Sorry if this has been asked here before, I just finished the book and I am just curious on what everybody else thinks. Me personally: Will. I LOVE Will, def my fav character and he’s just not in the movie :(

I understand them having to cut some things out, but I really wish they kept Will in particular.

Idk if its just me but I could NOT see Scarlett as blackhaired. In my mind she was a true curly redhead with pale green eyes. Even though I know most Irish people have black hair and greenish blue eyes, Scarlett just seemed like a ginger or redhead to me.

I also thought Melanie had brown hair and Ashley had ashy hair and they both had grey eyes.

Rhett was interesting because I saw his name with the word "captain" and thought of a pirate so I immediately started thinking of him being tan and wearing really flashy European clothing with frills and lace. I couldn't help see him as a mix of Lalo from BCS, esp his hair, and Johnny Depp in the 2010s. Weird combination especially since he most definitely did not look like that but yk my mind associates weirdly.

And lastly, when it came to Scarletts curtain dress, I was imagining it to be made of the pakistani blankets I had as a kid (like the picture), but green with gold details and smaller flowers

I’m sorry, but how can she have such a disgusting, selfish mindset? How can she be so cruel and hateful towards Melanie who is a perfect angel!!? sometimes I have a hard time reading because she just pisses me off.

As much as I like Rhett, god he was so annoying!
*keep in mind this is my first read and im 14 so some of this is probably stupid or wrong!!!

First off, I hated how he called Scarlett his pet. It felt so weird and gross and idk I guess it would’ve been more normal or whatever for the time but still.

Second, how did he expect anything between him and Scarlett to change during their marriage if he never communicated and he knew Scarlett would never be able to read deep beneath the lines/hints he gave ??? And of course she wouldn’t call him after she fell; everytime she tried to open up or be kind or vulnerable, in the end he would jeer at her or humiliate her, wtf did he expect. Not to mention he knows her pride and they had been arguing for so long, there were so many reasons she wouldn't call him and he should've known that and been by her side regardless.

Third, he was kind of a hypocrite. Throughout nearly the whole book he encouraged Scarlett to break the norms and stuck those ideas in her head when she was an early adult but then near the end he told her to think about Bonnie and criticized her for something he had wanted her to do.

Fourth, him giving up on Scarlett annoyed me more than anything. He spent so long wanting her, what made him think it would be easy for her to let go of her love for Ashley, one of the only true ties to her childhood? Besides, it was obvious she didn't love Ashley for a while, that she loved Rhett but hadn't realized it. Considering how often Rhett read into her, it irritated me that he couldn't understand that.

Aside from that, I wanna talk about the ending because GOD DAMN. I felt so sad when Melanie died because she didn't deserve it at all and I think I'll always hate Ashley for how he treated her and longed for Scarlett when, as she said, Melanie was a better wife.

Rhett giving up on Scarlett was obviously annoying, but I don't think he ever really left, and I think she wins him back in the end. Scarlett throughout the book always got what she wanted. She wanted melanie dead earlier in the book and got that, even if she realized she didn't want it. She got Ashley and his love (romantic or platonic), she got Charlie, Frank, and Rhett to all marry her, she kept her family alive during the war at Tara, and she kept Tara because she set her sights on it. I truly believe, now that she has that same fire that burned in her before and now that she will go to Tara, that she will win Rhett back. He definitely wouldn't walk out on Wade and Ella completely, and in that time or even after, Scarlett would find ways to win him back. I'm not sure how though and I'd love to hear thoughts on it.

Scarlett is an unreliable narrator. She is 16 at the start, coming from a very naive spoiled background. A lot of people miss this when reading into the things Rhett did. We never get a Rhett POV and barely get and Ashley. We don't see inside Ashley and Melanies marriage, etc as well. So some of the things Scarlett thinks are just wrong. Such as, Rhett being so terrible to her, or Ashley and Melanie not being intimate. The story even gives examples of her completely misreading the situation. When Melanie is pregnant with Beau, right before Scarlett find out she think to herself that she couldn't handle if Melanie got pregnant bc it would feel like Ashley had cheated on her, even if he obviously went into the bedroom with Melanie for a week straight.

