Introduction

Introduction

“Gone with the Wind” is a novel by American writer Margaret Mitchell, a fascinating plot, an acutely social work, the main problem of which is the fate of human values ​​in the world of buying and selling.

The book takes place during one of the most difficult periods in US history and covers the years of the Civil War (1861-1865) and the subsequent Reconstruction.

The novel was published on June 30, 1936 and became one of the most famous bestsellers American literature. Before the end of 1936, more than one million copies had been sold. That same year, Mitchell transferred the film rights to producer David Selznick for $50,000. A film of the same name was made in 1939. In 1937, Mitchell received the Pulitzer Prize for this novel.

Margaret Mitchell herself also became a mystery to many. “An unknown housewife wrote a book about which experts argued whether it was possible to write it, and agreed that it was impossible,” in any case, the author’s undoubted literary talent, excellent command of the pen, sharpness and accuracy in the description of historical events and bright, lively images of the heroes of the novel. All this puts Margaret Mitchell on a par with the outstanding writers of world literature.

The object of study of this course work is the system of characters as artistic medium in Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind.

The subject of the study is the ideological and artistic content of the novel “Gone with the Wind”.

The purpose of the work is to consider the features of Margaret Mitchell's novel as a historical novel.

The purpose of this course work is to study the premises that influenced the writing of the novel, to analyze the system of characters of the novel’s heroes and to analyze the specifics of the novel “Gone with the Wind” as a historical novel.

novel gone with the wind mitchell

1. Factors that influenced the writing of the novel “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell

The book “Gone with the Wind” is considered one of the most significant works in the history of American literature, and not only American literature. In terms of its significance for world literature, the novel “Gone with the Wind” is equal to “War and Peace” by L. Tolstoy.

The novel follows in the wake of a war that mutilated the fates of many people. After reading the novel Gone with the Wind, we see that Margaret Mitchell describes the hardships of this war.

“She had enough reason to protest against the identification of America with the Yankees and turn her novel to the image of what Pushkin said, peering into the New World, unknown to her: “Everything noble, unselfish, everything that elevates the human soul - suppressed by inexorable egoism and passion for contentment."

It seems to me that if Margaret Mitchell had lived to this day, she would have been incredibly surprised by the unfading readership for her masterpiece over the years.

But Margaret Mitchell's fate turned out differently. Only 48 years were allotted to this woman, who forever remained in history as the author of one, but real bestseller.

Margaret Mitchell was born on November 8, 1900 in Atlanta - the same city in which many of the events of the novel take place. Relatives on the paternal side were from Ireland, on the maternal side they were French. During the Civil War between the North and South (1861-1865), both of Margaret's grandfathers fought on the side of the Southerners.

The father of Margaret and her brother Stevens, Eugene Mitchell, a well-known lawyer in Atlanta, a real estate expert, who in his youth dreamed of becoming a writer, was the chairman of the local historical society, thanks to which the children grew up in an atmosphere of stories about the amazing events of the recent era. As in the novel, Scarlett's mother died the day before her arrival, so Margaret's mother Mabel Mitchell became seriously ill and died of influenza the day before her daughter's return. Quite a lot of events in the novel are connected with the life of Margaret herself; Margaret, like Scarlett, did not marry for love for the first time. Margaret Mitchell's first marriage lasted only 10 months. Of all the generations of wives in their family, Margaret was the first to allow herself a divorce. In Margaret's biography, one can feel a bit of rebellion towards all the rules and morals, just like the main character of the novel, Scarlett.

As often happens, the novel “Gone with the Wind” owes its appearance to a generally prosaic event. As a teenager, Margaret, while riding, forced her horse to overcome an obstacle and fell out of the saddle. This resulted in an ankle injury and the need to wear special shoes. Years later, the injury made itself felt: Margaret was diagnosed with arthrosis.

Margaret could not walk for about a year. And it was then that the idea occurred to her that writing novels on a love-historical theme was much more interesting than reading them.

As a child, Margaret heard many stories from her grandmother about the war of the southern and northern American states, about Yankee soldiers and Confederate soldiers. Her mother showed her charred chimneys and vacant lots - traces of families who had gone to war. Margaret's ancestors on both sides were veterans of this war. All these stories naturally fit into outlines for a future novel.

From 1926 to 1933, Margaret wrote her book, completely unsure of her creation. Margaret had no idea of ​​deadlines. But she had something else - a plot so ripe in her imagination that she could put any chapter on paper at any time. She wrote sometimes from the beginning, sometimes from the middle, sometimes from the end. In truth, the first chapter she wrote was the last in the book.

Subsequently, Margaret flatly refused the publishers' request to change the ending of the novel, saying jokingly: "Brought by the Breeze" - a novel in which there will be a highly moral plot, in which all the heroes, including Pretty Watling, will change their souls and characters, and they will all be mired in hypocrisy and stupidity." After all, according to her plan, it was precisely on this scene of parting that the whole story rested. And here is the phrase endlessly quoted by thousands of women around the world: “I won’t think about it now... I’ll think about it tomorrow!”

“The creation of the novel Gone with the Wind began in 1926 with the fact that Margaret Mitchell wrote the main phrase of the last chapter: “She could not understand either of the two men she loved, and now she has lost both.” In December 1935, the final (60th) version of the first chapter was written, and the manuscript was sent to the publishing house.”

The name of the main character of the novel was found at the last moment - right at the publishing house. It is believed that the main characters of the novel had prototypes: for example, the image of Scarlett reflects many of the character and appearance traits of Margaret Mitchell herself, the image of Rhett Butler may have been created from Red Upshaw, Margaret’s first husband.

“According to one version, for the title of the book the words were taken from a poem by Horace, arranged by Ernst Dawson: “I have forgotten a lot, Cinara; blown away by the wind, the scent of these roses was lost in the crowd...”; The estate of the O'Hara family began to be called the same as the ancient capital of the Irish kings - Tara. Margaret herself defined the theme of the novel as "survival."

If we remember Mitchell’s two marriages and look through her photographs, where a bright and energetic young woman gradually turns into a tough and dry lady, it is easy to build a line of revenge for a childless, prematurely aged chaperone of her own careless youth.

Margaret was completely at a loss to see how readers received her Scarlett. When asked by reporters whether she had copied the main character from herself, Margaret answered sharply: “Scarlett is a girl prostitute, me not!". And she explained: “I tried to describe a woman who is far from delightful, about whom there is little good to be said ... I find it absurd and funny that Miss O Hara has become something of a national heroine, I think it is very bad for the morale and mental state of the nation - if the nation is able to applaud and be carried away by a woman who behaved like that."

With all the success of the novel and its film adaptation, there were nevertheless skeptics who argued that Margaret Mitchell was not the author of the novel, that the novel was written for her by her husband, older brother, literary editors of the publishing house and others. For more than ten years, Margaret Mitchell denied the rumors and brushed aside the accusations. All this greatly offended her, since Margaret, since childhood, feared accusations of plagiarism more than anything else in the world.

When Margaret was nine years old, her father told her: “Remember, Peggy, plagiarism is the same as theft!” That is why in her will Margaret ordered that after her death only those materials would remain that prove that Gone with the Wind was written only by her and no one else.

However, it is unlikely that Margaret, when she wrote such a will, thought that her loved ones would have to carry out her will much earlier than she could have imagined.

On August 1949, Margaret Mitchell and her husband once again went to the cinema. The couple had a tradition - to go to the movies once or twice a week. So that evening, Margaret and John left the car in the parking lot and headed across the street to the movie theater on Peach Street, which became the most famous street in Atlanta after the release of the novel Gone with the Wind. When there were only a few meters left to the sidewalk, a taxi suddenly jumped out from around the bend. At breakneck speed. John managed to dodge and jump out from under the wheels, but Margaret did not have time.

With severe injuries, she was taken to the hospital, where five days later, on August 16, 1949, she died.

The tragic and sudden death of Margaret Mitchell did not allow her to write new works. Therefore, in the history of world literature and human memory, Margaret will forever remain the author of Gone with the Wind. And, without a doubt, this novel will be read by more than one generation of readers. Despite the fact that Margaret herself wrote about the novel like this: “... this is, in essence, simple story about absolutely ordinary people. There is no elaborate style, no philosophy, minimal description, no grandiose thoughts, no hidden meanings, no symbolism, nothing sensational - in short, none of the things that made other novels bestsellers. But we all know that nothing has ever been this close human soul like the story of common man, so similar to ourselves. This is probably why the book and film Gone with the Wind will always be relevant. And even many years later they will be called classics and masterpieces of world literature and cinema.

. "Gone with the Wind" as a historical novel

"Despite the great popularity historical novel in the twentieth century, on its obvious importance for the formation of national identity and national attitude, as well as for the development of national social ideal, theoretical works There are surprisingly few devoted to understanding the specific problems of this type of literature, obviously due to its complexity and lack of development.”

A historical novel explores the past, helping us understand the present earlier and anticipate the future.

The historical novel reached the peak of its popularity in the United States in the 30s thanks to the world-famous novel Gone with the Wind by M. Mitchell.

The book is set during one of the most difficult periods in US history and covers events that took place over a 12-year period, from 1861 to 1873. This is the story of the civil war between the northern industrial and southern agricultural states of America. The political and economic situation in the country was such that it was not profitable for northerners to keep slaves to work in factories; they needed civilian workers, while for southerners slaves were ideally suited to work in the fields. As a result, in response to demands from the North for the abolition of slavery, the southern states tried to form their own state. This is how the war began.

The novel follows in the wake of a war that mutilated the fates of many people. Let us briefly restore the outline of events. In October 1859, John Brown and his sons seized the arsenal at Harpes Ferry, demanding the abolition of the most blatant evil that existed in the country - slavery. His death ended hopes for a peaceful settlement; both camps mobilized. In 1860, staunch abolitionist Abraham Lincoln became president; The southern states seceded to form a confederacy (1861), and hostilities began. The advantage was on the side of the North - approximately twenty million people against ten and strong industrial potential; however, the South had more talented generals and centralized leadership. At first, things went with varying degrees of success: the northerners captured New Orleans from the sea and moved towards their troops along the Mississippi; the seven-day bloody battle at the Chicagomia River (1862) ended inconclusively; The Southerners won several important battles in the border areas and invaded Pennsylvania. But after Lincoln proclaimed the abolition of slavery on January 1, 1863, a turning point came. The unified command of the northern armies was assumed by General Grant, the future president; his subordinate General Sherman quickly took Atlanta in September 1864 (the fire and panic of which are colorfully described in the novel); in April 1865, the remnants of the Confederate armies surrendered.

“The advanced forces celebrated the victory. But as it turned out, the cause of freedom had not advanced very far. A system came to the defeated spaces, about which the poet said: “I know, in place of the chains of serfs, people came up with many others.” The financial aristocracy replaced the landed one. In a country devoid of historical experience, the contradictions of progress were particularly acute: predation, speculation and cynical robbery of labor flourished, almost without knowing any obstacles.”

