Cover of Gone with the Wind
Edit: Pat Conroy is apparently male, and I previously thought him female when this was written. Please excuse the ‘her’ and ‘she’ word usage in regards to Conroy.
Before I start voicing my complaints and frustrations with Gone with the Wind, let me start by saying that Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is also an extreme, opposite Gone with the Wind. The difference, however, is that it’s harder for me to be sympathetic to Gone with the Wind in regards to it’s opinions on slavery, racism, and the notion of owning a person. I recently acquired Gone with the Wind, and while I’m not far enough to give an accurate review, the preface by Pat Conroy angered me to no end. She writes as if she fought in the war herself and she’s bitter about losing it.
I actually started to post direct quotes from her preface, but found it would take awhile to quote almost every sentence. I thought that maybe, for some reason, I was being unjustly offended by Conroy’s preface, but upon re-reading it to my partner, he had the same reaction. It’s over-dramatic, racist, and downright ridiculous. I suppose in the south, I shouldn’t be surprised, as many people down south think vegetarians are crazy, feminists ugly, and abortions for heathen sluts. I’ll admit, I’m head over heels for the movie, but I acknowledge that without the romance and relationships, the story is a crock of crap. Granted, it’s great historical information in regards to the south, but from a personal perspective, it’s impossible to think that what the south stood for was great and grand.
I understand that Gone with the Wind is an accurate portrayal of how the south was feeling during the Civil War, but obviously, people still feel this way. I find racism ridiculous, as well as the notion that the south should have continued to have slaves and slavery. How is that admirable? The concept of racism is a difficult one to grasp for me, as the color of someone’s skin doesn’t register as important. For example, “white” people are in all sorts of different shades. There is glow in the dark, porcelain, ivory, tan, beige, golden, etc. Does the shade of someone’s skin matter AT ALL? It doesn’t even register. It’s the same thing as hair color, eye color, and even, eye lash color…it makes up the overall appearance of a person. Nothing more.
Oh, and I hate Scarlett O’ Hara.
I find it absurd that southern women wish they were her, idolize her, and inspire to be her.
She’s everything that is wrong with the world. Vain, petty, conceited, selfish, over-dramatic, manipulative, and did I mention she’s also weak, weak, weak, weak, weak… If a woman considers her as strong, then she must be weak as well.
Rant over.
Your opinions on Gone with the Wind?
P.S. Oh, and I hate to sound harsh, but I wouldn’t be me if I refrained from saying this: If you love Scarlett and want to be her, or if you’re all gung-ho the Union and confederacy, you can leave now. Go. Seriously. Don’t bother leaving any indication that you were here.
P.P.S. I love Rhett Butler. He’s the reason the story is bearable.
P.P.P.S. What does P.S, P.P.S., or P.P.P.S. even mean? Geez.
Agreed. And P.S. stands for “post script”.
I don’t love Scarlett, but she is definitely not weak. She is just trying to survive. Scarlett is a flawed character, but that just adds depth and a realness to her. Most of her actions are because she is trying to survive.
Like I posted, I have yet to read the novel. I will happily stand corrected when I get around to doing so.
In the movie, however, she is whiny, arrogant, and self-absorbed. True selfishness, like Scarlett portrays, IS a weakness in my book, and therefore, makes her weak.