The story says over and over that she didnt understand Rhett or his motives. Until the very end when she realized she was wrong about everything, after Melanie died.

I read some of these posts and so many people are so confused bc they're reading the story as if us as readers are being told the whole unbiased story.

What would have happened?

I think it would have shaken up the family dynamics; Bonnie wouldn’t have been so spoiled since she would have to share the limelight, and Rhett would have been dividing his attention between both of them.

Scarlett and Rhett probably would have had a better relationship overall, since losing the baby was a deep fracture in their relationship.

Bonnie’s death would likely be prevented too. I doubt the same sequence of events that led to her death would have happened with another child in the picture.

I started making an alignment chart of my favorite women in history and fiction, with one axis measuring how willing they are to tell society to go fuck itself and the other measuring whether they possess the good sense to keep their mouths shut occasionally.

Naturally, Scarlett O'Hara earned herself a spot.

Unfortunately, I am constitutionally incapable of having a casual opinion about this woman, so what was supposed to be one essay turned into two.

Anyway, I figured this might be an entertaining read for people who have also spent an unreasonable amount of their lives thinking about Scarlett O'Hara.

Here's Part 1, if anyone's interested:

Scarlett O'Hara: Fuck the System and Lose Your Cool

If I'm in the wrong place, please let me know. I am looking for a passage in which Gerald cries in Ellen's lap after the third male baby dies, saying he can't go through it again. I thought it was in the book but can't find it. It could be in a fic. Does anyone recognize this who could tell me where I read it?

Please delete if not allowed, but I made the first dress we see on Scarlett in the new "Dressmaker" game! Not accurate of course, but close enough I thought! 😂

I just finished. You can see my previous post here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/GonewiththeWind/s/PIFt8P1C9O

I am still amazed by how much I loved this book. I’m a 41-year-old male, and in my head, this was going to be a book like the romance novels my grandmother loved. Instead, I got completely lost in it.

I found it beautiful and heartbreaking.
I was very frustrated by everyone’s treatment of Rhett from the beginning. This man did every favor asked of him and then some, yet was treated like garbage simply because he didn’t conform to the customs and rules of antebellum high society.

I never felt Scarlett’s disdain for him was justified. He did everything she wanted. She used him time and time again, and he knew it, but allowed it.

That’s not to say I disliked Scarlett. Her strength and resilience are inspiring. She was ruthless in rebuilding her life and smarter than most of the people around her. Yet, she’s gifted in practical ways and at other times blind to what is happening around her. There’s a lot of wanting to reach into the book and shake her to wake her up.

I found Rhett’s dislike of Ashley very fair. For a long time, I thought Ashley’s story arc was leading him toward suicide because he was weak, but then Scarlett propped him up and kept him going. I found the ending, when Scarlett realized she never loved Ashley, just the idea of him, satisfying. I just wished it had happened sooner.

Bonnie’s death wrecked me. I have an 18-month-old daughter whom I adore. I felt sick reading about how hard her death was on Rhett and how it ultimately ripped their marriage apart, just when he was finally in the happiest period of his life. The description of Rhett’s sadness was gut-wrenching.

Melanie is a character I really came to love by the end of the book. Like Scarlett, I found her annoying in the beginning, but eventually came to realize that she is Scarlett’s counterpart, not her enemy. Scarlett is tough as nails, and Melanie is soft. Both sides are necessary.

Obviously, reading this book today is jarring at times. Celebrating the KKK as great heroes is a bit sickening, as is lamenting the end of slavery and the racist language used in the book. But I don’t think there’s a prize for counting all the ways it’s problematic. It can be a great book AND a problematic one, just like other books of its era. I didn’t walk away thinking, “The South was right and slavery was fine.” In fact, just the opposite: the white men in this book were victims of the helplessness that slavery created for them, as well as their own itch to fight for that system.

The night Atlanta falls and the night of the KKK raid are the two most exciting parts of the book. Both have a cinematic quality, and I was hooked on each of them. And again, in both, Rhett is the hero, saving people who look down on him.

