Be a Melanie, Not a Scarlett
Few people have read Gone with the Wind, but many have watched the movie, hailing it as a classic piece of American cinema. People, myself included, get swept up in a love story filled with swishing Southern belles and chivalrous gentlemen, but the story is one that isn't exactly always sweet.
Scarlett O'Hara is named by many as a heroine, a strong female character that is as beautiful as she is independent. Well, there is some truth in this, but it is also filled with many, many flaws. Firstly, the opening line of the novel actually says that Scarlett was "by no means beautiful." She was charming, so let's all be honest and say she was charming and seductive because that speaks more to Scarlett's character than genetic beauty does. Scarlett uses her charm to catch husbands. Notice the plural! She marries one man to make someone else jealous, steals her sister's beaux to save her beloved Tara, and marries Rhett to live a more lavish life. This sums up the one trait that defines Scarlett: selfishness. Scarlett is a modern tragic hero, meaning that there is (at least) one trait that will be her downfall. For Miss O'Hara, this is selfishness mixed with a large dose of classic pride. Scarlett continually tries to make herself appear better than everyone else, whether it be by wearing her dresses tighter around the waist or building an ostentatious house in front of her poverty-stricken friends.
Though Scarlett manages to take matters into her own hands, such as scavenging for food at the height of the war or earning extra money at the lumber mill, Scarlett most of these things in an attempt to finish at the top rung of the social ladder. She also often relies on men to bring her to the heights that she desires, throwing away any shred of class, dignity, or scruples in the process. Let us readers not forget that Scarlett was prepared to be Rhett's mistress if it meant not falling into the throws of poverty. I know she was desperate, but in the novel, we are given someone who does not resort to such extreme (and self-elevatory) measures when faced with the same struggles.
Melanie Wilkes is initially introduced as weak and, honestly, annoying. I had disliked Melanie at the beginning. She was naive to Scarlett's contempt for her, a bit dowdy, and far too sweet for the chaos that was happening around her. In the beginning, I was like Scarlett when it came to Melanie. Melanie gave little fuss when she went into labor in Atlanta under siege. Then, Melanie, a woman who just gave a troublesome birth, lives at Tara, where the only food available is peas, and she never complains. She is weak and needs milk, but she never places her needs (not desires) above the cries of everyone else. She tries to help Scarlett whenever possible, though she is weak and essentially bedridden. In the midst of this pain, a soldier breaks into Tara and attempts to steal the only valuables left. To defend their property, Scarlett shoots the man. Melanie watched from the steps, and instead of fainting as Scarlett would have thought, Melanie immediately springs into action, helping to dispose of the body. Melanie had the weak body, but her spirit and kindness always triumphed. Even after Scarlett's many mistakes, Melanie forgave, protected, and loved Scarlett. She was loyal through the very end.
Please, stop saying that Scarlett is your hero. She was self-centered and petty, constantly trying to steal a man that she didn't actually want. In today's world, let's all try to be a little more like Melanie--kind. And remember, strength isn't always visible.
As God my witness, I shall never be Scarlett again,
Christina
Scarlett O'Hara is named by many as a heroine, a strong female character that is as beautiful as she is independent. Well, there is some truth in this, but it is also filled with many, many flaws. Firstly, the opening line of the novel actually says that Scarlett was "by no means beautiful." She was charming, so let's all be honest and say she was charming and seductive because that speaks more to Scarlett's character than genetic beauty does. Scarlett uses her charm to catch husbands. Notice the plural! She marries one man to make someone else jealous, steals her sister's beaux to save her beloved Tara, and marries Rhett to live a more lavish life. This sums up the one trait that defines Scarlett: selfishness. Scarlett is a modern tragic hero, meaning that there is (at least) one trait that will be her downfall. For Miss O'Hara, this is selfishness mixed with a large dose of classic pride. Scarlett continually tries to make herself appear better than everyone else, whether it be by wearing her dresses tighter around the waist or building an ostentatious house in front of her poverty-stricken friends.
Though Scarlett manages to take matters into her own hands, such as scavenging for food at the height of the war or earning extra money at the lumber mill, Scarlett most of these things in an attempt to finish at the top rung of the social ladder. She also often relies on men to bring her to the heights that she desires, throwing away any shred of class, dignity, or scruples in the process. Let us readers not forget that Scarlett was prepared to be Rhett's mistress if it meant not falling into the throws of poverty. I know she was desperate, but in the novel, we are given someone who does not resort to such extreme (and self-elevatory) measures when faced with the same struggles.
Melanie Wilkes is initially introduced as weak and, honestly, annoying. I had disliked Melanie at the beginning. She was naive to Scarlett's contempt for her, a bit dowdy, and far too sweet for the chaos that was happening around her. In the beginning, I was like Scarlett when it came to Melanie. Melanie gave little fuss when she went into labor in Atlanta under siege. Then, Melanie, a woman who just gave a troublesome birth, lives at Tara, where the only food available is peas, and she never complains. She is weak and needs milk, but she never places her needs (not desires) above the cries of everyone else. She tries to help Scarlett whenever possible, though she is weak and essentially bedridden. In the midst of this pain, a soldier breaks into Tara and attempts to steal the only valuables left. To defend their property, Scarlett shoots the man. Melanie watched from the steps, and instead of fainting as Scarlett would have thought, Melanie immediately springs into action, helping to dispose of the body. Melanie had the weak body, but her spirit and kindness always triumphed. Even after Scarlett's many mistakes, Melanie forgave, protected, and loved Scarlett. She was loyal through the very end.
Please, stop saying that Scarlett is your hero. She was self-centered and petty, constantly trying to steal a man that she didn't actually want. In today's world, let's all try to be a little more like Melanie--kind. And remember, strength isn't always visible.
As God my witness, I shall never be Scarlett again,
Christina
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