I have been reading Gone with the Wind (again) for several months now, along with reading my Bible, and some self-improvement books. I never really got why I so like this movie and book. (I even like the sequal.) Not only is this just a classic movie and the ultimate romance novel. I have fond memories of snuggling up on the couch in my Teta's (grandmother's) bedroom and watching it for the first time. But, it just occured to me how much I am like Scarlett. This entire book is about a young woman's survival.
I am not saying that I grew up rich, in the south, and sheltered from all. I am saying that I can relate to her. I can relate to her struggles, to her drive, to her never-ending spirit and determination. Scarlett is a lovely creature, by most standards. But what really attracts me to her is her spirit. She has this determination to succeed in life, even leaving off thinking of things until they won't effect her so. Her well known "I'll think about that tomorrow."
And when you read the book, you have even more appreciation for her character. Yes, she grows up spoiled, but somehow, despite that, she has a sense of loyalty, a drive to get what she wants (even Ashley), and a never ending drive to succeed. In Gone with the Wind, she is spoiled and self-centered and remains that way through the entire movie/book. Although, if you can see through that, she has a sense of familial loyalty or she wouldn't have broken her back and ruined her hands picking cotten to provide for her friend and family. She develops this spirit which refuses to be crushed through war, widowhood, and even starvation. She has this courage about her. She faces the truth of life and even protects her own from a deserting Yankee soldier who wants to steal her food and her mom's "ear bobs."
Most would not see this about her character, but somehow I relate. I have had that determination through out my life. I have survived some of the worst that life could throw at me. And even though I am not the best, nicest, or meekest person out there, I am fully aware of my shortcoming and I refuse to give in to them when life gets tough. I would like to be a lady, like Ellen O'Hara, but I fear that a lady such as that couldn't make it in this world any more than she would have made it through Scarlett's life.
As you go on to read the sequel, Scarlett, her character developes even more. She matures. Her familial loyalty blossoms to clan loyalty. Her focus grows from herself and what she wants to what is best for her entire clan of family. It's amazing and I guess, that is what I hope for my life. For my horizons to broaden, for my character to develop, for me to mature.
Yes, I am thirty years old and far more mature than most my age, but I still hope for more. I would like to see my desire to flourish and succeed in life to produce as much fruit as Scarlett's does. I mean, in the end, she gets her heart's desire. She gets her Rhett Butler, her baby, and the entire world opens up in front of her. Yes, I have my hubby and I have my girls, so maybe my world will open in another way...who knows. But I do so look forward to it!
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