Book Review: Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

I was very conflicted with this book, as I think anyone who reads it should be.

I definitely understand why it is one of the most widely read books in American literature. Margaret Mitchell created a protagonist that I can barely stand (Scarlett O'Hara), but somehow I still needed to know what happened to her and wanted good things for her. Not many writers can do that. Her writing style is enticing, always looping me in to reading more. Each of her characters, even with their blatant faults, make me want to be different. Melanie makes me want to see the good in all people. Ashley creates a need in me to want to enjoy the culture that I am now a part of because it will change very soon. Scarlett's character inspired me to find true meaning in life through her failure to understand how to find happiness outside of money. Her ineptitude at reading people and judging character makes me desire more perceptiveness when characterizing a person's demeanor. Even the rogue Rhett Butler inspired me with how he gave his love freely, even if it did hurt him because he put others (granted, others that he actually cared about) before himself.

However, in issues of race, this book was a painful read. Her constant affiliations of all "watermelon-tongued" black characters (yes, that is a direct quote) with labradors and monkeys and children who need guidance definitely tell you that this book was written in another time. I was more surprised by how recently it was written. I now understand why this book has been banned by different organization over time. Her glorification of house slaves who chose to remain with their masters was shocking. Her "Mammy" character was the personification of her desire for blacks to be accepting of and understanding about slavery. That's an entire other discussion right there. If you are black and you read this book, it will make you straight up angry. Considering how angry I got at times, I can't imagine what it would make you feel, so I apologize for this horribly racist book. I didn't write it but I feel like someone should apologize for it.

Her glorification of the South was very interesting because history is always written by the winners. And while Scarlett isn't exactly a loser because she didn't really support the cause, she falls into a category of others that identify with the South. What I learned during my schooling of the Civil War was that the South lost and was upset about it and did everything possible during Reconstruction to change back to their old ways. That was true to the book. Most teachers, however, always made Reconstruction out to be a huge flop that was never very successful or overbearing. Mitchell describes it as a horrible time of foreign invasion, starvation, and human atrocities by Scallawags, Carpetbaggers and blacks. I never really heard that side before. You learn that terminology in school, but I always somehow felt distant from it, as though only a few people felt that way about them. She concentrated a lot on black-on-white rape. Most history books mention this fear, but they don't come close to painting the picture of the terror she describes. Her insistence that the "Lost Cause" was states' rights was laughable because she often stated that it was upsetting that the southern "way of life" was disappearing. That way of life could have only existed through slavery. I think the most disturbing part was the way in which she didn't outright agree with the Ku Klux Klan because she thought it extreme, but she obviously understood and agreed with the reasoning behind it. Once again, that belief is NEVER held in history books. I think this books should be read with Civil War/Reconstruction units just so people know how racist people could be at that time period.

Her stance on women's rights was most intriguing throughout the book. Near the beginning of the book she briefly brushes aside lunatics like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a women's rights activist. No southern girl would ever support her. She constantly points out that women should be strictly under their husbands' guidance at all times. However, she uses the rest of the book to show that Scarlett O'Hara is a better businessman and thinker than many men. She adds figures in her head, a feat not even her beloved Ashley can accomplish. She may have been dull about interpersonal relations, but she had business sense. I later read that Mitchell's mother was a women's rights activist, so you can see how she used this book to further the idea that women can be just as good or better than men at many jobs.

I felt that this book was one of the best and worst books I have ever read, which is why I gave it four stars. I recommend it to most readers (definitely not all) because there is a point of view in the book that is nowhere near what most of us know and agree with. I think that because I so strongly disagreed with her on so many points, I was able to ensure my exact position on these topics. A very odd and challenging book, but for the most part worth the read.