OK, it appears that I need to clarify some thing. I didn't
not like the book. I just don't know how much I
did like it because the end totally sent me into a tailspin. That's why I started off by telling you how much I enjoy a good road trip. Road trips are fun, beautiful, quality time. So I guess I need to explain further what I liked and what I didn't like about this book...
feel free to expound on your love of it as well. Also, there will be major spoilers involved below... read at your own risk. :)
Alright, let's start with what I didn't like and just get it out of the way. Its no secret by now that the end was not my favorite. I like to live in a bubble of happy endings, I guess? Does that make me shallow or immature? I hope not. I talked with my sister-in-law about the movie ending and the way it seems to me, the movie gives a feeling of hope. Maybe if I'd seen the movie first, I wouldn't have interpreted things the way I did.
Rhett's famous line in the movie sounds like he's full of attitude and he's just fed up with Scarlett. In the book, there is no "frankly" preceding the infamous words~I think this is indicative of a different emotion than that portrayed in the film. His emotion, to me, was more of a broken man and rather than just being done with Scarlett, he'd like to care, but he just can't. He has nothing left give. Its quite pitiful and sad, he doesn't even have desperation within any longer, he's just given up.
And Scarlett... well, according to my SIL, Scarlett's last words of the film are, "For tomorrow is another day." Thereby showing Scarlett's resiliency, her strength of character. The thing that makes Scarlett who she is is that she is never beaten. It is this trait which leaves the film with a feeling of hope. The book has the little addendum after Rhett walks away too, but her plan just isn't feasible. She can't just leave for Tara tomorrow. She has Melanie's funeral to take care of, she has Ashley and Beau who will desperately need someone, she has to go and get her children from where she left them. Not to mention, what does she have at Tara? I know there is the connection to the earth, the work, her mother's memory to buoy her up, but what of SueEllen? You know that's not going to be a happy reunion, for either of them. She is utterly alone and it made me feel such immense despair.
I saw a lot of myself in Scarlett. That was hard for me because she was so flawed, but good for me too. I internalized her plight more than I ought to have and it has haunted me nearly every day since finishing the novel. Truly I wake up thinking about her, several times a day I'm thinking of her, I can't escape. :) The book has affected me more than most books, which is a large part of why people love it. And I loved it too, but it still haunts me.
You may still be thinking, "So what did you like about it, Kim?" And to that I would say, "Oh, so many things!" Up until the last 100 pages, I was planning on buying it for my personal collection to read and reread through the years. However, once I realized the direness of the ending, I was thankful that I did not. I don't think I can put myself through it again. It was the journey that was so wonderful, even if the destination was not. I loved learning about history (history has never been my thing, but I think it should be). I was fascinated by all the different facets of society at the time, the class divisions among: farmers, slaves, Northerners and Southerners to name a few. I truly enjoyed many of the characters and related to so many of them on many different levels. The relationships, the passion, the dreams, the connections. I loved that the earth was a character in its own way and how the characters had such different relationships with it. The same could be said of the South. It was extremely interesting. I could hardly wait to see what each page would say. It was exciting! I'm sure I could go on, but I'll stop for now, this is a good starting point for discussing what made the journey so great.
The history. Honestly, I'm embarrassed to admit that the extent of my knowledge of the Civil War comes from this book. Until I read it, I knew two things about the war: that it was North against South and that slavery was the issue at hand. Pathetic, I know. Reading this made me thirst for more information about the Civil War. I don't know how accurate Ms. Mitchell's account of the events is, but reading about the war cry, the retreating Johnson, Sherman's forces taking Atlanta and how the railroad was so critical to victory, States' Rights... it was all so enlightening. Not to mention how ugly war is and sad. The hunger, fatigue, and death of so many. The loved ones at home left wondering. The raids and burnings. War is just ugly.