After reading the novel Gone with the Wind, we see that Margaret Mitchell describes the hardships of this war.

The famous American critic Malcolm Cowley, in a review published in September 1939, wrote that the novel “Gone with the Wind” is nothing more than an encyclopedia of plantation life and the “southern legend”, first set forth in its entirety by Margaret Mitchell, and set forth with all its details and episodes, “with all its characters and with all its stage decorations.” Despite the fact that this legend is false and has had a bad influence on the life of the South as a whole, M. Cowley believes, it retains its attractiveness; for Margaret Mitchell has managed to tell it in such a way that the legend is strengthened, although it is told by mixing a fair amount of realism with romanticism.

As a realist writer, faithful to the truth of life, who felt the direction of the historical process, Mitchell truthfully, in bright, convincing artistic images recreated the history of the old South during the Civil War and Reconstruction; as a writer of the “southern school”, as a true southerner, she could not, having shown the objective victory of new economic forms of life, not pass a moral verdict on it, not show its moral doom - the story of the collapse of the love of Scarlett and Rhett.

M. Mitchell's skill in Gone with the Wind was manifested in the creation of unforgettable characters, each endowed with a bright, unique personality and at the same time reflecting, each in its own way, the historical content of the era. There are no historical characters in this novel at all; they are somewhere behind the scenes, on the periphery of the action.

Characteristics of the characters in the novel

The main character Scarlett O Hara. At the beginning of the novel she is 16 years old. She was not a beauty, but men were unlikely to realize this. The refined features of her mother and the large expressive features of her father were very intricately combined in her face. Scarlett's wide-cheeked, chiseled face involuntarily attracted the eye. In short, she presented a charming sight to the eye.

Scarlett is the heiress of a rich estate, surrounded by the love and care of her parents and numerous servants. Her main goal is to become Ashley Wilkes' wife. The war begins, and Scarlett gradually begins to grow up - first she loses the chance to marry Ashley, becomes the wife of Charles Hamilton, who adores her, but is absolutely indifferent to her, and soon becomes a widow with a child in her arms. She begins to experience the burden of social obligations - mourning for to my unloved husband, the obligation to praise the Right Cause, in which there is nothing sacred for her. Having survived the collapsed dreams of adolescence, the death of loved ones, the Civil War of 1861-1865, the reconstruction of the South, at the end of the novel (1873) Scarlett - a woman who has lost friends, love, beloved child, parents, support in the eyes of society - does not give up. She tells herself that “tomorrow will be a new day” when she will be able to correct everything, all the mistakes and stupidities in her life. The main thing in her character is her acumen, resilience and strength.

Rhett Butler

A man who disdained the orders of society is the dream of any girl - handsome and rich. His reputation leaves much to be desired, but he is unusually smart, wise, understanding and appreciative. spiritual beauty people (for example, Melanie Wilkes), who knows how to love. Rhett Butler - real love Scarlett. This is a man who never betrayed her. A man who loved her to death and understood her like no one else. But at the same time, he was well aware that showing Scarlett her power over himself meant forever losing the chance to win her heart.

Ashley Wilkes

He was always impeccably attentive, in any traditional entertainment of local youth Ashley was second to none, he was equally dexterous and skillful at the hunt, and at the ball, and at the card table, and in a political dispute, and was considered, moreover, indisputably the first horseman of the county . But one feature distinguished Ashley from all his peers: these pleasant activities were not the meaning and content of his life. And in his passion for books, music and writing poetry, he was completely alone.

Scarlett's first love, which lasted more than 14 years (from Scarlett's age of 14 to 28). This is the man for a long time living in his own world, far from reality. Although Ashley proved himself a brave and skillful officer in the war, Peaceful time he is worthless. Like the others, he was raised for his former, pre-war life as a slave owner, for whom his slaves did everything. But as a result of the victory of the North, its slaves received freedom, and the plantation was taken away for non-payment of taxes. After the war he was left with nothing. He can't work with his head or his hands. He is well aware of this, which makes it even harder for him.

Without Scarlett, as Ashley confessed to her, he would have sunk into oblivion, like so many other once rich and powerful planters in the South. He was supposed to marry cousin Melanie Hamilton, and marries her, but cannot overcome his physical attraction to Scarlett, which she mistakes for deep feelings. In fact, Ashley couldn’t figure out that all his life he only loved Melanie, and only wanted Scarlett. He realized this only after the death of his wife.

The rest of the characters in the novel.

Charles Hamilton is one of Scarlett's admirers, her first husband, whom she married to take revenge on Ashley, who married Melanie. Soon after his wedding with Scarlett, he leaves for the front. Later, a letter arrives about Charles's imminent death from measles.

Melanie Hamilton Wilkes - Charles's sister, Ashley's wife. Kind and honest, gentle and loving, she always believed in people, Scarlett occupied the main place in her heart. This is a "real lady". She never believed rumors, especially those discrediting the reputation of her beloved friend Scarlett.

Suellen and Karrin are Scarlett's sisters. After the end of the war, meek and gentle Carrin goes to a monastery in Charleston. And Suellen, who could not forgive Scarlett for taking her fiance Frank Kennedy away from her, marries Will Benteen, a Confederate soldier who remains in Tara and helps with the housework.

Frank Kennedy is Suellen's fiancé and Scarlett's second husband. Member of the Ku Klux Klan, killed during a raid on a tent city of free blacks.

Beau Wilkes is the son of Ashley and Melanie.

Wade Hampton Hamilton is the son of Scarlett and Charles. Quiet and modest child. He honors the memory of his father, loves his mother and is just as much afraid of her.

Ella Lorina Kennedy is the daughter of Scarlett and Frank.

Bonnie Blue Butler is the daughter of Scarlett and Retta, born Eugenie Victoria Butler. She got her nickname "Bonnie" from Melanie, who said the baby's eyes were as blue as the former Confederate flag. She died at the age of 4, falling from a horse and breaking her neck. Bright, cheerful, beautiful and beloved daughter of Scarlett and Retta. Rhett pampers her as best he can and does not deny her anything. Only for the sake of her well-being and future position in society, he neglects his rules and manners, becomes an honest democrat and begins to make friends with the “old guard” of Atlanta. After her death, Rhett was distraught with grief and despair, and Scarlett blamed her husband for everything.

Prototypes and names of characters in the novel

Literary critics find autobiographical parallels in the novel “Gone with the Wind” pointing to the similarity between the behavior of the heroine’s father, Gerald O’Hara, after the death of his wife Ellyn and the behavior of the writer’s father, Eugene Mitchell, who, after the death of his wife, fell ill with a nervous disorder. It is believed that the prototype of the hero of the novel, Rhett Butler, was the former husband of the writer Red Upshaw. In the main character of the novel, Scarlett O'Hara, critics found features of the writer's grandmother, and not just herself. The writer completely denied that the characters in the novel were copied from real people(except for the black girl, whose prototype was the black maid of the writer herself). It is also believed that the image of one of the heroes of the novel by Ashley Wilkes is an extremely romanticized portrait of the writer's fiance Clifford Henry, who died during the First World War.

Also reflecting reality, according to critics, is the episode of Scarlett and Rhett's daughter falling from a pony, as well as the scene of Rhett's violence against his wife, who refused to share his marital bed. In one case, a parallel is drawn with Margaret Mitchell's own fall from a horse as a child. The second episode reminds critics of the scene between Margaret and her first husband, after which she kept a gun under her pillow for a long time. They write that the name Rhett Butler was found easily by Margaret Mitchell. This is, firstly, “a fusion of two fairly common names in the South” and secondly, an alliterative allusion to the home nickname of the writer’s first husband, whose official name was Berrien Kinnard Upshaw, but friends and relatives gave him the nickname Ted.” Rare name the heroine Scarlett was assigned to her in 1935 just before the book was published. Here, it is believed, there is a echo with the title of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The Scarlet Letter”, i.e. Scarlett is a synonym for the fairly common name Rose. In the process of writing the novel, the heroine's name was Pansy O'Hara, which is why, when she received a new name, Margaret Mitchell had to re-read every page of the manuscript prepared for publication so that the original name of the heroine would not be preserved anywhere.

The title of the novel was also given shortly before its publication. At first it was called “Tomorrow Is Another Day,” but the publishers didn’t like the title. The writer offered the Macmillan editors a choice of 24 titles, with the title “Gone with the Wind” being seventeenth on the list, but with a note that she liked it the most. The name of the Tara estate appeared in the novel in the spring of 1929, before which the estate was called Fontenoy Hall. Finn Farr notes that the name Tara in Georgia "was as appropriate as Scarlett O'Hara's name and as the title of the novel itself.

Ashley Wilkes is named, in our opinion, after the Civil War participant Captain Charles Wilkes (1798-1877), who later became an admiral. Charles Wilkes entered American history in connection with the case of the mail steamer Trent.

The name O'Hara is also known in American history. It's about about the military campaign and decisive American victory at Yorktown during the War of Independence in North America (1775-1783), in which General O'Hara took part on the side of the British.

The main goal of this course work was to study the background that influenced the writing of the novel, to analyze the system of characters of the novel’s heroes and to analyze the specifics of the novel “Gone with the Wind” as a historical novel.

Margaret Mitchell very well showed in her novel all the hardships of that war, as well as the fate of human values ​​in the world of buying and selling. She very subtly drew a line about the values ​​of human morals, showing behavior, attitudes towards people’s lives in peacetime, before the outbreak of war and in post-war times, showing how people change priorities and attitudes towards life in general.

Despite the striking similarities between Mitchell’s own biography and the plot of the novel, she completely denied any hint that the story was about her.

M. Mitchell's skill in Gone with the Wind was manifested in the creation of unforgettable characters, each endowed with a bright, unique personality and at the same time reflecting, each in its own way, the historical content of the era.

Margaret's philosophy was a philosophy of "chance." She didn't try to force an idea into people. She studied people and drew her own conclusions. When creating her characters, she proceeded from her own observations of people’s behavior, but in no case from any preconceived idea of ​​how they should behave. She portrayed them as they were.

The novel is so amazing and fascinating with its tragedy and at the same time the most beautiful feeling on earth, love! It makes you think about vital principles, even despite the fact that the author claims that the story was invented, it shows the human system of characters, the reader can find a piece of himself in each of the characters, that’s what really makes you think and touches the deepest fibers of the soul.

List of used literature

1. M. Mitchell. Gone with the Wind book one D.: “Thresholds” 1992.

M. Mitchell. Gone with the Wind book two D.: “Thresholds” 1992.

M. Mitchell. Gone with the Wind book three D.: “Thresholds” 1992.

Story foreign literature XX centuries 1917-1945, / ed. V.N. Theological, Z.T. Civil, - M., 1990. p. 270.

