by Margaret Mitchell, 1936
North Georgia, Civil War, Scarlett O’Hara, 16 year-old belle of the county, 18″ waist, steals everyone’s boyfriends but not the one she “loves,” Ashley Wilkes. Melanie marries Ashley. So Scarlett marries Charles Hamilton (Melanie’s brother). Civil War starts – Charlie dies 3 months later (not in battle; got sick in camp). Scarlett pregnant, has Wade. Is depressed. Dear Mother sends her and Mammy to Atlanta to live with Melanie and Aunt Pitty-Pat. Ashley is away at war. Rhett Butler, 35 yrs. old, handsome, rich, Blockade runner, recognizes Scarlett for exactly what she is. Loves her and wants her but bides his time, waiting her to fall out of love with Ashley Wilkes. She doesn’t until it is too late. She realizes after Melly dies, and she could have Ashley, that she loved an idea – not the real man – and then she realizes the real man she loves is Rhett Butler. She runs to him in their home where they lost beloved Bonnie, their daughter whom Rhett loved, adored, who died at 4 years old when he bought her a pony, taught it to jump, and she wanted the bar raised, so he raised it, and it threw her when it jumped. After that, Rhett’s love for Scarlett died. They have a heart-to-heart (finally) the night Melanie dies when Scarlett realizes how much she loved Melly and Rhett. But Rhett tells her it’s too late.
Scarlett, “Oh, my darling, if you go, what shall I do?” … He drew a short breath and said lightly but softly: “My dear, I don’t give a damn.” … “I won’t think of it now,” she thought grimly, summoning up her old charm. “I’ll go crazy if I think about losing him now. I’ll think of it tomorrow.” … “I’ll — why, I’ll go home to Tara tomorrow,” and her spirits lifted faintly… “I’ll think of it all tomorrow, at Tara. I can stand it then. Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.” (Last sentence of book, 959 pages.)
Great Book – FANTASTIC! Much about Civil War, Slavery, Yankees, Reconstruction, Atlanta, Georgia and Southern Society, Carpetbaggers, Scalawags, Republicans. Book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937. Margaret Mitchell said, “If the novel has a theme it is that of survival … It happens in every upheaval. Some people survive; others don’t …So I wrote about people who had gumption and people who didn’t.”
Melanie loved Scarlett through thick and thin and stood by her even when told by others she loved that Scarlett was having an affair with Ashley. (They kissed once, they hugged once, and then 10 years later, they hugged again in Scarlett’s lumber mill that she let Ashley run – they were reminiscing about the old plantation days and got sad and Scarlett cried and they hugged – no passion – and Ashley’s sister India Wilkes, who hated Scarlett, saw them. Told Melanie, Rhett, the whole town.) Melanie refused to believe it – she stood by Scarlett and faced down the whole town. The whole town loves Melanie – she was the sweetest angel who ever lived. The night she died, Scarlett realizes everything – how she loved Melanie, how she didn’t love Ashley, and how she loved Rhett.
Melanie told Scarlett on her death bed – “Captain Butler – be kind to him. He — loves you so.”
GREAT, GREAT book! Rhett, Scarlett, Melanie and all the other interesting characters (Mammy; the black lady who was with Ellen (Scarlett’s Mom) then Scarlett, then Bonnie Blue – then went back to Tara after Bonnie died). The places – Tara, Atlanta, The War – what a losing battle from the start and Rhett knew it. LOVED IT!
Jonah 2:8 Those (Scarlett) who cling to worthless idols (Ashley Wilkes) forfeit the grace that could be theirs.