Exactly opposite from Rebecca, Amelia has many advantages. Miss Pinkerton describes her as industrious, obedient, sweet, and beloved. She has mastered these accomplishments: music, dancing, orthography, embroidery, and needlework. However, Miss Pinkerton suggests that she use a backboard for four hours each day for the next three years to improve her carriage, "so requisite for every young lady of fashion." The author indicates her need of "backbone" by suggesting the use of the backboard. Whereas Rebecca's chief quality is ruthless ambition, Amelia exhibits weak humility and blind loyalty. Only in protection and care of Georgy does she rise above her natural submission to defend her own ideas. Once she prevents her mother from giving Georgy medicine, causing a rift between herself and her mother. She objects when old Osborne wants Georgy. In both cases, she returns to a sweet and reasonable attitude when she has convinced herself of her own selfishness.
Protected by doting parents, Amelia leads a sheltered existence saddened by George's neglect and his apparent willingness to forget her when her fortune has vanished. Sweet, lovable, refreshing, she has not the sparkle nor the mentality of Becky. She does have the lifetime devotion of William Dobbin, who sees that George marries her; and looks after her when George dies. Amelia's loyalty and long, blind devotion to George amount almost to stupidity. Any fault in George she interprets as a fault in herself and accuses herself of guilty love to account for his having been killed. The fate of Europe is the fate of her lover to Amelia.