Foreign literature of the twentieth century, / ed. L.G. Andreeva, - M., 2000. p. 380.

History of foreign literature of the 20th century, / ed. L.G. Andreeva, - M., 1980. p. 359.

History of foreign literature of the 20th century 1917-1945, / ed. V.N. Bogoslovsky, 3.T. Civil, - M., 1984. p. 340.

Komarovskaya T.E. Problems of the poetics of the historical novel in the USA of the 20th century, - Mn., 2005.

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Chapter 1

Scarlett O'Hara was not a beauty, but men were unlikely to realize this if, like the Tarleton twins, they became victims of her charms. The refined features of her mother, a local aristocrat of French origin, and the large, expressive features of her father, a healthy Irishman, were very intricately combined in her face. Scarlett's wide-cheeked, chiseled face involuntarily attracted the eye. Especially the eyes - slightly slanted, light green, transparent, framed by dark eyelashes. On a forehead as white as a magnolia petal - oh, this White skin, which the women of the American South are so proud of, carefully protecting it with hats, veils and mittens from the hot Georgia sun! - two immaculately clear lines of eyebrows quickly flew up obliquely - from the bridge of the nose to the temples.

In short, she presented a charming sight, sitting in the company of Stuart and Brent Tarleton in the cool shade behind the columns of the spacious porch of Tara - her father's vast estate. It was 1861, a clear April day was approaching evening. Scarlett's new green floral dress, made up of twelve yards of muslin, lay in airy waves on the hoops of the crinoline, in perfect harmony with the green morocco white heels her father had just brought her from Atlanta. The bodice of the dress hugged her impeccable waist, undoubtedly the thinnest in the three counties of the state, and a perfectly formed bust for sixteen years. But neither the decorously straightened skirts, nor the modesty of the hairstyle - pulled together in a tight knot and hidden in a hair net - nor the small white hands sedately folded on the knees could deceive: green eyes - restless, bright (oh how much willfulness and fire there was in them! ) - entered into an argument with polite, secular restraint of manners, betraying the true essence of this nature. The manners were the result of the gentle instructions of the mother and the harsher nagging of the Mother. Nature gave her eyes.

On either side of her, casually lounging in chairs, the long, muscular legs of first-class riders in knee-high boots stretched out crossed at the ankles, the twins laughed and chatted, the sun hitting their faces through the tall, stuccoed glass windows, forcing them to squint. Tall, strong-bodied and narrow-hipped, tanned, red-haired, nineteen years old, wearing identical blue jackets and mustard-colored breeches, they were indistinguishable from each other, like two bolls of cotton.

Against a green background of young foliage, the snow-white crowns of flowering dogwood trees shimmered in the slanting rays of the setting sun. The twins' horses, large animals, golden bay, matching the hair of their owners, stood at the hitching post in the driveway, and at the horses' feet a pack of lean, nervous hounds, invariably accompanying Stuart and Brent on all their trips, squabbled at some distance, as befits to the aristocrat, a spotted Dalmatian dog lay with his muzzle down on his paws and waited patiently for the young people to go home for dinner.

The twins, horses and hounds were not just inseparable comrades - they shared stronger bonds. Young, healthy, agile and graceful, they were a match for each other, equally cheerful and carefree, and the young men were no less ardent than their horses - hot, and sometimes dangerous - but for all that, meek and obedient in the hands of those who knew how to manage them.

And although all three, sitting on the porch, were born for the free life of planters and from the cradle were brought up in contentment and ease, surrounded by a host of servants, their faces did not seem either weak-willed or pampered. In these boys one could feel the strength and determination of villagers, accustomed to spending life in the open air, without particularly burdening their brains with boring book wisdom. Clayton County in North Georgia was still young, and life there, in the opinion of the inhabitants of Charleston, Savannah and Augusta, had not yet lost some of its roughness. The older, more sedate inhabitants of the South looked down upon the new settlers, but here in north Georgia a slight deficiency in the subtleties of classical education was no one's fault if it was compensated by good skill in what was of real value. And what was valuable was the ability to grow cotton, sit well in the saddle, shoot accurately, not lose face at dances, gallantly court the ladies and remain a gentleman even when drunk.

All these qualities were to a large extent inherent in the twins, who were also widely famous for their rare inability to assimilate any knowledge gleaned from books. Their parents owned more money, more horses, more slaves than any other family in the county, but in terms of grammar, the twins were inferior to most of their poor neighbors - "starves", as poor whites were called in the South.

It was for this reason that Stuart and Brent were lounging on Tara's porch that April afternoon. They had just been kicked out of the University of Georgia, the fourth university in two years to show them the door, by their older brothers. Tom and Boyd returned home with them, not wanting to stay within the walls educational institution, where the younger ones were not at home. Stuart and Brent considered their latest expulsion from the university as a very funny joke, and Scarlett, who had never voluntarily picked up a book all year since graduating from high school at the Fayetteville Boarding School for Young Ladies, also found it quite funny.

“I know it’s neither hot nor cold for you that you were expelled, and for Tom too,” she said, “But what about Boyd?” It's like he really wants to become educated, and you pulled him out of the University of Virginia, and the University of Alabama, and the University of South Carolina, and now the University of Georgia. If he continues like this, he will never be able to finish anything.

“Well, he can study law just fine in Judge Parmalee’s office in Fayetteville,” Brent replied nonchalantly. - Besides, our exclusion, in essence, does not change anything. We would still have to return home before the end of the semester.

This is war, stupid! The war is due to begin any day now, and we won’t pore over books while others are fighting, as you think?

“You both know very well that there will be no war,” Scarlett waved it off in annoyance. - All this is just talk. Ashley Wilkes and his father were telling Dad just last week that our representatives in Washington would come to this very... a mutually acceptable agreement with Mr. Lincoln regarding the Confederacy. And in general, the Yankees are too afraid of us to decide to fight with us. There will be no war, and I'm tired of hearing about it.

“Life doesn’t have to give us what we expect. We must take what it gives and be grateful for the fact that it is so, and not worse.”

Read the book “Gone with the Wind” online

Review

Almost every person knows the name of this novel, and the book itself has not lost its relevance for a century and remains one of the most popular works of a high order. Margaret Mitchell's novel "Gone with the Wind" is one of the rare examples when a person is the author of the only book in his life, which at the same time became a classic and an absolute bestseller. A clearly thought-out storyline, a surprisingly subtle portrayal of the characters of the main characters, where the features of real people are drawn on the verge of merciless cynicism.

“Gone with the Wind” evokes a storm of emotions among readers and critics, leaving no camp indifferent. A noteworthy fact is that it was created not by a famous writer, but by a sweet housewife who left journalistic activity and for most of her life she led a fairly secluded life in a quiet area of ​​the United States. For exactly ten years, the woman worked on her masterpiece, and pieces of paper were scattered everywhere in her house, which Mitchell’s guests constantly made fun of, and she herself made good fun of them. By the way, the book can be downloaded for free in a convenient epub or fb2 format.

Book description: what is the author telling us about?

The novel begins in a cozy family estate, where the main character Scarlett O'Hara lives. The reader sees the prosperity and prosperity of their lands, the happy and carefree life of a young girl who loves to try on expensive clothes, flirt with gentlemen and lead the lifestyle of a real young lady. But a conflict with the political and economic agenda interferes with the quiet life of people. The Yankees and the Rising War. The collapse of the old life and total doom. But is this really so? After all, Scarlett is a girl whose character is perseverance, willfulness and the ability to achieve goals. And the most important thing is the ability to be strong and not give up, regardless of any external messages. And there were many of them. O’Hara loses almost all his loved ones and risks losing family nest, becoming absolutely destitute.

Where does the fragile heroine get her internal forces? Is it difficult to be brave when your lands are attacked by an enemy who has ruined your family and destroyed your regular life? Undoubtedly. The heroine Margaret Mitchell teaches the reader not to give up, inspires with her conviction and belief that anything can be overcome. With no exceptions. However, apart from strengths the author also shows another Scarlett, who is little aware of her true inner motives. The characters in the book are vivid examples of human misconceptions that can lead to dire consequences. Gone with the Wind, a novel that can be downloaded for free, tells the story of true love and values, about courage and the halls of the human soul.

At first, after the publication of the novel, Mitchell was horrified by the enthusiastic reviews of Scarlett. And after one reporter asked if she had copied the image of the heroine, Margaret became indignant and retorted: “Scarlett is a prostitute, but I am not!” The opinion of readers did not change from the author's statements. Perhaps Mitchell herself underestimated her own heroine, allowing herself to be expressed in impartial terms. But already at the premiere feature film In Gone with the Wind, she sincerely thanked readers for calling Scarlett "a determined and admirable girl." “Gone with the Wind” - read online for free or download the book on our website.

Margaret Mitchell "Gone with the Wind": where it began

The work takes the reader back to the 19th century, when the story of 16-year-old Scarlett O'Hara begins in 1861 and continues for 12 years, until 1873. The events take place against the backdrop of civil strife between the North and South of the United States, whose opinions regarding slave-holding power categorically differed. The northern lands were dominated by factories that required hired workers; the southern lands were engaged in cultivating the fields, where slaves ended up ideal option. Civil clashes, reinforced by the North's declaration of abolition of slavery and the South's reciprocal desire to create a separate state, lead to sad military events, against which the novel's storyline takes place.

Scarlett O'Hara is a girl of mixed origin, she has Irish and French blood, which has endowed her not only with strong character traits, but also added to her rare attractiveness. She could easily charm any man, being convinced of her own irresistibility. With a thin thread, the novel informs the reader that excessive narcissism can result in a bitter loss, but understanding comes too late. In the meantime, Scarlett is uncontrollably in love with Ashley Wilkes, who announced his engagement to Melanie, whom the main character saw as ugly and a complete loser.

O’Hara’s conviction in her charms is so strong that she comes up with the decision to talk frankly with Ashley, tell him about her feelings, after which he will definitely “see the light”, wanting to get engaged to her. But Ashley was distinguished by nobility and, having promised the hand and heart of one, although not his beloved, he could not turn in the other direction. Despite his love for Scarlett, Wilkes marries Melanie, and the heroine is ridiculed because their conversation was overheard by the second main character of the novel, Rhett Butler.

Scarlett's pride is hurt, she is overcome by a feeling of revenge on the scoffers and the object of her adoration. Without thinking twice, she becomes the wife of Melanie's brother, with whom one of the mockers is in love, and the main character's longtime admirer, Charles Hamilton. A quickly made decision allows the wedding to take place within two weeks and just one day before the wedding of the real loved one.

