GWTW: The Greatest Love Story of All Time?
"The Greatest Love Story of All Time..." is printed on the inside cover page of Gone With the Wind, but is Margaret Mitchell's civil war saga really a love story?
People tend to distill a great book down to its central relationship and then bill it as a great love story. That does not apply only to Scarlett and Rhett. It is difficult to find the actual love in a lot of the world's most adored "love stories". Lust and longing? Yes. Passion? Of course. But love?
Gone With the Wind can be described in one sentence: A story about the structure of society and the importance of balancing personal desires with finding one's own place in that society.
Gone With the Wind is much more than a simple love story. The relationships between the main characters explore the larger picture of what happens when a society is destroyed and painstakingly rebuilt.
The book begins by painting a picture of the Old South and its intricate pre-war society. The protagonist, Scarlett O'Hara, is a young woman being raised on a Georgia plantation known as Tara. Scarlett's parentage is often cited as the motivation behind Scarlett's actions. Her mother, Ellen O'Hara, is from a long-established Savannah family and her father, Gerald O'Hara, is a Irish immigrant with a self-made fortune. Such a match would have been unlikely if it hadn't been for Gerald's geniality and Ellen's heartbreak over another man.
The strict conventions of the Old South are depicted early in the book. There are rules of decorous behavior for southern ladies and gentlemen and a person's reputation among society is prized above all else. The Old South is a caste system, and Scarlett leads a privileged life in the highest caste. At Tara, Scarlett is taught the most important lessons of how to "catch a husband" and be a "great lady".
It is not long before the Civil War strips back that way of life. The changes begin with the wartime excitement, deepen through rationing and deprivations, and culminate in devastation as the Northern army marches through the south, burning nearly everything in their wake.
Those southerners who do survive the war have had to set aside many of the proprieties. In her zeal to never be hungry again, Scarlett takes this to the extreme. She scorns all of society's conventions, eventually becoming financially successful but a social outcast. It is only at the end of the novel when she begins to examine her priorities and realize what she threw away.
The relationship between Rhett and Scarlett is woven throughout the story. Rhett Butler, considered an outcast before the war, is immediately taken with Scarlett, who is already comfortable with bending societal rules to get her way. Throughout their story, Rhett encourages Scarlett to abandon society and follow her own dreams.
Meanwhile, Scarlett, despite flouting convention in order to adapt to the new post-war social order, cannot let go of her childhood crush on Ashley Wilkes. Though she does not realize it, Ashley has come to symbolize the old way of life that has been destroyed. He, and Tara, are the dreams Scarlett fights to preserve. Although, through her struggle to preserve them, Scarlett loses sight of who she herself had been prior to the war.
The same blinders that give Scarlett the strength to persevere, also keep her from seeing the potential for happiness in a life with Rhett. In his desire to free Scarlett from the shackles of society, he encourages in her the same selfishness and shallowness that builds a wall between them. He cannot admit that he loves her, for fear of her using it against him, and she cannot see his feelings (or her own) through the guarded nature of their relationship.
If there is any true love in this book, it comes in the form of Ashley's wife, Melanie Wilkes. Adored by all who know her, Melanie lives her life by society's rules, but can stand against them when they threaten her personal beliefs. Unlike Scarlett with her self-serving rebellions, Melanie understands the importance of both respecting the fabric of society and struggling against its more outdated or misguided notions.
Melanie wants to see the world as a beautiful place filled with beautiful people. She seeks out the good in everyone she meets, forgives those who are truly repentant, and is fiercely loyal to those who are dear to her. She alone exhibits the behavior of actual love.
Gone With the Wind is an epic masterpiece. The story takes an honest look at both the strengths and flaws of society. It shows what can happen when people lose everything and are forced to start over with what little they can salvage. The story explores the importance of societal convention while exposing its inherent hypocrisies. It is a tale of strength and foolishness, flawed yet noble people, and misguided dreams. Gone With the Wind is more than merely a love story.