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''Gone with the Wind'', an American Novel by Margaret Mitchell , was published in 1936 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937. ''Gone with the Wind'' was the only book that Margaret Mitchell published in her lifetime, but it became one of the best selling American novels. TITLE The title is taken from the first line of the third stanza of the poem ''Non Sum Qualis eram Bonae Sub Regno Cynarae'' {Link without Title} by in the book. When her hometown is overtaken by the Yankees, she wonders if her home is still standing, or if it too is "gone with the wind" that swept through Georgia. PLOT SUMMARY Mitchell's work relates the story of a rebellious Georgia Southern belle named Scarlett O'Hara and her experiences with friends, family, lovers, and enemies before, during, and after the Civil War. Using Scarlett's life, Mitchell examined the effect of the War on the old order of the south, and the aftermath of the war on what was left of the southern aristocracy. Part One The novel opens at Tara, the O'Hara plantation in Georgia, with Scarlett O'Hara flirting idly with Brent and Stuart Tarleton, twin brothers who live on a nearby plantation. Amidst the chatter the pair tell Scarlett that Ashley Wilkes, the man Scarlett secretly loves, is to marry his cousin Melanie Hamilton, a plain and gentle lady from Atlanta. Scarlett hurries to find her father, Gerald, to probe him for further information. Gerald confirms that Ashley does intend to marry Melanie. He sharply warns Scarlett that she and Ashley would make a terrible match and encourages her to consider the attentions of one of the other local beaux. Scarlett is miserable with the news until she realizes that Ashley does not know she is in love with him. She plots to make Ashley jealous by surrounding herself with men at the barbecue the next day at the Wilkes plantation of Twelve Oaks, then admit to him that she prefers him above all the others. Among the fawning gentlemen is Charles Hamilton, Melanie's brother, and Frank Kennedy, her sister Suellen's beau. Things do not go according to plan; although Ashley returns her affections, he tells Scarlett that he will still marry Melanie. The unreceived Rhett Butler, hidden behind a couch during the emotional scene, sees Scarlett throw a vase across the room in anger after Ashley leaves and is impressed by her fire. Charles Hamilton, himself in love with Scarlett, proposes later in the evening, and to hurt Ashley she accepts, to the great distress of Ashley's sister Honey, who, it was generally understood, was intended for Charles. The barbecue presents an idyllic view of the antebellum South, with its flourishing plantations, content slaves, and benevolent masters. Tension is on the horizon, however, as the men at the barbecue discuss what will become America’s Civil War. Both couples marry within weeks with Scarlett bitterly regretting her decision but receiving a warm welcome from Melanie, who now considers Scarlett to be her sister. Two months later Charles dies of pnemoniua on the battlefield, but before he’s had the opportunity to fight, confirming in Scarlett's opinion his unheroic weakness. Once the belle of the ball, Scarlett is now relegated to the stringent mourning rituals of the day which include years of wearing unadorned black, living a quiet life at home, and limited social interaction. She is more distressed over her boredom and newfound motherhood to son, Wade Hampton Hamilton (who as tradition demands is named for his dead father's commanding officer), than at Charles' death. Her mother, Ellen, believing Scarlett to be pining away from a broken heart, sends her to Atlanta to Charles' elderly maiden Aunt Pittypat and Melanie in an attempt to raise her spirits. Part Two ''Chapters VIII to XVI'' In Atlanta, Scarlett quickly inserts herself into the hustle and bustle of the city. Melanie, whom Scarlett secretly despises for having married Ashley and what she sees as her weak, compliant nature, treats Scarlett like a sister and is blind to Scarlett's contempt and jealousy. At a charity ball they reestablish an acquaintance with the scandalous Rhett Butler, who creates more social outrage when he bids to dance with Scarlett, who is in mourning. The war continues with Scarlett in Atlanta and in the constant company of Rhett, who ostensibly calls on Aunty Pittypat as widows cannot receive male callers. His sharp wit and sarcastic charm both infuriate and beguile Scarlett, though she continues to carry a torch for Ashley. When Ashley comes home for Christmas, Scarlett becomes acutely aware of the privileges Melanie holds as his wife. The day Ashley leaves, Scarlett again reveals her feelings to him, hoping Ashley will also break down and allow himself to tell Scarlett that he loves her too. But Ashley has a more important matter to discuss with Scarlett. Sensing the end of the war and the fall of the South, he charges Scarlett with the care of Melanie and his unborn child. Because he knows, admires, and even loves the strength of Scarlett, Ashley (relying on Scarlett's love and honor to him) makes her promise him that she will look after Melanie and see his family through the upcoming crisis in his absence. Scarlett blindly agrees to his promise. As Ashley heads for the door, Scarlett clings