“Gone With the Wind” – Margaret Mitchell

I know this is a daunting book to even consider reading…it is very big and there are a lot of pages…and if you’ve seen the movie, why bother reading the book?  I think that if you enjoyed the movie, you should always read the book.  Sometimes this backfires as most movies can never do justice to the written word (especially if it is a really good book) but in this case it works.  The movie is wonderful and full of memorable characters and scenes which the book fleshes out for you.

The best reason to read the book, though, is Scarlett.  Vivien Leigh’s portrayal of Scarlett is flawless – she embodies Scarlett’s fiery temper, flamboyant personality and heart-breaking vulnerability.  In the novel, we become even more aware of Scarlett’s flaws but we also see what drives her – her love of family, her love of Tara and her love of life.  Scarlett can be called an opportunist at best, but she truly is forced to take the road she travels – forced by circumstance, forced by family, forced to survive.  But, in the end, you either hate her or you feel profoundly sorry for her.  I took the latter view.  Scarlett is a product of her changing social circumstance and is forced to make the decisions she makes through necessity and need.  It is commonly held that Scarlett is a pioneer, living at a point in history where women’s roles start to change as a result of the Civil War.  Scarlett embodies one of the first examples of “Women’s Lib” as she is forced to take the man’s role in the O’Hara household and provide for her sisters, her former slaves and her community.

My only criticism of the book is also probably one of the reasons to read it if you want an authentic picture of the world Scarlett inhabits.  I could not get through the passages when Mammy is speaking. It was laborious to read Mammy’s “lines” when spoken in the vernacular.  So, I just skipped those parts – I figure this sin is far less that the sin of reading the last chapter or page!!