Gone with the Wind: the story

Gone with the Wind

Part One

At the beginning of the novel, we are
introduced to the novel's sixteen year old protagonist, Katie Scarlett O'Hara. It is an April afternoon in 1961, and Scarlett is talking to Brent and Stuart Tarleton, two with her. They are
seated on Scarlett's father's plantation, Tara, located in Clayton County, in Northern Georgia. The conversation drifts to the war that the two men are convinced is going to happen. In
passing, they mention a bit of gossip that a friend of theirs, Ashley Wilkes is engaged to his cousin Melanie Hamilton. Scarlett is struck by this

news, as she has secretly been in love with Ashley for several years. She vows to tell Ashley at the barbecue for his birthday the day, that she is love with him, so that he will run off with her. The next day, Scarlett, her two sisters, bratty Suellen and sweet Careen, and her father, the boisterous and Irish Gereld O'Hara. Still at Tara is Scarlett's kind and ladylike mother, Ellen O'Hara. When the O'Haras arrive at Twelve Oaks, the Wilkes' plantation, several new characters are introduced, including India and Honey Wilkes. They are sisters of Ashley, India was supposed to marry Stuart Tarleton, before he fell in love with Scarlett, and Honey is soon to be engaged to Melanie Hamilton's shy and awkward brother Charles. When she arrives, Scarlett executes her plan of flirting with every bachelor there, in order to attract Ashley's attention, (see above picture) including Charles, and Suellen's much older beau, Frank Kennedy. Yet another character is introduced here. Scarlett sees a man that hs e does not know constantly watching her. When she inquires, she finds out that this man is Rhett Butler. He has a terrible reputation, and is not received in his own hometown, Charleston, because he refused to marry a girl that he had accidentally compromised. (note: this merely means that he went out for a buggy ride with her, and did not return before it got dark.) At the barbecue, he makes fools of all the men and insults the South and their chances of winning the war. When the men have gone in the house to have drinks and the women have gone to take a nap, Scarlett sneaks out and pulls Ashley into a deserted room. She tells him that she loves him, and that she wants to marry him. He says that although he loves her, he must marry Melanie because he has already promised, and they are alike, whereas Scarlett and Ashley are very opposite. Scarlett goes into a rage and tells Ashley that she will always hate him now, and slaps him. In frustration, she throws a vase, nearly hitting Rhett Butler, who has been hiding on the couch, and has heard the entire conversation. Scarlett goes back to the napping room, and overhears Honey and India making jealous and catty remarks about her, and Melanie defending her. Trying to find somewhere to be alone she is interupted by Charles. He feels that over the course of the morning he has fallen in love with her, and proposes marriage. Trying to gain revenge on Ashley and Honey, she accepts. The war starts. She and Charles are married, as well as Ashley and Melanie. In three weeks Charles dies at training camp due to disease, and Scarlett is left a widow of a man that she didn't love, and a mother of a boy (Wade Hampton) that she doesn't want. She is hopelessly bored, and in hopes of cheering her up, Ellen sends her to Atlanta to live with Melanie and Melanie's aunt Pittypat. This is against the advice of Scarlett's bossy and protective Mammy.

Part Two

In Atlanta, Scarlett's boredom is only somewhat relieved, because she still may not participate in any social activities, because she is supposed to be in mourning. She also finds Melly's kindness and Pitty's fretting to be smothering. But soon an opportunity arrives: the three of them are invited to help out at a bazaar for the war. Once they are there, Scarlett is once again frustrated that she cannot return to her former self, and take her place as the belle of the ball. Just as she is watching the other girls dance,
desperately wishing that she could join them, Rhett Butler appears. Much to Scarlett's despair, he comes over to talk to her and Melanie.

When he is told that Scarlett has married Charles, he is greatly amused and immediately understands that she married him without loving him, and does not feel grief over his death. He also understands how desperately she wants to be involved in the dance. When it is announced that the man who wishes to lead the nest reel with the lady of his choice must bid for her, Rhett bids one hundred and fifty dollars in gold for Scarlett, an act which scandalizes everyone only slightly less than the fact that Scarlett accepts. This gives Scarlett the opportunity to become herself again, and participate in all social activities. This also gives Rhett the opportunity to come visit her whenever he wants. The war begins to turn greatly in the favour of the Union army, and many of Scarlett's childhood beaux are killed. Ashley comes home on furlong for Christmas, and Scarlett tells him that she still loves him, and he kisses her and leaves. Soon after, Melanie realizes that she is pregnant, and Ashley goes missing. Rhett discovers that he has been taken prisoner, and taken to Rock Island, which is noted for being cruel to its prisoners.

