I've just finished reading Gone With The Wind. And it is, hands down one of the best books I have read! Scarlett O'Hara is one of the most beautiful and real characters created. You hate her, you sympathise with her and finally, you fall in love with her! She is strong, but at the same time longs for someone to take care of her, to pamper her.. To do the same things she does for everyone! She starts off as an attractive young girl, used to the attention of boys, and loving it! Nothing matters to her more than getting a pretty ball gown, and a bonnet to go with it! She doesn't care for literature, or the war that is around the corner! And her infatuation with Ashley Wilkes! She just couldn't stand the fact that someone wasn't beguiled enough by her charms and was marrying someone far less attractive or interesting than she was! Out of spite, she marries his fiancee's brother just to rub it into his face! I like the fact that she isn't a saint. She's a real person with flaws. And that's what makes her all the more beautiful!
When widowed, she longs for the life she had before! She hated black and the fact that she couldn't dance or participate in the merriment. She was only a girl of sixteen, saddled with a child and a duty to mourn her husband. Of course she resented it! But she geared it with dignity, even though on the inside she was screaming. And what girl wouldn't jump at the offer to dance, when she hasn't been offered in the longest time? I don't think she even cared about who it was with, or the scandal that she was causing!
But behind that pretty, dainty face of hers, was hidden a woman of real steel. She was the only one who kept her family going through the hard times. She worked in the fields till she had calluses on her palms, she took care of her father after her mother passed away. She took care of her sisters, her son, Melanie and her son. She provided for them and she also killed to protect them. She always made sure there was food on the table. But the fact is that she longs to be the person she had been before. She longs to not have a care in the world! Although I don't condone the fact that she married her sister's beau without telling anyone, she did it to save Tara, the place she loved and also the place where her entire family was living. I love the fact that even during the time when all women were supposed to do was look pretty and stand beside their husband, she had the guts to run her own business and she was also a darn sight better at it than her second husband.
She may have had her flaws, but she would never ever allow anyone to mistreat the slaves. In fact, she was almost ready to whip the man who wasn't giving them enough to eat. In my opinion, her marriage to Rhett Butler was one of the best decisions she'd ever made, because, even she'd never admit it, he truly made her happy. And he was practically the only man who saw her for what she was. Not the pretty maiden, but a fiery, spirited young woman with so much courage and strength that she would put a man to shame! She shows so much strength when she has a miscarriage, and when her youngest daughter dies. She may be selfish, but that doesn't erase the fact that she is a true soldier. However bad things got, she always managed to pull everyone up, not for a moment did she give up. Not for a moment, did she put her head in her hands and say she couldn't do anything. That, if you ask me is true grit. She is truly one of my favourite storybook characters after Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and Atticus Finch. This is a book that if one reads, one never forgets. Scarlett O'Hara is a person that you envy, love, admire and at times identify with. If you read the book, I'm sure you will love her too!
When widowed, she longs for the life she had before! She hated black and the fact that she couldn't dance or participate in the merriment. She was only a girl of sixteen, saddled with a child and a duty to mourn her husband. Of course she resented it! But she geared it with dignity, even though on the inside she was screaming. And what girl wouldn't jump at the offer to dance, when she hasn't been offered in the longest time? I don't think she even cared about who it was with, or the scandal that she was causing!
But behind that pretty, dainty face of hers, was hidden a woman of real steel. She was the only one who kept her family going through the hard times. She worked in the fields till she had calluses on her palms, she took care of her father after her mother passed away. She took care of her sisters, her son, Melanie and her son. She provided for them and she also killed to protect them. She always made sure there was food on the table. But the fact is that she longs to be the person she had been before. She longs to not have a care in the world! Although I don't condone the fact that she married her sister's beau without telling anyone, she did it to save Tara, the place she loved and also the place where her entire family was living. I love the fact that even during the time when all women were supposed to do was look pretty and stand beside their husband, she had the guts to run her own business and she was also a darn sight better at it than her second husband.
She may have had her flaws, but she would never ever allow anyone to mistreat the slaves. In fact, she was almost ready to whip the man who wasn't giving them enough to eat. In my opinion, her marriage to Rhett Butler was one of the best decisions she'd ever made, because, even she'd never admit it, he truly made her happy. And he was practically the only man who saw her for what she was. Not the pretty maiden, but a fiery, spirited young woman with so much courage and strength that she would put a man to shame! She shows so much strength when she has a miscarriage, and when her youngest daughter dies. She may be selfish, but that doesn't erase the fact that she is a true soldier. However bad things got, she always managed to pull everyone up, not for a moment did she give up. Not for a moment, did she put her head in her hands and say she couldn't do anything. That, if you ask me is true grit. She is truly one of my favourite storybook characters after Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and Atticus Finch. This is a book that if one reads, one never forgets. Scarlett O'Hara is a person that you envy, love, admire and at times identify with. If you read the book, I'm sure you will love her too!