The Road to Character

Moderation, temperance, and self-restraint form the core thematic case study Brooks examines in the context of Ida’s influence on her son as a military leader and politician. Ida and David raised their sons in a conservative Christian sect that shunned such indulgences as playing cards, drinking, and gambling; however, Ida knew the value of playfulness, warmth, laughter, and even the occasional shot of whiskey if circumstances called for it. She was instrumental in relaxing their religious community’s dress code for women—surrounding the wearing of bonnets—and was initially upset, as a pacifist, when Eisenhower chose to attend West Point and embark upon a military career. Neither Ida, nor her son, was perfect; both had passionate, temperamental sides that they spent their lives mastering and holding in check for the benefit of family and, eventually, in Eisenhower’s case, the nation. They constantly faced their own flaws and overcame them with grace.

Ida and Eisenhower make for a formidable pair of protagonists, as Ida’s influence in her son’s life is so profound and pervasive as to seem uncanny. Eisenhower’s decisions as both a military leader and a president seem to reflect the decisions his mother would have made had she served her country in these capacities. Their humble beginnings in Kansas, from a life of poverty to one of modest middle-class existence, speak to circumstances that gave them little choice but to exercise moderation even if their impulses on occasion led them toward pride and impulsiveness. Brooks observes, “Sin is also a necessary piece of our mental furniture because sin is communal, while error is individual. You make a mistake, but we are all plagued by sins like selfishness and thoughtlessness” (54). Despite their flaws, Ida and Eisenhower are the kind of self-made individuals constantly lauded in context of the American Dream.

From humble Kansas railroad-town roots to the chaos of the European Theater of WWII to the perpetual grind of Washington, DC political edifices, the settings in which the Eisenhower family’s personal and moral struggles occurred are iconic. Thriving despite adversity has been a quality long associated with existence in the American Midwest—particularly in the Dustbowl, during the Great Depression—and grace under fire is a desirable quality in those who serve as US Government officials. These harsh conditions forced both Ida and Eisenhower to face the most trying parts of their own character and restrain them to serve others.