War: defenseless heroines are left all alone

Soon a full-scale war begins, where Hamilton absurdly dies without even having time to take part in the battles. In the camp set up by the southerners, he falls ill with measles and dies, leaving the young heroine a widow with a small heir. Scarlett's life changes dramatically. There are times of hopelessness, impoverishment and awareness of changing the current situation. Since O’Hara was not happy with the prospect of mourning for the rest of her life, living from little to little, she decides to go to Atlanta to live with Hamilton’s parents. Together with their son, they settle in Aunt Pitty's house, where the Wilkes live. Scarlet once again harbors hopes of winning Ashley's love while living in the same family and close proximity.

Here Margaret Mitchell again pits her heroine against Butler. Rhett sees Scarlett as no longer that young, carefree girl and tries to return her to her former sense of life, filled with joy and carelessness. O’Hara, despite society’s prohibitions on wearing mourning, gives up her sad appearance and allows herself to become happy again. From time to time, the impudent Butler makes caustic remarks and not always pleasant jokes towards the heroine, who has no idea that this man is immeasurably rich.

Military events change life in Atlanta. There are fewer and fewer familiar faces, the city is filled with new people, destroying the old way of life and the family atmosphere of the city in which everyone knew each other. After spending Christmas with her husband, Melanie announces her pregnancy, which is accompanied by complications. Ashley isn't around. He disappears during the war, most likely becoming a prisoner. Rhett proposes a relationship with Scarlett, but is rejected. She continues to think about Wilkes, to whom she promised to look after Melanie and help her.

Yankees begin to penetrate the city, and residents gradually leave the territory. Pregnant Melanie is unable to cope with the difficult move, so Scarlett decides to stay. Meanwhile, thoughts overtake her that it would be better for Melanie to die and not be a burden to her. The unfortunate wife Ashley, endowed with a pure heart, responsiveness and kindness of soul, did not even suspect Scarlett’s attraction to her own husband, feeling sincere love and warmth for her. Melanie turned out to be the heroine’s only true friend, which O’Hara begins to understand only later. Melanie's birth took place on the day of the fall of Atlanta, Scarlett helps the birth of baby Beau Wilkes.

Rhett Butler learns about the birth of a child, manages to find a wagon, and they quickly leave Atlanta, besieged by the enemy. The girls finally feel safe, but Rhett informs them of plans to enlist in the Confederates and go to defend the country. Scarlett is overcome by horror and in her hearts she vows to hate Butler for the rest of her days. From here the author turns the plot towards Tara - the family estate, where Scarlett returns with Melanie and the children.

The main characters revive Tara

Having reached their beloved Tara, they see lands that have fallen into decay, an abandoned house, complete destruction and emptiness. All the dark-skinned workers of the estate fled, but the most devoted servants to the family remained - the nanny, the footman and his wife. They tell Scarlett about terrible events. About the death of her mother, who took care of her typhus-stricken sisters and did not wait a little for her daughter’s return. Next, the heroine learns about the death of her father, who was unable to survive the bitter losses, lost his mind and soon faded away.

Scarlett decides to restore Tara, no matter the cost. The overwhelming worries about the people who needed her, about the house and lands that longed for a new life, push her to take decisive action. Together, they restore order to the estate, revive agriculture, and reap the first harvest. O'Hara shows himself to be an excellent manager, with whom Tara blossoms again, instilling prosperity and hope for Good times. But the difficulties don't end there.

There comes a moment of total lack of money; there is nothing to pay the land tax. Having sacrificed her pride, Scarlett decides to ask Butler for help. She goes to Atlanta, where she learns about the imprisonment of her would-be benefactor. Discouraged by the news, in despair and unwilling to say goodbye to Tara, Scarlett agrees to become the wife of Frank Kennedy, a wealthy entrepreneur. O'Hara acquires a sawmill, takes care of the commercial affairs of Frank's store, and the threat of losing his land recedes.

The couple gives birth to a girl. Meanwhile, Ashley has already returned from the war and was offered a job in the northern part of the country, but Scarlett’s heart still belongs only to him, and thoughts of separation become unbearable. She gets Wilkes a job at a sawmill and continues to take full care of him, cherishing the dream of a life together.

Soon O'Hara goes to the sawmill and is attacked by blacks. Frank, having learned about the incident, goes to the camp of free blacks and dies in a clash with them. At her husband's funeral, the widow meets Butler, who managed to free himself, and receives another proposal from him, which this time she accepts. Rhett becomes the father of little Bonnie, whom he adores and spoils in every possible way.

The main character continues to think about Ashley, sometimes imagining him in her family bed in her husband’s place. The couple begins to have problems in their relationship, they grow apart internally and, at Scarlett’s initiative, sleep in separate bedrooms. One night, Rhett entered his wife’s room and took her by force, which he later became ashamed of and decided to leave. Butler disappears for several weeks, and upon his return his wife informs him of her pregnancy. Enraged, he questioned his paternity, hurting his wife's feelings. The situation becomes tense, escalating into a heated quarrel, during which the heroine falls down the stairs and loses her child.

A few weeks later, 4-year-old Bonnie tragically dies. While riding a pony, the girl falls awkwardly and breaks her neck. Sudden grief finally draws a cold line between Rhett and Scarlett, who blames her husband for what happened, since he spoiled the baby and allowed her to do whatever she wanted.

The last losses of the main character

The next loss in Scarlett's life is the death of Melanie during the birth of her and Ashley's second child. Before she dies, she reminds Scarlett that Rhett loves her very much. Only at the moment of losing her friend does O’Hara realize how dear Melanie was to her. She feels sincere love for the dying woman and at that moment she comes to realize the essence of her love for Ashley, which she has carried throughout her life. Sadly, the heroine clearly understands and tells herself that she never truly loved him, but was only chasing the ghosts of the past, which she invented for herself, driven by a thirst for revenge. After the death of his wife and Ashley, Wilkes realized that he only loved Melanie, and felt only attraction to Scarlett.

In conclusion, the heroine comes to the realization of her reverent love for Rhett Butler, who left her forever, unable to withstand the coldness of the relationship and the constant shadow of Wilkes between them. Proud Scarlett watches Butler leave her, and then leaves for Tara. The book ends with the words: “I will think about all this tomorrow, in Tara. Then I can. Tomorrow I'll find a way to get Rhett back. After all, tomorrow will be another day.”

Description of the book "Gone with the Wind"

According to legend, the creation of the novel “Gone with the Wind” began when Margaret Mitchell wrote the main phrase of the last chapter: “Scarlett could not understand any of the men she loved, and now she lost both.” Subsequent work on the work lasted about ten years and required enormous dedication and hard work from the writer. Trying to penetrate the very spirit of the era, Mitchell painstakingly studied the history of her native Atlanta, using newspapers and magazines from the mid-19th century. On the pages of her manuscript, stories of eyewitnesses of the Civil War and family legends came to life. Mitchell rewrote some scenes four or five times, and as for the first chapter, the writer was satisfied only with the 60th version! The novel, published in the spring of 1936, was an unprecedented success and immediately broke all records for popularity and circulation in the entire history of American literature. And the film adaptation of the same name starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable won 10 Oscars and became one of the most famous films in the history of world cinema.

Description added by user:

Andrey Sergeev

"Gone with the Wind" - plot

The novel covers events that took place over 12 years, from 1861 to 1873.

This is the story of the civil war between the northern industrial and southern agricultural states of America. The political and economic situation in the country was such that it was not profitable for northerners to keep slaves to work in factories; they needed civilian workers, while for southerners slaves were ideally suited to work in the fields. As a result, in response to demands from the North for the abolition of slavery, the southern states tried to form their own state. This is how the war began.

Young Scarlett O'Hara, half Irish, half French, has a rare gift - to charm men. She is sure that everyone is crazy about her, especially Ashley Wilkes. But soon the beauty suffers her first disappointment: Ashley is engaged to her cousin Melanie, who seems to Scarlett to be a loser and ugly.

Scarlett is sure that if she just explains to Ashley, everything will miraculously return to normal, and Ashley will immediately propose to her. After listening to her confession, Ashley replies that their feelings are mutual, but he cannot break his word and therefore marries Melanie. To top it off, it turns out that their conversation was accidentally overheard by Rhett Butler, a man with a fairly tarnished reputation. In confusion, Scarlett runs out of the library where everything happened and hears the girls she knows, including sisters Ashley and Melanie, discussing her.

Wanting revenge on the sisters India and Sweetheart Wilkes and Ashley, who is about to marry Melanie, she accepts the proposal of Charles Hamilton, Melanie's brother and Sweetheart's suitor. She marries him two weeks later, the day before Ashley Wilkes and Melanie Hamilton's wedding.

The war begins. Charles dies in the southern camp, contracting measles and not even having time to get into battle, leaving his wife with his son Wade as an inheritance. She is 17 years old, but she is a widow, she will have to mourn for the rest of her life, which, however, is over for her. There are no more dances and fans, no more carefree and happiness. Frightened and shocked by such a rapid change in life, Scarlett goes to Atlanta to visit her husband's relatives. She stays with Aunt Pitty, where Melanie also lives. Knowing this, Scarlett does not lose hope of being closer to Ashley.

There she meets Rhett again, who now helps her regain her former carelessness and assures her that not everything is lost for her. And although she goes against the rules accepted in society and takes off mourning ahead of time, Scarlett is happy. The only thing that poisons her life is the caustic remarks and jokes of Rhett, who, it turns out, is incredibly rich and shows Scarlett signs of attention.

The southerners' strict views on conventions are gradually changing, the war dictates its own rules, young girls - and Scarlett is already considered a respectable matron, although she is only 19 years old - allow themselves things that she would never allow herself. The familiar world is collapsing: before, everyone lived in their own tight circle, knowing each other since childhood, but now these boys are in foreign lands, and Atlanta is filled with new faces.

After Ashley's Christmas leave, Melanie announces that she is pregnant. The pregnancy is very difficult, Ashley has gone missing and, apparently, is in captivity. Meanwhile, Rhett Butler invites Scarlett to become his mistress, but is refused.

The Yankees are getting closer and closer to Atlanta, residents are leaving the city. She needs to escape, but Melanie won’t survive the move, and Scarlett, bound by the promise to take care of Melanie and the child given to Ashley, cannot leave her, although she is visited by thoughts that it would be better if Melanie died. On the day Atlanta fell, Scarlett is the only one next to Melanie and delivers her child, now Ashley has a son - Beau Wilkes.

Rhett, learning that Melanie has given birth, finds a horse and carriage, and they leave the besieged Atlanta. However, halfway through, Rhett declares that duty and honor call him to enlist in the ranks of the Confederates, and he must leave the women. Scarlett, distraught with horror, vows to hate him until her death, and begins long road home.

Scarlett, Melanie, two children and the maid Prissy manage to reach Tara safely. It should be quieter there, away from the noisy world. Tara is intact, although dark and empty. The Yankee headquarters was set up in the house, the blacks fled, only the most faithful remained: the nanny of the O'Hara family - Mammy, Gerald's footman - Pork, and his wife, Sambo, Dilsey.

