by Cicely Richard

Created on: May 31, 2011

“Gone with the Wind,” first published in 1936, is Pulitzer Prize-winning novel written by Margaret Mitchell. The romantic-historic novel tells the story of Scarlett O'Hara amid the backdrop of the American Civil War and Reconstruction. Scarlett, the spoiled daughter of a Irish-American plantation owner, is present at pivotal moments during this turbulent time in American history and uses all of her physical and mental attributes to survive these trying times.

“Gone with the Wind” starts when Scarlett is 16 years old and the desire of young men for her charm, not necessarily for her physical appearance. The novel says she is “not beautiful, but...had an effect on men.” Scarlett is the oldest daughter of Gerald O'Hara, the Irish-American owner of Tara who worked his way to wealth, and Ellen Robillard O'Hara, a high-born Southerner of French descent. She has two younger sisters, Suellen and Carreen. By the end of the novel, Scarlett has been married three times and has a child from each one.

The pivotal plot of the novel is Scarlett's infatuation with Ashley Wilkes, a man who will not make her happy because they are so dissimilar, and the passion between her and Rhett Butler, a man more suited for her fiery personality who'd make her happy if she ever gave him a real chance. The novel vividly weaves a pattern of Scarlett's jealousy of Melanie Hamilton Wilkes, Ashley's cousin and wife, mixed with her admiration for the woman who marries the man she thinks she loves. Mitchell also creates sexual tension between Rhett, the charming bad boy, and Scarlett, who tries to escape her attraction toward him.

“Gone with the Wind,” though not thought of as a feminist novel, features strong women. First of all, Scarlett, the protagonist of the novel, does whatever it takes to care for her family, even if they defy social conventions. She worked in a military hospital during the Civil War, helps Melanie give birth, works the fields and even owns a business. She likely gets it from her mother who, despite being upper class, cares for sick slaves and poor whites at Tara. Though she is weak physically, Melanie is the voice of reason for Scarlett and the ones she loves, and she doesn't care what others think of Belle Watling, a local madam.

A negative aspect of the novel is its portrayal of slaves. It doesn't talk about the cruelty of the institution. Mammy, the main African-American character, is described as the “head woman of the plantation.” She does not leave the plantation, though, and remains loyal to the family. Mitchell uses an exaggerated dialect when Mammy speaks. The other slaves serve and rarely speak in the novel.

“Gone with the Wind,” despite its almost innocent portrayal of slavery, is still a good novel because of the quality of the writing and the way Mitchell shaped the characters. Readers feel transformed into a world that at one time seemed genteel but transformed into a unfamiliar land. Through the eyes of Scarlett, readers learn about strong women and the will to survive.

Source:

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gonewith/summary.html

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