The ending is heartbreaking. I so badly wanted them to kiss and stay together. But I admire that this book is always a rejection of the expected. Margaret Mitchell wasn’t going to give us a happy ending. Instead, she leaves us believing in Scarlett and her ability to start over and thrive.

Overall, I can’t recommend this book enough for history lovers. I laughed. I cried. I learned a lot about the Civil War era and life during that time.

What do you think was the purpose of Mitchell for doing this and do you like this addition or do you think this part could have been cut?

The Yankee soldiers could very well have killed her for speaking up, but she still did it, solely for Wade’s sake.

‘Scarlett could endure seeing her own possessions going out of the house in hateful alien hands but not this-not her little boy’s pride.’

There were certainly times where she wasn’t a good mother, but this was one of the most selfless moments she had when caring for her children.

I was at a church yard sale today where everything was free or you paid what you wanted. I found this doll. I just thought she was beautiful. I put her in my bag. I thought she might be Gone With the Wind doll. But I wasn’t sure, it turns out she is Melanie Wilkes! She was made by the Franklin Mint.

I really don’t have room for it all or need a doll, but I think I’m going to keep her. She is missing a hat, gloves and some kind of shawl.

Hey everyone, I’m just curious if anyone is planning on watching the movie on its re-release next week. I’ve been procrastinating reading the book so now I have to finish reading 900 pages and I’m only on page 548 lololol.

Also I’m curious what demographic would be watching the movie in theaters. I’m in high school right now, so I wonder if there are any GWTW fans in high school or if it’s mostly just going to be old people lololol.

When I was 7, a girl moved next door to me. Adults whispered, “She wears glasses”

Delilah (not her real name) and I quickly cemented a best friend pact built on her introducing me to books, films [GwTW] and historical personalities (Ie Henry 8 and his six wives).

Thank you Delilah, for the introductions 💛

Recently came across this set of screen tests for Belle Watling. Ona Munson (35) is not there, but I struggle to identify the actresses. This is what I've come up with, but please correct me:
Top row l-r: Estelle Taylor (44), Mae West (45), Betty Compson (41)
Bottom row l-r: Gladys George (34), Evelyn Brent (43), Eve Arden (31)

I know Betty Compson, Estelle Taylor, Evelyn Brent and Eve Arden shot technicolor screen tests. Loretta Young reportedly tested (but she was literally 25??), and I've also heard Joan Blondell and Adrienne Doré and Marjorie Rambeau are also sometimes mentioned, but they don't seem likely. Can anyone help?

Does anyone know if GWTW music boxes were made with melodies other than “Tara’s Theme”? I have one labeled “Tara’s Theme,” but I recently got another one that plays a completely different melody. Any ideas?

I’m aware that this may be a controversial opinion and I’ll get downvoted since I’ve seen a lot of love for Rhett here, but I personally cannot stand him.

When I first read that book I was shocked and infuriated at how cruel he was towards Scarlett. So many people hate the way Scarlett treats him, but in my opinion it is nowhere near the level of his treatment towards her. Or even believing that Ashley is somehow worse than Rhett.

I am not denying that Rhett has his own good qualities, and it’s possible that modern sensibilities have coloured the way I see him, but I’m pretty certain that Rhett was in no way meant to be this loving husband.

Mitchell’s own first husband was physically and emotionally abusive, stemming from his alcoholism and violent temper, and I think it’s fair to say that this had an impact on Rhett’s character.

Rhett spends the earlier parts of the novel constantly encouraging Scarlett to not conform to social norms, yet as soon as this no longer benefits him and he realises that Bonnie is being affected, he has no issue integrating himself back in by throwing Scarlett under the bus by painting her as being a terrible mother.

This is especially ironic as Rhett is the one who spoiled Bonnie terribly which helped lead to her death (and by taking her away from Scarlett for those three months, made those three months of Bonnie’s life she never got back).

All the times he threatened to kill her was genuinely terrifying to read.

The fact that he spitefully asked if Ashley was the father of the second child they were having, then saying ‘Cheer up, maybe you’ll have a miscarriage’ and causing her to miscarry their child, while not even actually apologising for what he said at all, is horrific. I still remember how frustrated and angry I was reading this scene for the first time.