to him desperately and they share a passionate, forbidden embrace. Scarlett sobs that she loves him and that she only married Charles to hurt him. Ashley says nothing and wrenches himself from her grasp, hurrying from the house and his immoral love for Scarlett. Part Three Chapters XVII to XXX As the tide of war turns against the South, Atlanta is bombarded constantly. When the Yankees finally begin their siege of Atlanta, the city evacuates. However, Melanie and Scarlett remain behind as Melanie is pregnant and because Scarlett has promised Ashley that she would take care of her. After Melanie gives birth, Scarlett sends her maid, Prissy, for Rhett Butler to come and take them out of Atlanta. Eventually, Rhett shows up with a broken-down horse and carriage that he stole from the army and carts the weakened Melanie, her infant son Beau, Scarlett's son Wade, Prissy, and Scarlett out of Atlanta. In a fit of conscience he abandons them on the road back to Tara to fight for the South, despite his prior contempt for the Cause and knowing that the South is on the point of collapse, but not before giving Scarlett a kiss and telling her that he loves her. Arriving at Tara, Scarlett finds the house in ruins, the crops burned, most of the slaves run off, her mother dead, her father demented, and her two sisters sick with typhoid. She grasps the reins of authority and tries to turn the place around. She finds that some of her neighbors managed to survive the pillaging of the Yankees and they share with her all that they can spare. She forces her family and the slaves to tend fields and pick cotton, which Suellen complains about but her youngest sister Carreen does obligingly. When a lone Yankee soldier arrives looking to loot and assault Scarlett, she shoots him. The still-weak Melanie comes running with Charles' sword, which is too heavy for her to lift, and Scarlett feels the beginnings of comradeship with her sister-in-law as the two loot the dead soldier's pockets and knapsack before swearing each other to secrecy about his death. After more trial and tribulation, the months pass and Tara finally receives word that the war has ended; the Confederacy is no more. Soldiers begin straggling home, and on their way, some seek the refuge of Tara for food and hospitality. An unconscious soldier named Will Benteen arrives and Carreen nurses him back to health. Having nowhere to go, he stays on at Tara, helping with the plowing, and slowly he takes on more responsibility and shifts Scarlett's heavy load onto his own shoulders. Suellen's beau Frank Kennedy asks Scarlett for her sister’s hand in marriage, and she gives her consent. There has been no sign of Ashley, who was in a Yankee prison for the last year of the war, until one day he is finally seen coming up the long road towards Tara. Melanie and Scarlett both rush to greet him but Scarlett is stopped by Mammy, who says "He's her husband, ain't he?" Scarlett reluctantly hangs back, but is nonetheless euphoric over Ashley's return. Part Four ''Chapters XXXI to XLVII'' Tara's former overseer, evil Yankee Jonas Wilkerson, newly a Scallywag, raises the taxes on Tara to force the O'Haras out so that he and his wife can live there. Frantic to save Tara, Scarlett plots to go to Atlanta and get Rhett to give her the money to pay the taxes. She finds Rhett in jail and unable to help her despite her offer to marry him. She then runs into Frank Kennedy, now a successful storeowner, and in desperation she manipulates Frank to believe that an impatient Suellen is to marry someone else. Frank, saddened by Suellen's supposed defection and unable to resist Scarlett's charms, marries her and gives her the tax money. After Rhett gets out of jail, he lends her more so that she can buy a sawmill, with the promise that she will not use the money to help Ashley Wilkes. To her dismay Scarlett becomes pregnant with Frank’s child and scrambles to get her monies in order before the birth, earning the ire of the Old Guard by showing herself in public when pregnant and doing well in the man’s world of business. Scarlett later gives birth to a daughter, whom she names Ella. Scarlett receives word from Tara her father Gerald has died. After returning to Tara for the funeral, Will informs her of the circumstances of his death: Suellen had tried to manipulate a disoriented Gerald to betray the Confederacy by signing the Ironclad Oath for money. Briefly lucid, Gerald realizes her intentions, flies into a rage and disowns Suellen, then in an attempt to jump a fence with his horse, he falls and breaks his neck. The community despises Suellen for her hand in Gerald’s death, although Scarlett, traumatized by her family’s struggles with poverty, quietly agrees with her. Despite his love for Carreen, Will announces his intention to marry Suellen to assuage the community’s animosity toward her. After the funeral, Scarlett manipulates Ashley into returning to Atlanta to run her sawmill in order to prevent him from leaving for the North to find work. Being dependent on Scarlett and having to work for her ends up breaking Ashley's spirit and his independence. A few months later we find Scarlett driving alone to and from the sawmill, a form of boldness which is frowned upon by her neighbors. One day Scarlett is assaulted by a poor white man and his black companion