But Scarlett learns that her mother died shortly before her return, caring for her sisters who were sick with typhus, and some time later it turns out that her father, unable to bear the loss, lost his mind. “It seemed to him that Ellin was somewhere nearby, about to enter the room, rustling her black dress, smelling of lemon verbena. He lost interest in life, he was no longer interested in business, “as if Ellin was the one auditorium, before which a fascinating performance called “The Life of Gerald O’Hara” was performed, and now the hall is empty, the stage lights have gone out...”

Scarlett has no time to grieve; she turns out to be the only person who is able to solve the problems of her loved ones and relatives, take care of the plantation and make decisions. Soon, control of Tara is completely concentrated in the hands of Scarlett. It is difficult for her to overcome her pride, as well as the whims of her sisters and the snobbery of the servants - they all believe that hard work in the field and around the house is not for noble young ladies and household servants. However, Scarlett's will overcomes the resistance of her family, and they even manage to harvest a small harvest. The first volume ends with Ashley arriving in Tara.

Scarlett doesn't have the money to pay taxes on Tara, so she decides to swallow her pride and turn to Rhett for help. She goes to Atlanta, but finds out that he is in prison. All her dreams - to seduce Butler and beg for money - collapsed. Out of desperation, and also for the sake of money, she marries Frank Kennedy, the fiancé of her sister Suellen. While married to Frank, she discovers remarkable entrepreneurial acumen: she takes over Frank's store and buys a sawmill, thanks to which hunger, poverty and the fear of being auctioned off for debts recede.

Scarlett and Frank had a daughter, Ella Lorina. Ashley is offered a job in the North, but Scarlett, who cannot stand being separated from her lover, persuades Melanie to move to Atlanta. Scarlett continues to look after Ashley, finds him a job at her sawmill and never stops dreaming about their possible happiness.

During one of her trips to the sawmills, Scarlett is attacked by robbers - free blacks. Frank, having learned about this, takes part in a Ku Klux Klan raid on the camp of free blacks and dies. Rhett proposes to Scarlett the night after the funeral. A new life begins for her. From Rhett, Scarlett gives birth to another, beloved child - Bonnie Blue. Rhett doted on his daughter, but at the age of 4 the girl died after falling from her pony. After this, Rhett and Scarlett finally moved away from each other.

Dies due to Melanie's second pregnancy, having told Scarlett before her death that Rhett loved her. Scarlett realizes that she never truly loved Ashley, that in fact, she has been in love with Rhett Butler for a long time. Confident that now everything will change and they can be happy again, she strives to confess her feelings to him. However, he announces to her that his feelings for her have died and she has become almost completely indifferent to him. But Scarlett does not want to put up with this and intends to return him.

Story

Former Atlanta Journal reporter Margaret Mitchell left the profession due to an ankle injury that made it impossible to continue working for the editorial office. After this, with the encouragement of her husband, she began work on the novel, which lasted ten years. The episodes were written randomly and then put together. An editor from a large publishing house who arrived in Atlanta learned about the voluminous manuscript, but Mitchell did not immediately agree to publish the book.

Legend has it that Mitchell first wrote the main phrase of the last chapter: “She could not understand either of the two men she loved, and now she has lost both.” Then she began to thread the chapters one after another onto the plot core, like pieces of shish kebab on a skewer. Among the writer’s oddities we also include the fact that she hid many chapters for a week or two under the furniture in the house and only then took them out, re-read them and made adjustments.

Despite numerous requests from fans, Margaret Mitchell did not write another book.

Nevertheless, continuations of the novel continued to appear, but from the pen of other writers. Some of them:

- "Scarlett" by Alexandra Ripley: a novel about what happened to Rhett and Scarlett after;

- "Rhett Butler" by Donald McCaig: the story of "Gone with the Wind", revealing parallel life of Rhett.

Criticism

Critics' opinions in the first years after the book's publication were mixed. The very definition of the genre of this work, which can simultaneously be classified as a historical, love, adventure novel, as well as an epic novel, caused great controversy.

Writers and critics of the American South, with the exception of S. Young, who gave a positive assessment, ignored the appearance of the novel, and the opinions of Northern critics were divided: some considered Gone with the Wind an excellent example of realistic prose, faithfully depicting the era of the Civil War and reconstruction of the South, others - a continuation plantation myth about the happy South.

The famous critic Louis D. Rubin Jr., noting the banality of the characters and composition, gave the novel the following characteristic:

Mitchell's novel has the necessary scope and amplitude, but the writer fails in creating characters. Beneath the novel's often rich and brilliant surface, behind its events, there is nothing more.

Floyd K. Watkins, in his essay "Gone with the Wind as Vulgar Literature," defined Margaret Mitchell's book as a bad novel, devoid of real literary merit, at the same time criticizing the Pulitzer committee's decision to give Gone with the Wind preference over Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!

Frederick Beigbeder in his opus “The Best Books of the 20th Century. The last inventory before the sale” was forced to devote several ironic paragraphs to the novel, since it took 38th place in the rating of 100 books of the century according to Le Monde (Begbeder associates this with the popularity of the film).

Behind all sorts of literary experiments and formalistic innovations, the 20th century began to gradually forget about main task novelist: he must first of all simply tell stories, narrate about adventures and fatal love, invent noble heroes, as, for example, Alexander Dumas did, and send them to run through the meadows and gallop (or, conversely, gallop through the meadows and gallop), and also kiss in the middle of a burning city, like Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler. Romance requires all this galloping, kissing, breaking up, meeting again and kissing again!

Nevertheless,

...after all, this is a very sweet composition with outdated techniques - a historical fresco, a war that kills people, the hero is a cynical handsome man, the heroine is a young goose in love, whose ideal love is threatened by human madness... Truly, since the invention of cinema, it has become clear that such stories , most likely, have outlived their usefulness in modern literature. (...) This is a book from the century before last!

Beigbeder F. The best books of the 20th century. Last inventory before sale. No. 38. Margaret Mitchell "Gone with the Wind" (1936)

I. B. Arkhangelskaya notes that the novel is written at the intersection of different genres and in a paradoxical manner, giving important lyrical scenes a frankly farcical ending, which is interesting literary device writers who do not allow the work to slide to the level of a trivial love-adventure novel. Historical realities are shown very accurately, and Floyd K. Watkins, who specifically looked for factual errors in the book, found only a few minor errors. At the same time, Mitchell did not consider herself an expert in military affairs, and wisely refrained from describing battle scenes (except for Sherman’s march to the sea and the fall of Atlanta).

The author is quite critical of his main character, emphasizing the lack of nobility and pragmatism, and building Scarlett’s character on a combination of contrasts (kindness and greed, hypocrisy and honesty, pampering and hard work), unpredictability of behavior and unconditional loyalty to the family nest, which she is ready to save at any cost. .

Regarding the thesis about belonging to the tradition of the so-called myth of the Old South, which is quite natural for a writer whose both grandfathers fought in the Confederate army, researchers point out that “Gone with the Wind” represents the most famous controversy of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, contrasting the myth of the cruel and inhuman South with the myth of the beautiful and happy South.

If you are not lenient with your time and collect dozens of ratings and all kinds of top literary works, at least from the most authoritative publishers and portals, then immortal work Margaret Mitchell “Gone with the Wind” will be present in each of them. This example of a classic of world literature, which was published in the second quarter of the 20th century, is also called an epic novel. I counted down the weeks with great enthusiasm until my planned thoughtful exploration of history. Scarlett O'Hara And Rhett Butler. That very occasion when you are about to touch upon a topic that before you, in the same generation as you, right around you and after you, was discussed, is being discussed and will be discussed and re-read by millions, billions of people around the world. I was present, to be honest, and there was some doubt – the expectations were too high. Gone with the Wind, however, in my case, lived up to them three times over and in just over a week took its place among my favorite works, to which I will, without a doubt, return again.

Historical coverage, atmosphere, attention to detail

Being familiar with history itself through a basic education and a cult classic film "Gone with the Wind" 1939., the main intrigue for me was not the plot itself, but the author’s ability, over the course of one and a half thousand pages, to maintain the reader’s interest in what is happening. Before us is not a fleeting page, taken out of the context of world history, but really epic work, revealing a whole notorious era in the formation of modern American society. The action of the novel spans twelve years , from the eve of the Civil War in the yet to be United States of 1861 to the period of active social and political reconstruction in 1873. As a reader who has not missed a paragraph, I will say that it is quite difficult to scrupulously follow Mitchell’s chronology, because after the end of the war, you need to carefully pay attention to historical events, compare them with the stated periods (say, the age of the children). We are witnessing a violent change of several short periods public consciousness, from knightly enthusiasm for fratricidal conflict to destructive apathy.

The wisteria that covered the verandas stood out beautifully against the white mortar of the walls, and the curly-rose myrtle bushes along the porch and the snow-white magnolia flowers in the garden well masked the angular lines of the house.

From the very first pages, when the author introduces us to the main character Scarlett, you are literally immersed in this world American South early 1860s . Attention to detail does its job. It would seem how one can maintain interest in one of the many descriptions of a particular person, stretched over an entire chapter of twenty pages. Mitchell manages to imbue even the usual biography of childhood, adolescence and family formation with a historical atmosphere. Be it the titular heroine herself, her Irish father Gerald, mother Ellin Robillard from a respected and influential French family - the author very skillfully describes the characters, as if taking turns taking cards from a large deck, and each time she manages to maintain interest. Although throughout the novel, the key plot line touches on dozens of minor characters, Mitchell very successfully concentrated on only the key ones. Thus, we don’t just watch a set of heroes over the course of a decade, but with each new chapter we complete the picture in our heads, as if we were filling out an impromptu questionnaire from which we don’t want to miss a single detail.

Ellyn O'Hara was thirty-two years old, she was already the mother of six children, of whom she buried three, and according to the concepts that existed at that time, she was considered a middle-aged woman. She was almost a head taller than her hot-tempered, short-tempered husband, but the calm grace of her movements, attracting attention, made her forget about her height. The stand-up collar of the black silk dress tightly hugged the round, thin, slightly dark neck

Civil War 1861-1865

Although it is not uncommon to find criticism of literature and cinema for their obsessive interest in American history, the theme chosen by Margaret Mitchell as the background leitmotif for her novel is indeed very interesting. A bloody conflict that can also be called fratricidal war, upon closer examination, is much more controversial and interesting than the traditionally discussed topic of the fight against slavery and the monopoly of the cotton industry. Already at the very beginning, when the sheen of feigned enthusiasm was still spreading in the corners of the costumed balls, the residents Georgia, from young to old, notice the difference between the two worlds - between the South and the North. For them, the Yankees, as they call the inhabitants of the United States, are animals devoid of manners and hygiene, rude industrialists with strange morals and appearance. They have dirty blood, it seems, already mixed with blacks and God knows who else. Teenagers of influential planters consider opponents Confederation second-class citizens who have no chance of winning the brewing war.

