One character trait the mother shows through her circus performances is what her daughter calls her ability to "live ... comfortably in extreme elements." Even when seven months pregnant, the mother goes ahead with her dangerous trapeze act.

The mother also shows her survival instincts, when, after lightening strikes the tent where they are performing, she refuses to go crashing down with her husband:

she could have grasped his ankle, the toe-end of his tights, and gone down clutching him. Instead, she changed direction.

This shows as well her ability to make needed adjustments in her life, as does her learning to read and write while recuperating in the hospital. She is able to redirect gracefully too when she moves from being a trapeze artist in a circus to a housewife on a farm.

The mother reveals her courage and resourcefulness as she saves her young daughter from her burning bedroom—this act, once again, also shows she is comfortable with extremes.

It is worth noting that this is a subjective, first-person narrative that perhaps reflects some of the daughter's grief that her mother is aging. This mother is presented as a magical, idealized figure of grace, adaptability, and courage. The mother is shown to have lived a life with its share of trouble, drama, and danger, but also to have been capable of rising above and overcoming its adverse circumstances.