Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is a beloved American classic that has delighted readers since it first hit the shelves in 1936. Set in a pre-Civil War Georgia, the novel tells the story of the beautiful and strong-willed Scarlett O’Hara, her forbidden love for the dashing Rhett Butler, and the tumultuous times they endured during the war-torn 1860s. Ashley Wilkes, Melanie Wilkes and the gallant, if somewhat unreliable, Charles Hamilton all play memorable roles in the novel and the epic Gone With the Wind movie adaptation.
The novel begins with an iconic description of Scarlett O'Hara, the passionate and head-strong daughter of the wealthy O'Hara family, and her search for the perfect partner in life. She has her sights set on the equally dashing Ashley Wilkes, and is soon thrown into a whirlwind of Southern elegance and romance. As the Civil War rivalry brews between the North and South, Scarlett finds herself torn between her allegiance to her former home, Atlanta, and her loyalty to her family and their plantation, Tara.
Naturally, Scarlett’s complicated tale of romantic entanglements, social climbing, and pride is complicated further by the war, and her struggles to survive amidst the ongoing destruction of her beloved South come to the fore. She is forced to take a job as a housekeeper in Atlanta to support her family and pay their taxes and ends up discovering her own strength in the face of adversity, as she is willing and able to take whatever measures necessary to ensure the survival of Tara.
Scarlett’s passionate and often self-serving behavior runs contrary to the rather placid and gentle ways of her cousin, Melanie Wilkes, who, despite her small stature, proves to be a source of tremendous courage and grace during the hardships of the war. The relationship between the two women—and their respective beaus—heats up during a tense and often heartbreaking wartime backdrop.
One of the novel’s most iconic characters is the roguish and ambitious Rhett Butler, who first encounters Scarlett in Atlanta, and later becomes a provider of sorts. Increasingly attracted to the fiery Scarlett, Rhett enters a relationship with her, though, unable to fully commit, he fails to win her heart during the difficult times they would later face during the war. While the novel’s civilians are struggling to keep their places in society, Rhett—and the wealthy onlookers in the novel—seem to face their struggles with less angst than the rest.
Gone With the Wind is an engrossing tale of the power of love and perseverance in the face of adversity. From the burning of Atlanta and the Battle of Gettysburg to the blossoming physical and emotional relationships between the characters and the machinations by which the characters attempt to rise above their difficult times, Mitchell portrays a vividly detailed and powerful picture of the turbulent times of the Civil War. Filled with dramatic moments, unforgettable characters, and the backdrop of a beautiful and doomed old South, it is easy to understand why this novel is an undisputed classic.
