Gone with the Wind

Summary

This movie, which was set in the old South now gone with the wind, is the greatest love story in American literature. We see life during the 19th century in this civilization through the eyes of Scarlett O’ Hara, the main female character. Scarlett O’ Hara started out as a willful spoilt southern belle. She had a handful of beaus all around her but she decided that she was in love with her neighbor Ashley Wilkes, who was set to marry his cousin Melanie. But once Scarlett made up her mind to get something, she would never give up easily. Into this triangle entered Rhett Butler, who seemed as determined and strong-willed as Scarlett. He, on his part, had made up his mind that Scarlett was the woman for him. Thus followed the heart-breaking story of these people running around in circles and missing each other. There was Ashley, who it turned out was truly in love with his wife but was confused by his lust for Scarlett. Then there was Rhett, who in the end got tired of having to compete with Ashley and crossed Scarlett off his list of priorities. And Scarlett, who realized too late that she had never actually truly loved Ashley, lost Rhett just as soon as she discovered that she really loved him. But it was not like Scarlett to give up. She declared at the end of the movie that she would get him back ‘tomorrow’.

The story revolves around the civil war: before, during, and after. The war was fought between the North and the South over states' rights and the abolition of slavery. However, the Civil War also had a significant impact on shaping Southern identity. Even after the war was long over, the people’s lives were never the same. The South struggled to cling to tradition and still survive in the new era. The postwar society could be described as a fast-paced world in which the strong thrive and the weak perish.

My Thoughts

The first thing I noticed while watching this film was the characteristics of the black people portrayed. In the movie, the black characters were unquestioningly loyal to the whites who were their masters, and unable to survive on their own. The slaves are portrayed as the most content on the plantation while they were under the paternalistic power of whites. Slavery was obviously not considered vulgar. If anything, most of the black people seemed very adamantly against the idea of getting freed from slavery. To me, this is not a positive message for the blacks at all.

Another thing I would like to comment on is the place of women in the society. Unmarried women had to be as pure as can be, or else they were considered white trash for the rest of their lives. There was this woman who was taken horse-back riding by Rhett Butler without a chaperone. Rhett later refused to marry her. And even though nothing had happened, she was ruined all the same. As for married women, their wifely duties was to unfailing follow wherever their husbands went and place his decision second only to God. This was the ideal woman at the time. Because of this, Scarlett O’Hara came out as a sharp contrast to them. She’s more of the modern day American woman, strong and independent.

Characters

Scarlett O’Hara: Scarlett was a pretty, pouting Southern belle who grew up on the Georgia plantation of Tara in the years before the Civil War. Selfish, shrewd, and vain, Scarlett had a ‘I get what I want’ type of attitude. However, when hardships struck the South, Scarlett shouldered the troubles of her family and friends.

Rhett Butler: Scarlett’s third husband, and a dashing, dangerous adventurer and scoundrel. He was an opportunistic blockade-runner during the war, and therefore was one of the only rich Southern men in Atlanta after the war. Rhett proved himself a loving father and, at times, a caring husband. Though he loved Scarlett, his pride prevented him from showing her his love, and it even led him to brutality.

Ashley Wilkes: One of the people who could not adjust to the postwar South. The once lively Ashley was resigned and sad after the war was over. He was Scarlett’s love interest almost throughout the movie. Comitted to his honor, he would never betray his wife, but could not help feeling attracted to Scarlett.

Melanie Wilkes: At first glance, frail and good-hearted to the point of silliness, but possessed a quiet inner strength that could face the world. She was regarded by Scarlett as her rival at first, but soon after they suffered the hardships of war together, strong bonds formed between them.