who live in a shantytown in the woods. Big Sam, her former slave, appears and fights off the attackers. To avenge her, Frank, Ashley, and the rest of the local men raid the shantytown where Scarlett was jumped. Believing them to be at a political meeting, Scarlett complains to the women sitting with her of Frank's apparent carelessness following her assault. After a skirmish at the shantytown, Ashley is injured and Frank is killed. Following Frank’s funeral, Rhett unceremoniously proposes to Scarlett, wanting to be sure to get her before she marries someone else. Belle Watling, a local madam and Rhett’s mistress, stops by Melanie's house in a closed carriage to see how Ashley is doing; she played a crucial role in saving his life the night of the raid. Melanie warmly thanks her for saving her husband and offers Belle her friendship. Part Five ''Chapters XLVIII to LXIII'' Scarlett marries Rhett Butler and finds marriage the third time around surprisingly pleasant. Rhett spoils her without qualms. The only thing he refuses Scarlett is to help her help Ashley Wilkes. Scarlett begins spending time with the newly rich Yankees, who are portrayed as having few if any scruples. Scarlett builds a mansion and spends money lavishly. The Old Guard decide to cut Scarlett and Rhett out of society for the company they keep and their lack of modesty. Only Melanie's undying loyalty keeps Scarlett in the fold at all. Scarlett soon learns that she is pregnant and gives birth to a baby girl named Eugenia Victoria (for Queen Victoria and Empress Eugenie of the French), nicknamed Bonnie Blue. Rhett is immensely proud of the child and spoils her unabashedly. Fearing to betray her continuing love for Ashley and the ruin of her figure, Scarlett informs Rhett that she does not wish any more children; that is, she no longer wants to share his bed. Rhett becomes bitterly jealous and from then on, the couple sleep in separate bedrooms. Rejected by Scarlett, Rhett turns to Bonnie for comfort and decides that, though Atlanta hates her parents, Bonnie should have everything. So he turns all of his charm to winning Atlanta over to give Bonnie a chance with the Old Guard. Soon after, Melanie plans a surprise birthday party for Ashley. Charged with stalling him during the party preparations, Scarlett goes to his mill and the two chat about old times at Twelve Oaks. They hug as friends. However, India Wilkes and Archie misinterpret this embrace, as both have suspected Scarlett's feelings for Ashley for a long time, and eagerly spread the rumor. Later that night, Rhett, having heard from Archie, forces Scarlett out of bed and to the party, wearing her most shocking clothes. But Melanie, incapable of believing anything bad of her beloved sister-in-law who saved her and Beau’s life during the siege of Atlanta, stands by Scarlett's side so that all know that she believes the rumor to be false. At home later that night, Scarlett finds Rhett downstairs drunk. Blind with jealousy, he tells Scarlett that he loves her and could kill her to make her forget Ashley. Picking her up, he carries her up the stairs and ostensibly rapes her, although Scarlett does not recognize it as such and believes it to be consensual. Scarlett wakes up alone the next morning, eager to see her husband. On the contrary, Rhett chooses to stay away because he is horrified at his actions. Rhett eventually takes Bonnie on an extended trip abroad. All of Atlanta chooses sides between India and Scarlett, but Melanie fiercely supports Scarlett and rejects India, her husband's own sister. Scarlett discovers that she is pregnant, and for the first time, she is glad. However, when Rhett returns after three months and rebuffs her attempts at warmth, she tells him she doesn't want the baby. Hurt, Rhett scornfully says, "maybe you'll have an accident." Enraged, Scarlett tries to claw him, Rhett pushes her off and she falls down the stairs, and suffers a miscarriage. Rhett, frantic with guilt, cries to Melanie about his jealousy but refrains from telling her about Scarlett's true feelings for Ashley, knowing that she is incapable of believing that Scarlett would hurt her. After recovering at Tara, Scarlett is tricked by Rhett into selling the sawmills to Ashley. Rhett spends his time edging Bonnie back into Southern society. Tragically, Bonnie dies while trying to jump her horse, just as her grandfather Gerald O'Hara did. Scarlett blames Rhett, Rhett blames himself, and they refuse to see each other, though Scarlett secretly regrets what she said and desperately wants to see him. While attempting to mediate between the two, Melanie falls gravely ill. After having Beau she was warned by doctor’s orders not to have any more children. However, she has always desired more children and became pregnant. On her deathbed, Melanie tells Scarlett to watch out for Ashley and to be good to Rhett because he loves her. Scarlett realizes that she never really loved Ashley. Rather she loved the idea of the noble, chivalrous South that he represented and despises his weakness. She rushes to share her revelation with Rhett, who is now apparently drained of his love for Scarlett. He replies, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn," and he leaves for his hometown of Charleston. Scarlett is devastated with her realization of true love and the consequences of her past selfishness. As she sits at the foot of the stairs exhausted, she decides to go back to Tara to think of a solution; she still believes that she has the charm to get any man she sets designs upon. The book ends with Scarlett's proclamation: "After all, tomorrow is another day!" CHARACTERS Butler Household
