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Gone With The Wind



Author: Margaret Mitchell

Genre: Romance, War, Historic Fiction

First Publication: 1936

Language: English

Tense: Past

Setting Time: 1861-early 1870 (American Civil war to the reconstruction era)

Setting Place: Tara (the O’Hara plantation in northern Georgia) & Atlanta.

Protagonist: Scarlett O’Hara

Major Characters: Scarlett O’Hara, Ashley Wilkes, Rhett Butler, Malanie, Mammy.

Narrator: Third-Person, anonymous and omniscient narrator. Narrator have access to the thoughts, emotions and histories of all the characters and have deep knowledge to the circumstances and consequences of the events in the book.

Review:

I don’t know how to write review of a classic like Gone with the Wind. So I’ll just write my feelings and thoughts after reading this wonderful, shocking, engrossing, emotionally absorbing and at the same time  most tragic, infinitely disturbing and upsetting work of literature ever written.

It’s a story of love and loss, peace and war, hope and despair and extreme will power to do anything for love, to cross any limits and border for safety of loved ones.  The story is set in the time of American Civil War and Reconstruction Era of the country so it represents  chronological look at a time filled with uncertainty during war and reconstruction, and also depicts the psychological and moral growth of its characters as they undergo dramatic changes to their way of life. Margaret Mitchell’s pen has stroked a beautiful, vivid yet realistic picture of life of belles, beaux, Yankees, confederates and everything in the South.

The Story revolves around beautiful, affluent, spirited yet lazy, spoiled, selfish, careless and stupid Scarlett O’Hara. The book chronicles Scarlett’s journey from a spoiled 16-year-old Southern belle in 1861 to broken yet strong and determined grown woman in 1873. Most of the book is devoted to intricate details of South during the Civil War, from mere talk amongst people of town to the brutality of battle when the war reaches their own backyards. There are bloodshed and lives lost  for Cause – a way of life that southern held onto with determination they were ready and willing to die for. Margaret Mitchell does a thorough job of showcasing the life on the plantations before the war broke out, in time of the war and during reconstruction and rebuilding after the war. She wrote clearly about South (how the Yankees were viewed, the deceptive practices of Carpetbaggers and the hatred of Scalawags during the period of war and reconstruction) from Scarlett’s point of view as well as from the perspective of the other Georgian residents.

Through this all there was a pulse of romance. The first line of the book is  “Scarlett O’Hara was not beautiful” but as Mitchell explains, men seldom realized it. Scarlett possesses an undeniable charm that leaves most men thunderstruck in her presence. She was charming yet she’s not always comply with the standards of a “great lady” in her day. She can be rude, discourteous, impolite, unladylike, ill-mannered, rough, uncivilized, foul-mouthed, brutally honest and as you’ll see when story progresses, she’s far too smart for her own good.

Another main character is Rhett Butler who was quite the devil and  the only person in book with the ability to conquer Scarlett. You’ll not like him neither you’ll trust him but still you’ll want him to be with Scarlett. He always mocked scarlett’s emotions and mocked all of the southern civility but still loved and admired Scarlett secretly. I loved all the talk and discussions between Scarlett and Rhett in the book and that is many times. I never read more vibrant character in my life than Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler. There are other Characters who I loved are Ashley Wilkes, Melanie, Mammy, Gerald O’Hara, Belle Watling, Aunt Hamilton, Franck Kennedy and many others. What I admired of  Margaret Mitchell -other than her story- was the way she had developed the characters, and their emotions and feelings. Each one is so full of life and personality that you'll come to appreciate them. I could go on and on , but I’ll let you get read it if you don’t have yet ( most have already read this classical epic).


Major Characters:

Scarlett O’Hara 

The protagonist of the novel and  daughter of Gerald and Ellen O'Hara and is accustomed to getting her own way, whether with clothes or boys. She surrounds herself with young men, flirting mercilessly and is not above stealing the beaux of other girls.

Rhett Butler

Scarlett's life long antagonist who is in love with her from the moment he sees her. He is an opportunist willing to take advantage of any situation, but not without kindness or generosity under the right conditions.

Ashley Wilkes 

Husband to Melanie Hamilton and object of Scarlett's life-long fantasy.

Melanie Hamilton

Wife to Ashley Wilkes and Sister of Scarlett's First Husband Charles Hamilton. Unable to believe anything bad about people she loves.


Mammy 

Scarlett's childhood nurse and life-long servant and companion. Mammy understands Scarlett better than Scarlett understands herself and is remarkably intuitive, but also protective and motherly.


Minor Characters:

Ellen O’Hara 

Scarlett's mother


Gerald O’Hara 

Scarlett's father


Suellen and Coreen O’Hara 

Scarlett's younger sisters


Charles Hamilton 

Scarlett’s first husband, brother to Melanie

Wade

Scarlett's first child by Charles


Frank Kennedy 

Scarlett’s second husband stolen from Suellen

Ella

Scarlett's second child by Frank

Bonnie Blue

Scarlett's third and last child

John Wilkes 

Ashley’s father

Honey and India Wilkes

Ashley’s younger sisters


Prissy and Dilcey 

Additional slaves purchased by Gerald early in the story. Prissy is given to Scarlett

Pork 

Gerald's personal servant

Tarleton boys 

Stuart, Brent, Boyd, Tom: young men from a neighboring plantation

James Tarleton 

The father of the Tarleton boys

Mr. Calvert and his "Yankee" wife 

The owners of smaller neighboring plantation

The Calvert children 

Raiford, Cade, Cathleen

Joe and Tony Fontaine 

Sons on another nearby plantation

Sally Monroe 

Joe’s bride

Dimity Munroe 

Sally's sister

The Merriwethers, the Elsings, the Meads

Citizens of Atlanta

Peter

Pittypat's house servant

Belle Watling

Owner of the whorehouse of Atlanta

Rene Picard

Beau to Maybelle Merriwether


Archie

A homeless soldier with a past who stays in Melanie's basement and serves as a bodyguard to the women

Hugh Elsing

Husband of Mrs. Elsing


Tommy Gallagher

A Low class foreman who runs one of Scarlett's mills.

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