Amelia Peabody is presented as a head-strong, confident woman who capably ran her father's household and bullied local merchants in the course of bargaining. It is quickly established that she has no patience with "helpless" women who play on their femininity to manipulate others into doing their will; i.e., "swooning, weak-minded females", according to Emerson. When home in England, she is a strong supporter of and is occasionally involved in the Suffragette Movement. She is a proponent of rational dress, and often refuses to wear a corset. (See "Deeds of the Disturber" for a notable exception.)