Society. Having a BS in Sociology, it should come as no surprise that I loved (loved!) reading about all the divisions among the classes. Not that I delight in separation, but it was just so fascinating to see how plantation owners looked down on "white trash" and how house slaves looked down on field workers. I also loved the exploration (albeit slight) of the Northerners' views of blacks versus the Southerners' views. The conversation Scarlett has with the women from the North looking for a good nurse for her children was so interesting. There were Southerners who loved and cared for their slaves and their slaves loved and cared for them in return. The prejudice was still there, believing them to be like children, unable to think or care for themselves, but it wasn't disdain... not like the Northerners portrayed. Northerners wanted the slaves free but they didn't want anything to do with them. I found it sad and somewhat shocking the level of hatred the Northerners and Southerners had for one another. It reminded me a lot of the Nephites and Lamanites in the Book of Mormon. How they were taught from the earliest of ages to hate one another. It made me grateful for my upbringing, that I was taught to accept everyone. I had a professor who used to always say, "The only thing that this generation won't tolerate is intolerance." I learned about the origins of the term "white trash," about the Ku Klux Klan, about scallawags and carpetbaggers. So many things that have been adopted into our normal vocabulary.
Also on society, the desensitization of Scarlett to things "unladylike" was very akin to the desensitization of society to similar things. I find it so ironic how prevalent letting go of one's moral standards was implicated in this novel and then that this, of all movies, is the first film to include a swear word. How far we've come. Of course, some of the evolution of our society has definitely been for the better. Like I mentioned earlier, tolerance is much more prevalent now. Women's roles have evolved significantly. I guess with any change you can't pick and choose what comes with it, you just have to take the bad along with the good and make the best of it. Kind of like Mrs. Merriweather (was that her name? I truly don't remember) who opened up a bakery business to provide for her family. She was willing to sacrifice some of her ladylike virtues, but she was able to make the best of it for herself by holding onto her moral integrity. I'm not saying she was right, I'm saying she didn't change who she was and what she stood for as society changed around her- she adjusted to the new environment as best she could).
If you've been reading my reviews long, you know how much characters mean to me, I have to believe in them, empathize with them, love them to really enjoy a book. There are so many amazing characters in Gone with the Wind. I really identified with many of them.
I, like my friend who recommended we read this one to discuss, hope that I am most like Melanie. She was a person who was just so good. Do you think there really are people like Melanie? Do you think she knew about Scarlett's secret love for Ashley? Was she a believable character to you? To me she was. I believe people are good. I believe that we should look for and choose to see the good in people. I think we should be forgiving of people when they make bad choices. What I loved most about Melanie was her loyalty, to people, to state, to principle. She had more integrity than anyone I've ever met. She had fire, but was able to keep it under control, a master of self.
I enjoyed Rhett's character as well, flawed as he was. I really loved his interaction with everyone~ except maybe Scarlett (except the times that he was genuine with her). He made me laugh, he made me cry, he made me excited and filled me with dread. Talk about a full character! Then you add to it his relationship with society, the South, and the earth. Very interesting. Makes me wonder what I would value if I lived during that time. He was pretty amoral, even his honesty that he claimed he valued so much was questionable. I think he was "honest" with people because he was a rogue. He wanted to be different, wanted to push the envelope, he liked making people squirm. I think he was less than honest with himself most of the time. His feelings for Scarlett and serving in the army both exemplify his dishonesty, to me. It wasn't until the end that he actually became vulnerable and really honest with himself. I ached for him and his emptiness.
Honestly, I liked Scarlett. I think that's a big reason that I had such a hard time with the end. I feel like Melanie, a strange protectiveness for Scarlett. Melanie would not have liked the end of the book for sure. I can't say for sure what I liked about her. I'm fairly certain she and I wouldn't really be "friends" if we knew one another. I think it comes down to when you know someone so well, you can't help but feel a kinship with them. She had many flaws, many of which she didn't recognize as flaws. Although, many others were more than willing to cast stones of judgement at her. She also didn't give herself credit for some of her strengths. I wanted so desperately for her to be happy. Once she was running in the fog and recognized her dream and that she was running toward Rhett, I hoped against hope that she would find that happiness. I guess the good news is that she figured out some things about herself in those moments. She can find that happiness within herself. She can make things right with those that are important to her.
And that is why I write these reviews. I learn more about how I feel as I emote. I know there is more to say about this masterpiece, but holy cow, I think I can finally have closure. I guess there is an underlying hope at the end of this literary classic. Just like Julia Roberts' character had to find herself before she could be happy in a relationship in Runaway Bride~ so Scarlett needed to find herself. She begins that journey at the end of our journey with her. Disneyworld can be rebuilt, after all.
Whew! After all that, I think I know how to rate it. I'll give it 4 1/2 stars because it was exceptionally well written, it made me think (obviously), it made me feel (but not in a manipulative way), I loved the characters, but I still do not love the ending.