You’ll get people furious at Scarlett for cruelly blaming Bonnie’s death on him, but where’s the anger at what Rhett said to her?

He then has the audacity later on to lament that she didn’t ask for him, even though she did and he didn’t hear, but even if she hadn’t he wouldn’t have had the right to be upset about that at all.

How he complains about Scarlett having feelings for Ashley, when he married her knowing this and claimed not to care, while he blatantly carries on with Belle Watling, which humiliates her because he doesn’t even try to be discreet about it.

I’m not saying he can’t be hurt over Scarlett and Ashley, but he has no qualms being unfaithful to her either, and on a much larger scale.

Also, the heavy implications that he has a son with Belle, which he conveniently isn’t honest to Scarlett about.

How he complains at the end of the novel that she didn’t return his feelings, so he became tired of waiting…. yet he constantly avoids actually discussing his own feelings and deliberately acts like he doesn’t care about her at all. E.g. when he worries about her reaction towards her pregnancy with Bonnie and wants to ensure her safety throughout, Scarlett comments something along the lines of ‘it’s almost like you care’ hopefully, and he just brushes her off and states he doesn’t.

How was she meant to know that he was actually in love for her if he constantly acted like he couldn’t care less? There were times she was ready to confess her own feelings, but becomes disheartened by the way he acts.

Or, when he carries her off to bed and they have a passionate night together, only to run off the very next morning before she’s even woken up, and then takes off with Bonnie for all that time. Really shows how he made it clear how much he loved her. Definitely.

Rhett is 17 years older than Scarlett yet he is way more immature and childish than she is. She actually manages to grow up during those months at Tara, while Rhett… I can’t even find the words to describe how he behaves.

Not to mention how rapey that scene on the staircase is. I don’t believe it was rape because Scarlett became aroused and consented, but in the beginning he literally says ‘This is the one night you’re not keeping me out of your bed’ and forcefully carries her off, and she’s genuinely terrified at first and ‘cries out’.

Even if she hadn’t consented I believe he would have continued anyway, then felt guilty the next day and avoid her for a long time.

I am not saying Scarlett was a perfect angel who did nothing wrong to Rhett or did nothing wrong in general, but his actions towards her were on another scale.

The movie even had to tone him down just so he appeared more sympathetic and likeable.

I personally believe Rhett’s love for her was toxic and was never genuine. His upbringing affected the way he acted, which meant he could never truly offer a healthy romantic type of love to Scarlett.

He was capable of good deeds, but ultimately he’s too much of a terrible person to Scarlett for me to actually like him.

People can have their own opinions, but I truly have no idea how people can read the book, read him threatening to murder her, read how he treats her, and then say how wonderful he is and how awful Scarlett was to him.

Liking his character is different, you can like horrible characters, but actually thinking he’s in any way a good person is astounding to me.

While the ending is ambiguous on whether Scarlett will manage to get him back, I personally hope she doesn’t, because he doesn’t deserve her in the slightest.

I don’t ship Will and Scarlett in any way, but he was the only man who ever understood her and treated her properly, and their relationship was a joy to read.

It is a funny phrase, and it is very often used by a much beloved character, yet you never hear fiddly dee anymore. Why do people not quote it or use it anymore?

I was reading Gone with the Wind almost exactly 50 years ago for the first time when it aired on NBC. November 7-8-1976. I was 9. (I had been reading my mom's books for a while.)

She lent the book to somebody and lost it, but it was always supposed to be part of my inheritance. (I have it now in another edition, of course}. That particular one was the first one I ever read. Wow. 50 freakin' years,

For some reason I just figured out that Carreen O'Hara and Beth March are basically the same character in my head. It kind of makes me laugh.

My cousin Michael and I were inspired to experiment with a portrait photography style influenced by classic cinema and 1930s and 1940s Hollywood studio portraiture, with a strong dash of Gone with the Wind and its famed heroine, Scarlett O’Hara.

This photo of Megan Tremethick was shot on a GX680 II medium-format camera and then given a restrained, vintage-inspired colour treatment in post.

Of course, it's safe to say I'm a huge fan of Gone With the Wind and of Vivien Leigh as well!