Part Three

One night, when Scarlett is sitting on the veranda of herhouse, feeling sad because she has received news of her mother's illness, Rhett arrives. He tells her that he has always been attracted to her, more than any other woman he has everknown, and proposes that she become his mistress. Scarlett responds, "Mistress, what would I get out of that, except a passal of brats!", and while he laughs at her response, she furiously turns him out. The war comes very close to Atlanta, and Pittypat flees the town, leaving Scarlett in charge of Prissy, their slave, Wade Hampton and the pregnant Melly, who is having problems with her pregnancy.

In May of 1864, the Yankees invaded Atlanta, and Melanie had her baby, leaving her weak with pain, on the night that she, her new baby Beau, Prissy, Wade and Scarlett must leave for Tara. Scarlett enlists Rhett to help them get out of the city. At the
border, he tells Scarlett that he is going to enlist in the Confederate army. He also tells her that he loves her, because they are both blackguards. He kisses her, and she slaps him in anger, because he is leaving her to travel all the home by herself. Scarlett reaches Tara to find that although it is not burned down, as she had feared, it is greatly changed. Scarlett's mother has died. All of the slaves but Mammy and two others have left, most of their food has been stolen by the Union soldiers who had made the house their headquarters, and all of their cotton has been burned. Also, Gereld has lost his mind, and still believes that Ellen is alive.Twelve Oaks has been burned, and Melanie has no where else to go. Scarlett realizes that she alone must pull her family out of famine and poverty, and vows never to look back, and that she will "never be hungry again!" So she does just that. It means that she and her family must pick cotton, split wood and grow food, throwing away all the old traditions, in order to survive. One day, when Scarlett and Melly are alone in the house, Melly still too weak to work, and Scarlett nursing a bad foot, a Union soldier breaks into the house.He attempts to steal Ellen's old jewellery, but Scarlett shoots him. Melly runs in, ready to defend Scarlett with a sword that she can barely carry, but he is already dead. The two of them take his money, and Scarlett buries him without telling the rest of the family. Although Scarlett still has a large amount of contempt for Melly, a new sisterhood grows between them. The Union army comes again to Tara, wishing to burn it down, and take any food that is left, but Scarlett stands up to them, saving Tara and some food. They start a small fire in the kitchen, which she and Melanie fight off. Confederate soldiers begin to pass through in search of shelter and food, and Suellen's old beau, Frank Kennedy proposes to her.They intend to marry once he has enough money. The Union army surrenders, and the war is over. Many soldiers pass through of their way home, looking for medical care and food. One particular soldier is very sick, and Careen nurses him back to health. His name is Will Benteen, and he begins to help out around the house, to pay them back for their kindness. Eventually, Scarlett allows him to share much of the burden that she has been carrying. Ashley returns from Rock Island, and has no choice but to live at Tara.

Part Four

The taxes are raised on Tara by a newly turned Union couple who wants to buy the plantation, who know that Scarlett does not have the money to pay for it. In despair she asks Ashley to run away with her, and leave everyone behind them. He tells her that his honour will not let him do it, and she dully responds that she has nothing to fight for anymore, and he tells her that she has something that she values much more than him, Tara. She hears rumour that Rhett Butler has returned to Atlanta, and is enormously wealthy. She decides to go offer him herself, in return for the money.

