GONE WITH THE WIND
SCARLETT
O’HARA was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm
as the Tarleton twins were. In her face were too sharply blended the delicate
features of her mother, a Coast aristocrat of French descent, and the heavy
ones of her florid Irish father. But it was an interesting face, pointed of
chin, square of jaw. Her eyes were pale green without a touch of hazel, starred
with bristly black lashes and slightly tilted at the
ends.......................
Those are the opening lines of this epic masterpiece. This story tells
Scarlett O’Hara who can conquer all men she wants with her undeniable charm.
She gets what she wants easily. She has loving family, wealth, friends, sixteen
inch waist but Ashley Wilkes. Instead of loving her as many other men, Ashley
Wilkes marries his cousin, Melanie Hamilton. Rhett Butler, a mysterious man who
was exiled from his home witnesses how Ashley tells Scarlet that he loves her
but still prefers to marry Melanie because of his belief that Melanie has in
common with him.
She was sixteen years old at that time. She never thinks about
working, slavery, political matter. Her only problem is she has to revenge and
make Ashley jealous by marrying Charles
Hamilton a day before Ashley’s marriage. It is only two months as she has to
admit that Charles Dies in the beginning of the Great war after she finds out
that she is pregnant.
The civil war changes Scarlet’s life. She has to live as widow with one
child in Atlanta. Not only she lost her cotton plantation, but also her mom,
Ellen Robillard. Her father, Gerald O’Hara becomes insane and her sisters,
Suellen and Careen O’Hara are sick. The slaves in her home run away. It is only
Mammy, Pork, Dilcey, ad Prissy who are still loyal to her family. She can not
depend on someone as she is the first child on her family and she has to be
family leader in her family. She never worry about what to eat and what to use
but war make her work and think really hard to make nine people in her house
can still eat even a little. Since then, she transform from a spoiled and belle
girl from Georgia who can only dance in party into selfish woman who always
chase for money and think that money can bring happiness.
“Child, it’s a very bad things for a woman to face the
worst that can happen to her, because after she’s faced the worst she can’t
ever really fear anything again. And it’s very bad for a woman not to be afraid
of something.” (Grandma Fountain)
Scarlett is a strong woman. She can raise and move forward while other
people still mourn and look back to the memory before war. She does everything
to get money and make Tara, her cotton plantation, still belong to O’Hara’s
family. For this she even steals her sister’s boyfriend, Frank Kennedy, in
order to get his money to save Tara. Slowly but sure, Scarlett forgets
everything she learns from his mom about love, ethics, kindness, politeness,
and many other things. What she cares about is only she has to get prosperity
without fear for starving. Her selfishness even makes her husband killed.
Scarlett characters are change. But her feeling to Ashley remain same. At
the same time, Rhett always accompanies her, listening to her mind, and making
her laughing and getting angry. Rhett knows her very well even her evil mind.
He loves her but he does not want to say it literally or show it clearly. But
Scarlett who is too selfish and always thing that she is the center of the
world never sees this. She never sees the expectation from this charming,
lustful, and smart man. What is on her mind is only the ambition to have Ashley
on her hand that she thinks it is love. But Ashley who always doubt about his
feeling actually never really loves Scarlet. He and Scarlet never understands
each other.
“If he didn’t guess it without being told, he’ll never
know anything about you and your precious mind.” (Rhett Butler)
When finally Rhett marries Scarlet, she could be happy. She could be happy
if she could appreciate what she has and realize how Rhett love her in his own
way. But Scarlet is always late in appreciating everything until she doesn’t
have it anymore. She suffers from lost of her daughter, Bonnie Blue Butler even
though at first she doesn’t want to have another child after Wade Hamilton and
Ella Kennedy. She hates Melanie but then realize that Melanie is like a sword
and shield in a short time before her death. And in the last, when she realized
that it is not Ashley Wilkes that she really loves but Rhett Butler, it is
already too late. Rhett doe not love her anymore. His love has gone since the
burial of her daughter who he loves with all of his heart. He just walks out.
It is only unhappiness and regret left for Scarlet O’Hara. Life teaches her a
lesson of having. When you don’t appreciate it, you will lose everything. And
Scarlet O’Hara should have bitter life as a consequences to regard loves around
her as useless.
“Scarlett, I was never one to patiently pick up broken
fragments and glue them together and tell myself that the mended whole was as
good as new. What is broken is broken – and I’d rather remember it as it was at
its best than mend it and see the broken places as long as I lived.” (Rhett
Butler)
This story teach us that we can’t get all we want. Life is not a fairy
tale. It doesn’t always have a happy Ending. Overall I can say that this book
is very well written. As a reader we can be part of this book from a good
description of the personality of each character, the story background, and the
conflict in it. It will always be my favorite classic book ever.
