tragedy of Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart's life was full of contradictions. It contained great triumphs and ended in great tragedy. Amelia Earhart and her husband, George Putnam, created the image of Amelia Earhart. Her image of the female aviatrix, which gave her a platform for dispersing her views on a woman's place in society, was a triumph for Amelia Earhart and for the feminist movement. The creation, of this famous image, allowed Amelia Earhart to pursue and gain financial backing for a career in aviation. Amelia Earhart's public image, and, her record breaking flights had a synergetic effect on her life. Her life of independence was upheld as an example to women. Amelia Earhart's failed attempt to circumnavigate the globe, which ended her life, was a terrible tragedy.
Amelia Earhart's public image, as the modern independent woman, was based on her own belief system. Just as Amelia Earhart's public life contained triumph and tragedy, so did her private life. Her early life contained the ingredients for her greatest triumph as an adult--her ability to be a role model for women. Amelia Earhart's early years were, in general, happy years. Her family was not wealthy, as were her maternal grandparents, but they lived in reasonable comfort. Amelia Earhart experienced luxury while spending time at her grandparents house on Quality Hill while her family lived in Kansas City. Amelia and her sister Muriel lived, at times, with the Otises. An especially long stretch was spent with them when their parents were house-hunting after Edwin Earhart was transferred to Des Moines.
The Earharts held more advanced views than Amy Otis Earhart's parents on what was appropriate for little girls. Undeniably, Amelia Earhart's Aunt Margaret (her mother's sister) had an influence on the children's upbringing. Margaret was a Kansas suffragist and a follower of Amelia Jenks Bloomer, from whence the clothing known ...