Book Review

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.