Most of all, it was her determination that set her apart.

In general, Carson has been described as “a mild-mannered biologist who was happiest standing knee-deep in a tide pool”. She is also “calm in spirit” and has a tendency to be fond of others.

Quiet

From a young age, Carson remembered being a “solitary child”. Due to social and economic circumstances arising from her family background, Rachel was reserved to the extent of being socially isolated. Her family’s continually declining economic status made her reluctant to bring friends home. External circumstances always kept her from making friends. Still, she developed high standards for friendship in her development as she continued to build her intellect via reading widely and continuing to build on her knowledge and interests.

Curious

She had a curiosity towards nature sparked from childhood, combined with “hard-driving intelligence”. She would explore the natural areas around her childhood home, and her drive for intellect as well as love for literature motivated her to read widely and continue to study nature, especially the ocean.

Calm

During the publication of Silent Spring, her calm disposition was most clearly demonstrated when her unruffled and gentle behaviour is juxtaposed against her loud critics from the chemical industry. Given her quiet nature and that she had always spent her life engrossed in the natural environment around her, it is likely she has always been calm-spirited and not easily given to anxiety.

Courageous

Taking on some of the largest and most powerful industrial forces in the world would be a daunting preposition for anyone, let alone a single woman of her generation.

Perhaps the sole testament of Carson’s great courage that we need was her willingness to speak up about environmental concerns when she knew she would be heavily opposed by business heavyweights of the twentieth century.

Determined

Carson persevered through her life challenges and rose above her circumstances to pursue her passion while managing other areas of life. This is especially clear in the later years of her life, when she persevered despite her ailing health and surrounding circumstances to convey her message in Silent Spring, undoubtedly her most famous work that made her life into a global, long-lasting legacy.

Affectionate

Above all, while Carson is the feminist picture of “strong independent woman” with her quiet, firm determination and perseverance over her challenges and circumstances, she has shown a great capacity to love. She always treated animals with tenderness at a young age, calling them her friends. This capacity for love and compassion is most clearly illustrated in her friendship with Dorothy Freeman, which remains one of the best pictures of love and closeness between two friends one may ever see.