Wilkes Household
O'Hara Household
Other Characters
SETTING
POLITICS Many historians regard the book as having a strong ideological commitment to the cause of the Confederacy and a romanticized view of the culture of the Antebellum South. The book includes a vivid description of the fall of Atlanta in 1864 and the devastation of war (some of it absent from the 1939 Film ), and shows a considerable amount of historical research. However, Mitchell's sources were almost exclusively Southern writers and historians; according to her biography, Mitchell herself was ten years old before she learned that the South had lost the war. Mitchell's sweeping narrative of war and loss helped the book win the Pulitzer Prize on May 3 , 1937 . An episode in the book deals with the early Ku Klux Klan : in the immediate aftermath of the War, Scarlett is assaulted by poor southerners living in shanties, whereupon her former Black slave Sam saves her life. In response, Scarlett's male friends attempt to make a retaliatory night-time raid on the encampment. Northern soldiers try to stop the attacks, and Rhett helps Ashley, who is shot, to get help through his prostitute friend Belle. Scarlett's husband Frank is killed. This raid is presented sympathetically as being necessary and justified, while the law-enforcement officers trying to catch the perpetrators are depicted as oppressive Northern occupiers. Although the Klan is not mentioned in that scene, it is mentioned that Scarlett finds the Klan abominable and believes the men should all just stay at home (though this is motivated mostly by a selfish desire to both be petted for her ordeal and to give the hated Yankees no more reason to tighten martial law, which is bad for her businesses). Rhett is also mentioned to be no great lover of the Klan, though he says at one point that if it is necessary he will join in an effort to integrate well into society. The novel never explicitly states whether or not this drastic step was necessary in his view. The local chapter later breaks up under the pressure from Rhett and Ashley. Scarlett expresses views that were common of the era. Some examples:
Scarlett has many spiteful and selfish opinions in the novel, and is callous toward her children, her sisters, and of course Melanie, who has every virtue Scarlett lacks. Whether Mitchell shared Scarlett's views is unknown. The book is far more open in the matter of Freedom Of Speech than the film, and it leaves no doubt that this was necessary in order to show what people really felt without puting "makeup" that would take the genuinity out of the book. INSPIRATIONS Several components of ''Gone with the Wind'' have parallels with Margaret Mitchell's own life, suggesting her experiences provided some inspiration for the story. Mitchell's understanding of life and hardship during the is thought to be based on Mitchell's first husband, Red Upshaw, whom she married in 1922, but divorced after it was revealed that he was a Bootlegger . There is much historical evidence that he was actually based on George Trenholm , a famous Blockade-runner . See link The Real Rhett Butler Revealed .(It should also be noted here that it is also thought he was modeled after Sir Godfrey Barnsley of Adairsville, Georgia. After a stay at the plantation called The Woodlands, and later Barnsley Gardens, Mitchell may have gotten the inspiration for the dashing scoundrel.) Another at least partial character source for Scarlett O'Hara might have been Martha Bulloch Roosevelt , the mother of US president Theodore Roosevelt . Roosevelt biographer David McCullough discovered that Mitchell, while a reporter for '' The Atlanta Journal ,'' conducted an interview with one of Martha's closest friends and bridesmaid, Evelyn King Williams, who was 87. In that interview, Martha's physical appearance, beauty, grace, and intelligence were described in great detail. The similarities between Martha, who was also called Mittie, and Scarlett are striking. SEQUELS Alexandra Ripley wrote the novel '' Scarlett '', in 1991, as the authorized sequel to Mitchell's novel. In 2000, the copyright holders attempted to suppress publication of Alice Randall 's '' The Wind Done Gone '', a book that retold the story from the point of view of the slaves. A federal appeals court denied the plaintiffs an Injunction against publication in '' Suntrust V. Houghton Mifflin '' (2001), on the basis that the book was Parody protected by the First Amendment . The parties subsequently settled out of court to allow the book to be published. After its release the book became a New York Times bestseller. A second sequel will be released in November of 2007. The story covers the same time period as Gone with the Wind and will be told through Rhett Butler's perspective. The second sequel has been titled " Rhett Butler's People " and has been written by Donald McCaig. {Link without Title} SEE ALSO REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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