The author shows us the difference between the two warring sides, not through the objective assessment of an outside observer, say a historian, but in the understanding of one of the camps of American society divided by the war. The fact that former compatriots die every day fades into the background. The war of survival does not create divisions between states or nations - the dividing line runs right through the people. And so the heroes of Gone with the Wind find themselves on the southern side of this distinction. If we read between the lines, we can conclude that at the time of the outbreak of the conflict, the last bloody conflict (we are not taking a war with Mexico), namely the War of Independence, was left far behind, and there were no living witnesses, not even old people, who would remind of the merciless the millstone of any confrontation. The same young and hot-blooded twins Tarltons They considered a possible war as some kind of almost entertainment enterprise, full of romance and chivalry, where they would gallop fully armed on cleaned horses, and just yesterday their arrogant enemies would scatter away from these valiant dragoons.

The South must be kept on its knees, and one way to do this is to disenfranchise whites. Most of those who fought for the Confederacy, who held any office during its existence, or assisted it, were now deprived of the right to vote, had no opportunity to choose government officials, and were entirely at the mercy of strangers.

In the first chapters, Mitchell reveals these naive ideas about the conflict of interests of the states, about the unjustified pride of the Confederacy. Wealthy landowners sponsor and encourage volunteerism Cavalry squadron, where young guys full of ambition and ego enroll. Planters and slave owners donate money in gold, clothing and cotton, food and even premium weapons with silver or ivory handles. War, in its theoretical virtual version, seems like a game, a game of chess, where pain and suffering await only the enemy. And so the conflict flares up, absorbing the resources of entire states, one of which remains the heroes’ native Georgia. The call takes the best, and returns not even their bodies, wrapped in cheap cloth, but simply notifications that a beloved husband, father, brother or son has now laid down their lives for Just cause for the Confederacy , and in fact rest somewhere at the bottom of a dirty trench, not interred in a Christian manner. In the novel, even the general fear and apathy of receiving a notification are brought to an emotional climax - this allows you to create a holistic picture of what is happening.

The American South finds itself in a food naval blockade, and hopes for quick help from the French or British seem more and more elusive every day. Food prices skyrocket, and accumulated money and cotton are devalued week after week. While about a million men at the front suffer from debilitating dysentery, typhoid and simple apathy, their families in the rear are eating up their last supplies and yesterday’s rich people, planters, also drag out a hungry and cold existence, every day waiting for the enemies to come to their home. Women are afraid of being raped, killed, and before that, of seeing their children killed. An entire nation of widows lives in frightening uncertainty. The writer releases into this unfriendly and dangerous world Scarlett O'Hara - a selfish, arrogant girl in a green dress with a bow. She has to endure real misadventures and go through all five terrifying years of war, which before her eyes takes away everything she has acquired and everything dear to her.

And behind the shabby doors of the old houses lurked need and hunger, which were felt quite acutely, although they were endured with stoic courage - they hurt the more powerfully, the more disdain was expressed for material wealth.

Although we observe a certain unipolarity, the author describes in detail the course of the war, turning the novel into a purebred representative of historical prose. Hardly any other work of fiction will give you as much information about Civil War in 1861-1865 between the United States and the Confederacy, also in a form where it is almost impossible to tear yourself away. Someone will say what practical value such knowledge can acquire. The point is not about a specific historical period from the history of a particular state - we are talking about the eternally relevant principles of society. The theme of war raised in the book, even after 80 years, has not lost its importance and parallels. The eternal struggle for power and resources, competition, hatred, racial segregation, inequality, classes in society, greed and fear. The Ashes of War, unfortunately, is not the fiction of Margaret Mitchell.

Social segregation

Two the most important topics in the context of the development of the story of "Gone with the Wind", which will occupy you not in to a lesser extent than a war between North and South. The main character of the novel and her immediate circle, at the time the events began, were rich and influential residents of Georgia, whose pedigree and many years of work (I’m mainly talking about parents, the older generation) allow them to occupy an important place in society. Two worlds already coexist in Scarlett’s little sixteen-year-old head. On the one hand - well-being, prosperity and respect around her and Tara estates , on the other - the whole other world. How easy it is to label people in this world. Small farmers who live in constant borrowing from their neighbors deserve no better description than "white trash". A man who, like Rhett Butler, watches his appearance and walks around the city with his head held high, almost disparagingly called dandy. Residents of the northern states, persistently imposing their policies and ambitions on the proud South, are called Republicans in a pointedly condescending manner. Already in the course of the development of history and the unfolding of the armed conflict, the appearance of speculators is noted, and then creatures less similar to man and God - sucked up And carpetbaggers- almost like a fiend of Hell in the coordinate system of our heroes. A few weeks later, I appreciated something similar in another immortal classic -.

The Mackintoshes were half-breeds, of mixed Scotch-Irish origin, and in addition also Orangemen, and the latter circumstance - even if they were canonized by the Catholic Church - left a Cain stamp on them in Gerald's eyes.

Having been brought up in their isolated aristocratic world, Scarlett, her sisters, Wilkes, Tarltons and other families, very easily, without unnecessary twitching of the eyebrow, draw a line between themselves and all others, creating new classes and assigning certain common properties to those already favored. Take the Mackintosh family, which stubbornly resisted persuasion to sell an enviable piece of land to its wealthy neighbors. In the eyes of the same O'Hara, these farmers were a pitiful sight - people unable to properly provide themselves with comfort. They, according to the generally accepted opinion, were snobs who tried to fit in with their surroundings, while they only produced weak children and borrowed, as they say, sugar from their neighbors. Same Captain Butler experienced a wide variety of labels and curses, both behind my back and said to my face. Coming from a wealthy family, he was considered an ignoble person and did not fit into the closed concepts of Georgia's high society. Despite the fact that objectively he was more successful than all his ill-wishers and envious people, such a disdainful attitude towards him, apparently, helped others subjectively raise their self-esteem. “I don’t hang around taverns and brothels, I don’t hang around with the Yankees, damn them.”.

His wife, a pale, unkempt, sickly-looking woman, gave birth to a bunch of gloomy children, timid as rabbits, and continued to regularly increase their number from year to year.

The novel, in terms of discussing such social differentiation, simply captivated me, as a person who is not indifferent to applied sociology, which we see not on the pages of doctoral dissertations, but in everyday life, around us. Events describing the middle of the 19th century surprisingly relevant today , only adjusted for fashion trends. In the company of people. As long as it exists, there will always be poor and rich, successful and unsuccessful, respected and despised, loved and hated. Respect and social significance are exactly the same resource as money or cotton, and there is not enough of it for everyone, as Margaret Mitchell very clearly presents to us. As our heroine develops, under the influence of the external environment, in particular war, her concepts of society are transformed. Today she may not hesitate to communicate with people whom yesterday she was ready to kick out of the door. Earn money in the world of big money and connections, enduring the judgmental glances of men and women, the caustic whispers behind your back.

Racial segregation and slavery

I read Solomon Northup's memoirs "Twelve Years a Slave", I have long been interested in films and articles about racial segregation in the United States, and even wrote several articles on the topic. To my surprise, Gone with the Wind is not a book about this, and it is not for nothing that I set this section after condemnations of war and social division. Approximately this priority is felt as you read the chapters of the novel. Here you won't find any horrifying and disgusting details of the treatment of black people, quite the contrary. Since we have already emphasized that our history is unipolar, then, in fairness, it is worth noting that several blacks: Mommy And Pork, occupy an important place in the story of Scarlett O'Hara, taking a decisive part in overcoming difficulties. Our heroine, with genuine joy, rushes to one of the former workers, seeing him in the heat of the army's advance. Here it is more a matter of a system of habits, its desire to return to its former life, than of a sincere disposition towards slaves.

One concept of the society of that time is noteworthy, which you would not expect to see on the pages of a book. Black slaves who live with wealthy Georgia families allow themselves to treat other slaves with disdain - this is the division into classes within a group already isolated by society. Thus, the heroes distinguish blacks of a lower grade not only by physical characteristics. This is not the most interesting thing, but disdain for white people! In the coordinate system of the same boy, Jimsa, who was born in captivity and serves the Tarleton family, allows himself to call poor farmers “white trash.” For this, of course, he gets a scolding, but it’s much more interesting what’s going on in his head than what comes out of his mouth, you’ll agree. The same Mammy allows herself to discuss white people in front of Scarlett, criticize them for communicating with some of them, and utter curses.

The black servants of the rich planters looked down on the white beggars, and this hurt Slattery, and the reliably provided piece of bread for the servants gave rise to envy in him.

After the end of the war and the formal abolition of slavery, the famous XIII Amendment to the US Constitution, several million blacks find themselves free people. Yesterday's forced laborers receive land plots and even the opportunity to vote. Certain individuals defy the former planters - they spit after them on the street, and attack white women in the twilight of the night. It is remarkable to observe the development of the author’s thoughts about the real reasons for what is happening. The victory of the North consisted not only of military intervention and the defeat of the Confederate army, but of the subjugation of the recalcitrant South Americans. People who supported their own are deprived of the right to vote, and just imagine their indignation that yesterday’s slaves were given such a right, for them they are second-class people. In addition, promises to the black population are reaching their climax, although in fact racial segregation will not be overcome until centuries later. Politicians skillfully play on people's feelings, managing not only military, but also public institutions. Proud southerners are forced to drag out a poor existence, undermined in their importance, observing the daily impudence of the invaders.

As an integral part of the overall detailed picture of the consequences of the Civil War and the so-called reconstruction, we are shown the formation of a notorious in world culture ku klux klan . I am sure that from the pages of the novel you will gain a more practical understanding of what happened. Subjugated, but not broken, the men of the South cannot silently endure humiliation and meekly look into the mouth of the Yankees, just as they cannot put up with insolent blacks. They gather in the evenings and organize raids and raids on highly arrogant blacks and those who pander to them. Considering the format in which this story is presented to us, without being taken out of context, I am sure you will have an ambiguous attitude towards this clan. The world, as we know, is not divided only into good and bad, so here we have something in the middle, although any violence, of course, cannot be justified by the most convincing intentions.

The first chapter of the immortal novel begins with a lyrical description of the main character. She appears before us sixteen year old ugly , whose worries boil down to the colorful decoration of her green dress, the opinion of the guys from the neighboring plantation about him and her own unrequited feelings for a certain . Scarlett at the beginning of the novel and for a good part of it is a product of her upbringing, the spoiled child of a wealthy Georgia family. Her parents: Irish father Gerald O'Hara and mother from the ancient French family Elline (nee Robillard) raise their three daughters according to their own understanding and according to their position. The eldest’s system of life coordinates includes the desire to become a good wife for a successful man, give birth to healthy children and not be distracted by nonsense, such as reading, admiring the theater and work. Speaking in modern terms, the heroine is absolutely empty and cannot offer anything other than her beauty - like a doll, she can be moved from one place to another, placed as an element of decor and given a direction in which she can gaze with her green eyes.

If the heroine had remained the same typical product of her environment, without development, for fifteen hundred pages, her story could hardly have been so warmly received by millions of readers. Circumstances, the heavy burden of the Civil War, hunger and cold, separation from loved ones - these are the external circumstances that shake the already dilapidated castle of young Scarlett. Costumed points suddenly lose their significance and general relevance. Marriage, and then the loss of a spouse, impose social conventions on a girl’s life. At heart, she remains the same selfish, selfish person, until the very last pages, and her thoughts may cause obvious disapproval in some people. Scarlett is something of a cynic. I will say more, if we, as the reader, were not privy to what is going on in the heroine’s sweet head, she would hardly have turned out to be so interesting with her ambiguity.

Rhett Butler

A man who has earned the hatred of his compatriots and moderate suspicion from conventional enemies. An entrepreneur who, from the first day of the war, considered it as a source of income and power, which he openly spoke about more than once. While I don't consider Gone with the Wind to be a pacifist work, it does criticize the war with interest. As for the main male character, through his contemptuous, often incriminating speeches, the author conveys well-known criticism and even the irony of unpopular topics. It is not difficult to guess that Rhett, who is easy-going with his words, strongly contrasts with Scarlett, who was brought up in piety, with a girl who simply does not voice her thoughts. As we see as their relationship develops, they are indeed very similar, only Captain Butler almost always defiantly materializes what he thinks into words.

This character evokes the most ambiguous emotions, but definitely not unipolar. He didn’t seem like a scoundrel or a swindler to me, although the vast majority of people would probably have shortened the life of such an entrepreneur. When an entire state is starving, giving its last to the front and wasting the last of its pride on plantations instead of slaves, Butler is always clean and expensively dressed, and coins jingle in his pocket. He seems to challenge everyone around him, causing envy. Some will call him an opportunist, others a scoundrel, but for me he is an example of an extraordinary, successful person. If you paid attention to the masculine strength of James Bond in the movies, then here you will be visited by a feeling of déjà vu. Rhett knows how to treat women, and quite brazenly, regardless of origin and income. He is not included in the respected houses of the South, but he can afford any girl, including in Europe. From year to year, while the main character goes deeper into evil and humiliation, he greets her with a smile, in an ironed suit and his jokes.

This young man has earned, in his own way, the peculiar attitude of the absolute majority of people around him, including his neighbors and the main characters. Scarlett is crazy about this handsome man from the Wilkes family, so she is unsettled by the news that Ashley is ready to throw in his lot with the faded and expressionless Melanie Hamilton. This young man is described to us as a man of creative and extraordinary talents. He is interested in music and books, theater, which gives rise to general misunderstanding and disapproval. According to the men of the county, such as Gerald O'Hara, such behavior is not worthy of a true gentleman who should find himself in farming, war and drinking brandy in the campaign of his comrades. Ashley is also something of a rebel in the world of Gone with the Wind. White crow. At first, he is rather indifferent to the topic of the upcoming war and to the so-called Right Cause, and in the second half of the novel he completely admits to Scarlett that all this has always been alien to him.

He fights bravely for the honor of the South and for a cause that is tearing it apart from the inside with contradictions. He is captured, and after returning from the war, he does not find a place for himself in his new life. Coming from an old, proud family, Wilkes is forced to work in the fields and accept help from a woman. He has been tormented for years, not finding his place in the sun of the new United States. If we talk about appearance, I don’t like the option that was chosen for the famous 1939 film adaptation. While reading, another character will probably appear in your mind. His existence in the book and interaction with the outside world plays a crucial role, both in constructing a holistic picture of the civil war, and in revealing our titular duo of heroes. Rhett Butler experiences a certain amount of contempt and disapproval towards his young opponent, although he is objectively superior to him in everything. But it’s not so easy to uproot the noble Wilkes from Scarlett’s heart.

Born Hamilton, she is an uninteresting, pale girl, as she is described, in a not very favorable manner, at the beginning of the novel. A fundamentally important character for the story, helping to reveal the main character through difficult relationships. Melanie, throughout for long years, is not aware that Scarlett is in love with her husband and, to be honest, longs for the end of this marriage. War and circumstances turn the world upside down, and now two young girls are forced to overcome difficulties together, survive, give birth and raise children. At the same time, they love one man who, after returning from the war, is torn between duty, family and honor on the one hand and youthful love on the other. Someone will say that Melanie takes only a passive part in the development of the story, because most of her is unwell and she needs care. At the same time, she, with blind loyalty, comes to the defense of a person who does not wish her happiness behind his back. She alienates people who disapprove and judge Scarlett, but she is not blind. The girl is almost certainly perfectly aware of the new life into which her friend and patron has become involved. She also knows the difficult situation with Ashley. Before us is perhaps the strongest in this regard, the kind and inviting character of Gone with the Wind.

My rating: Masterpiece - 10 out of 10

Film "Gone with the Wind"1939

I will almost certainly do a separate large review dedicated to the film after the next rewatch, but for now I want to note that this is a magnificent picture - one of the best adaptations, if not the best, in the history of cinema. A fairly accurate adherence to the literary original made it possible to convey the scale of the story Mitchell told. This is a real epic movie about love, devotion and indifference, about the Civil War, filmed, as they say, with pomp and scope. The scenes of the evacuation of the garrison alone are worth it. Three quarters of a century ago it was not possible to add a couple of hundred soldiers in the background using a computer, so the number of extras, the elaborateness of the scenery, and the attention to detail are simply impressive. I won’t add fuel to the debate about which is better – a book or a film. In my opinion, the novel is better, but the film is simply incomparable - a true classic. I definitely recommend watching it, even if you haven’t read the original, but still want to get acquainted with the famous story of Scarlett O’Hara. Notable cast, with names like Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable And Olivia de Havilland, will not leave you indifferent.

Analysis of the novel “Gone with the Wind”

Gone with the Wind is a novel set in the southern United States in the 1860s, during (and after) the Civil War.

This novel has more reasons than any other American novel to stand in the ranks of great creations on a par with foreign ones created by Tolstoy and Dickens. In depicting the enormous range and complexity of social life during the war period, Gone with the Wind is close to Tolstoy's War and Peace. A story told with such passion and sincerity, illuminated from within with such insight, woven from history and limited by the limits of imagination, is endlessly interesting. This was the initial, simple theme of woman and city that Margaret based her long novel on. This heroine, however, had human needs and passions; Margaret created, at the same time, love story and artistic depiction of history. She was able to highlight the romantic plot line with amazing success, if this concept can be applied to Margaret's straightforward and frank portrayal of her egoistic heroine's relationships with men.

Critical commentary on Gone with the Wind is not only extremely interesting, but also puzzling, and puzzling because the novel's unprecedented success challenges not only the interpretations of the most insightful critics, but even “the human imagination itself. mainly on the topic of whether the novel is a literary masterpiece or is it trivial fiction.

Fred B. Millett in a critical review devoted to American literature in the 30s, among the factors providing the novel with unprecedented popularity and persistent reader interest, he singles out an energetic, impetuous, winning heroine; the secondary heroine is weak, dependent; half-light display; the villain of the hero, dashing, not afraid of anyone, the kind that women like; intense action, not too boring story.

“The main factor that made Gone with the Wind such a huge success was, according to the critic, that the Civil War was first seen and depicted through the eyes of a woman, which gave the novel a freshness and emotional urgency that was lacking in novels devoted to the same subject.” .

“In American literature of the twentieth century, there is no more living character than Scarlett O’Hara,” so say the articles. “For a person to step over the cover of a book and walk across the country, making you tremble for your destiny, you won’t find another like him.”

The image of Scarlett really turned out to be close to millions of readers. A green-eyed beauty with Irish roots, capricious and willful, but at the same time strong and desperate, ready to find a way out of any situation, not broken by love failures, the death of her parents, or the horrors of war. The vicissitudes of Scarlett’s relationship with her men against the backdrop of historical “scenery” left few people indifferent. “She failed to understand either of the two men she loved, and now she has lost both” - this was the main phrase of the last chapter that Margaret Mitchell wrote when starting her novel.

Historical events terrible war most of all affected the fate of Scarlett. After all, it was she who, in such a difficult time, managed to save Tara, whom she loved so much, so cherished and protected no matter what. After all, this is the only thing she has left of her childhood memories. We see Scarlett fighting for her native land. She is ready to do anything! She inherited this courage and “iron character” from her father, who dreamed of his own plantation all his life and, having achieved the fulfillment of his desires, unfortunately, could not help his daughter in such a difficult time.

The novel clearly shows how the O'Haras treat their slaves: how Scarlett loves Mammy, who raised her since childhood, what a good relationship the owners have with Big Sam. At a time when Scarlett could have lost Tara, we see how she is together works with slaves. Beauty Scarlett, who has always been such a flirt, digs in the ground like a slave. The war has forced her to learn a lot that the girl could not even think about before.

The image of Scarlett belongs to art. This image is psychologically deeply detailed and realistic, it attracts with the humane idea embedded in it - the image of a cheerful young beauty, splashing with joy. During the years of trials, she turned out to be so courageous and resilient.

“According to Mitchell, the roots of the heroine’s vitality and survival are in her love for her native land, which she inherited from her Irish ancestors. No wonder Rhett Butler compares Scarlett with the mythical Antaeus, who gained strength by touching mother earth! So is Scarlett, “strong in the spirit of her people, who do not accept defeat, even when it is obvious.” This unwillingness to accept defeat, drive and obsession in achieving her goals make Scarlett similar to the characters of Faulkner, in whom each or almost every hero steadily moves towards his goal, crushing the circumstances that stand in the way of his truth.

Scarlett is a character whose traits are characteristic of each of us. This is why Scarlett is so “touchy”, so close, so understandable on an instinctive level, but at the same time we may not approve of her and even be horrified by her actions. It’s just that in the cruel conditions in which she found herself, everything worsened negative traits her ambiguous and complex nature. And she deliberately pushed everything good, pure, sincere, deep into herself. “Don’t look back...” - remember, she persistently told herself. But she is a reflection of American identity. Something like a phoenix bird, a symbol of love of life, perseverance, pride, love for one’s homeland, the ability to be reborn and rise after any fall - these are the traits that Americans truly consider to be theirs, and it is these that Scarlett embodies.

Mitchell gave Scarlett a very interesting and mysterious character, very decisive and unpredictable. She is a very proud and unique person. Even during the war, when death is on the doorstep every minute, Scarlett wants to dress well and please men. Even in this terrible hour, she is having affairs, but to some extent beneficial for herself.

The main character Scarlett O'Hara captivates readers with her restless, wild energy and unparalleled, passionate love for life in all its manifestations. Scarlett's phrases that “I won’t think about it today. I’ll think about it tomorrow” and “I will kill, I’ll steal, but I’ll never go hungry again,” they are bribed, despite the obvious illogicality and savagery.

However, the fairy tale about the magical love of Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler in the book "Gone with the Wind" does not leave the feeling that something is wrong here, that not everything is wonderful in the Danish kingdom, that this is still impossible, that this is not the way to do it, that finding happiness in this way is difficult, if not impossible.

It turned out that not everything was so good in the imaginary fairy-tale kingdom of Gone with the Wind, and that Scarlett O'Hara's line of behavior cannot be a guiding thread in real life for other girls and women. But why? After all, everything is so beautiful on the pages of the book, folding and bewitching?! This is what I will now try to figure out.

This is where it turned out that this whole romantic, complicated love story of Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler is an almost ordinary story about two people suffering from their own illusions and false hopes, unfulfilled expectations for themselves and other people, which " Gone with the Wind" is a vivid illustration of the completely standard life of two lost people - a woman and a man who speak different languages and everyone strives for their own mirage of happiness.

The undeniable merits of Scarlett O'Hara's character are her inflexibility, the desire to live, and to live well. Scarlett grew up in a prosperous aristocratic family in the South of the United States, on the Tara plantation. Immediately on the eve of the people's war with the democratic North of the United States, Scarlett O'Hara at a ball at 12 Dubach decided that she loved Ashley Wilkes - only him and no one else.

And here Scarlett made the first fatal mistake in her life, which many, too many girls and women make. We often mistake our desire to love for love.

Scarlett O'Hara is used to getting everything with great ease, and this is especially true for men. And Ashley Wilkes, such and such a disobedient one, did not join the cohort of her obedient admirers - he chose the modest and kind Melanie - “Sheep”, as Scarlett called her .

Therefore, Scarlett O'Hara fell in love not with Ashley Wilkes, but with the romantic image she had invented of this young man, inaccessible to her, she herself drew a portrait of Ashley's merits in her mind and fell in love with him. The impossibility of owning Ashley is what fascinated Scarlett O'Hara, and not his personality at all - the personality of a homely, manly man who loves to read books on the sofa next to his wife, knitting socks.

Scarlett wanted to possess Ashley, and she came up with a beautiful fairy tale about her love for him, and then, years later, after many mistakes in her personal life, after Melanie’s death during her second birth, she finally got around to thinking about what exactly she loved in Ashley Wilkes, why did she fall in love with him and why?

And then she realized that she had never, never loved Ashley Wilkes, but was only running after her instinct to own someone who did not want to be her property. When the obstacles to Scarlett’s “love” were removed, it turned out that there was no love at all.

There was a banal desire to love, but not love, there was a deception, a fake feeling, there was an illusion of love, but not love at all. And the price for this colossal illusion of love was extremely huge - Scarlett O'Hara lost the love of Rhett Butler - the only man who sincerely loved her for her unbearable character traits, loved her eccentric essence, and not her appearance, not just her pretty face and a slender figure, such as Scarlett’s first husband, Charles Hamilton, whom Scarlett married just to annoy Ashley Wilkes.

Scarlett O'Hara knew nothing about Ashley Wilkes, about his ideal woman, in fact, she was not interested in him inner world, she just wanted to conquer him. So she won him a few years later, but at what cost, and most importantly - why?!

After the first fatal mistake - falsely falling in love with Ashley Wilkes, who wooed the virtuous Melanie Wilkes, Scarlett O'Hara immediately makes a second - she hastily marries the young boy Charles Hamilton with sole purpose- to get revenge on Ashley.

At the same time, Scarlett didn’t even think about Charles Hamilton’s feelings, didn’t wonder - she didn’t care about them, as they say. During the war, Scarlett is very worried about her beloved, but not about her husband. At the first opportunity to find out the names of those killed in the war, Scarlett runs headlong to the lists. She was always very glad that Ashley's name was not in them; she never thought about her husband.

According to the plot of the book "Gone with the Wind", Scarlett O'Hara gave birth to a son, Wade, from her husband Charles, who died in the war - a baby, unhappy from birth, born into a single-parent family without a father by a mother who never loved him.

Thus, already at the very beginning of the book Gone with the Wind, Scarlett O'Hara casually crippled two human destinies - the fate of her first husband, Charles Hamilton, and her own son, Wade.

Further more. If the murder of a Yankee who tried to rape Scarlett does not cause psychological rejection, because... It was self-defense, then her wedding with the beloved man of her own sister Suelin cannot be called anything other than a natural betrayal. The broken fate of her sister Suelin was coldly laid on the altar of success in life by Scarlett O'Hara from Tara.

And if we look even further ahead, it turns out that Scarlett’s second sister, Karrin, “for some reason” went to a monastery, and Scarlett attempted to take away from her the last and only thing that Karrin had—her third share in her parental inheritance— part of Tara, which Karrin donated to the Catholic Church as her dowry.

And Melanie? Melanie sincerely loved Scarlett, and she did not even consider it necessary to hide her claims against Melanie’s husband, Ashley. Scarlett was able to appreciate Melanie’s value, the value of Melanie’s selfless and pure love for Scarlett O’Hara, too late - only after her death.

During the war, Melanie saves Scarlett's life. The one who has always been a timid and modest girl, but even after this act, Scarlett cannot fully appreciate Melanie’s sincere love.

Let's add to the list of "victims" of "Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind" the unfortunate Frank Kennedy - the very beloved of Scarlett's sister Suelin, who, because of Scarlett's greedy love for money, paid with his own life.

And Ella Lorina? Scarlett O'Hara's daughter from Frank Kennedy? Was she happy? Alas, her mother openly did not love her and saw her very rarely. Another unfortunate child, unloved from the very moment of birth, with a crippled fate.

Of course, Scarlett O'Hara is a bright, independent and attractive personality. But this personality has negative potential, since she destroys everything around her, ruins the destinies of her dearest and closest people.

So, the main second mistake of Scarlett O'Hara is her absolute disregard for the feelings and desires of other people. She has zero empathy - because she is absolutely unable to feel into another person. “Only Me!” and no one else, scorched by the sunny personality of Scarlett O'Hara, a lifeless desert around.

But Scarlett O'Hara eventually had to pay all the bills set by fate for such a disdainful attitude towards people whom she treated as tools for achieving her selfish goals.

So, we have already revealed two main, global mistakes of Scarlett O'Hara - her erroneous, illusory love for someone about whom she knows nothing, and the alleged illusion of mutual understanding with the people around her, whom she absolutely did not understand and did not even try to understand , over the numb corpses of whose broken destinies she walked as if along a red carpet.

Now let's talk about what Scarlett O'Hara wanted most from the book "Gone with the Wind"? Money? Yes! But why? Because they give her the illusion of safety and protection from the blows of fate. That is, Scarlett O'Hara in her own, perverted way, but still looked for Happiness in life.

But Happiness somehow didn’t want to be there. It was always looming on the horizon - sometimes it went hand in hand with Ashley Wilkes, sometimes with Rhett Butler, sometimes with money, but it was impossible to achieve it.

Anyone who seeks happiness will never find it. And the one who simply lives, achieves his life goals, shares his joy and prosperity with others, unexpectedly finds it. But Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind did not understand this and did not want to understand. Scarlett O'Hara loved only what was forbidden - “out of reach.”

When Rhett Butler opened the gates of his soul, filled with love, wide open before her, she spat on this very loving soul with all her aristocratic arrogance.

When Scarlett O'Hara realized that she was losing Tara (this happened twice - during the war and after Sister Karrin's gift to the church), she began to desperately fight for her. When Ashley Wilkes was unavailable, he was welcome. When Rhett Butler was available, She didn't need him. When Melanie Wilkes was alive, she was a thorn; when she died, she became a dear and beloved person. As soon as Rhett pushed Scarlett O'Hara away, he immediately became dear to her.

In the case of Rhett Butler, Scarlett O'Hara repeated the same mistake as with Ashley: she first pushed away her available, and therefore not beloved, husband Rhett, and when he left her, she suddenly fell in love with him. The illusions of love are too expensive, after all, happiness continues to loom somewhere out there, on the horizon, and not here and not now, in real life.

In the end, Scarlett gave all of Tara to her sister Suelin, who had many children, who married a legless war invalid.

Scarlett O'Hara had to fully pay the bills for her past sins with her relationship with the vile Count, unrequited love for Rhett Butler, who disappeared from her destiny.

But she stopped running after the ghost of happiness, and simply found it in the arms of her beloved man - Rhett Butler and with her only beloved (but third!) child.

This is such a wonderful and terrible story about romantic love Scarlett O'Hara to Rhett Butler from the book Gone with the Wind.

This story is fascinating. Because thanks to the artistic presentation, Scarlett O'Hara does not seem like a villain here, she is fighting for happiness and love.

After all, Scarlett O'Hara, in the end, after a very long journey, full of trial and error, nevertheless corrected herself and became better than she was.

Scarlett's personal tragedy is that for all her apparent external femininity, she actually had so little of it, if by femininity we mean subtlety of feelings, the ability to understand another person, tact, careful attitude towards the feelings of others, mercy and love. Homely Melanie is eminently endowed with all these qualities that Rhett Butler considers attributes of a real lady, but not Scarlett. Endowed with a tenacious practical mind, she is unable to understand moral abstractions. This leads her to the collapse of her life.

The main guide in the novel is history. Margaret Mitchell managed to describe the horrors of wartime in great detail. The heroes of the novel bear the terrible events of that war. The destinies of the heroes are closely intertwined with the historical events of that time.

Mitchell creates his characters with great skill and skill. Each of them is unique and individual.

After reading the novel, we understand that the writer is not too sorry and does not favor the inhabitants of these historical times. In her novel they are described as they probably were: belated nobles, who in other countries began to die out, with generous land and slaves, formed into lordly liberties: temperamental game, independent and unpunished. The best of them, as noted in the novel, realized this themselves: “Our way of life is as outdated as the feudal system of the Middle Ages.” The appreciative Rhett spoke even more harshly: “This is a purely ornamental breed.”

In Margaret Mitchell’s book, the paternalistic approach to blacks undoubtedly makes itself felt - a friendly and patronizing attitude, a willingness to evaluate and understand them as much as necessary, but “in their place.” The reader can easily catch it in the way she contrasts the story of her Uncle Peter with the famous Uncle Tom, how she draws the nurse Mamushka, Big Sam, and others.

Margaret Mitchell describes balls on the eve of war. In such a scene in the novel, we can see the attitude of the people towards the upcoming war. You can even compare the personalities of heroes such as Rhett and Charles. With what delight and desire to fight Charles tells Scarlett about the war and with what disgust and oppression Rhett speaks about it.

M. Mitchell's skill in Gone with the Wind was manifested in the creation of unforgettable characters, each endowed with a bright, unique personality and at the same time reflecting, each in its own way, the historical content of the era.