Making a dress out of curtains, she and Mammy leave for Atlanta, although only Scarlett knows why. Once they arrive, Pitty unwittingly shatters Scarlett's plans by telling her that Rhett has been jailed for shooting a man. Scarlett sneaks to the jail and tries to fool Rhett into thinking that she loves him. Once he discovers the truth, he tells her that he can't get at the money when he is in jail, and she leaves in a rage. One the way back, she meets Frank Kennedy, who has built a store, and plans to buy a mill. Realizing that this may be her only opportunity, she coerces Frank into marrying her, saving Tara, but ensuring that she must stay in Atlanta, away from it. Frank becomes ill, and Scarlett takes over his store and buys the mill, becoming one of the best merchants in town. She realizes that women can do anything that men can, and also that money is more important to her than anything else. Rhett is let out of jail, and Scarlett becomes pregnant again. She also recieves word that Gereld has died. When she returns to Tara for the funeral, Will tells her that Suellen had taken him to take an oath, saying that he was a Union supporter. This would give the family more money, enabling Suellen to buy clothes and other luxuries. However, when Gereld realized what she was trying to do, he fled from her on his horse, breaking his neck over a jump. Will also tells Scarlett that he is going to marry Suellen. Although he has always been in love with Careen, she is going to live in a convent, and Will could only respectably stay at Tara if he marries Suellen. Scarlett tells Ashley that she needs him to come to Atlanta to manage part of her mill, and he refuses, saying that he does not trust himself around her, and he must stand on his own two feet. Scarlett bursts into tears, drawing Melly into the room. She shames Ashley into accepting the position, and they move to Atlanta. India Wilkes moves in with them, still holding a grudge against Scarlett, for stealing Stuart Tarleton. While back in Atlanta, Scarlett has her baby, and names in Ella. She is later assaulted by two men, while driving alone in her buggy, and is only saved by an old slave. Frank and some other men have secretly joined the KKK, and plan revenge on the men that night. Frank is shot in the head, and it is only due to Rhett's unexpected assistance that the others survive. On the day of Frank's funeral, Rhett proposes to Scarlett, telling her that he has never wanted a woman as much as her, and this seems to be the only way that he can have her. She accepts, mostly out of reckless abandon and a year later they are married.

Part Five

At first, Scarlett and Rhett get along very well. Rhett is very wealthy, and is willing to spend any amount of money so that Scarlett can have what she wants. But soon Scarlett becomes pregnant, and the baby sets off their lifestyle. Scarlett has never been very fond of her children, and although she understands her new daughter, Bonnie, more, she still does not take the joy in being a parent that most do. Rhett, however, is fond of children, and spoils Bonnie
horribly. He also decides that Bonnie must have a respectable future, and makes amends with

all of his neighbours, often at Scarlett's expense. That year, on Ashley's birthday, Melanie decides to throw him a surprise party. It is Scarlett's

job to bring Ashley to the party, and she goes down to the mill. The start talking about old times before the war, and Scarlett starts to cry about how peaceful and easy life was then.

Ashley comforts her by giving her an innocent hug.They are interrupted by India, who immediately assumes that they were doing something wrong. Scarlett tries to fake sick so that she will not have to go the party, but Rhett comes in furious, and forces her to go. At the party everyone expects Melanie to turn Scarlett out, but she refuses to believe the rumours, and supports Scarlett fiercely. That night, when Scarlett goes down to get a drink, Rhett is waiting for her, and very drunk. He tells her that he has always loved her, but that she is too childish to realize that it is he that will make her happy, not Ashley. He takes her upstairs, but the next morning, by the time that Scarlett wakes up he has disappeared. When he comes back, he tells
her that he didn't mean it, he was just drunk. He then takes Bonnie away. During the next few months Scarlett would normally have been scorned and nearly spit upon, but Melly's support is so strong, that the rest of Atlanta is forced to accept her. When Rhett returns, Scarlett tells him that she is pregnant. He asks her who the father is, and she responds, "You know it's yours. And I don't want it any more than you do. No- no woman would want the children of a cad like you. I wish- Oh God,

I wish it was anybody's baby but yours!"And Rhett, stung, responds, "Cheer up,maybe you'll have amiscarriage." At that,Scarlett tries to hit him, but falls down the stairs and knocks herself unconscious. While she is sick, she tries to call for him, but is too weakand fears that he does not want to see her.Rhett spends the entire time, drunk and waiting to her news of her recovery. When Melly tells him that Scarlett

is much better, he starts crying, and reveals to Melly how much he loves her, and how she doesn'twant him, and how he thinks that this miscarriage is all his fault. Scarlett recovers, and goes back to Tara to regain her strength. By this time, Bonnie has grown very headstrong. She has started to ride horses, which she does as much as possible. One day she goes to make a jump, but she falls, and kills herself. Rhett is inconsolable, and Scarlett is so upset that she blames her death on Rhett, for not stopping her from jumping. They are left with a bitter and stale marriage, and can barely be around each other. Scarlett escapes from the house to visit friends, but is called home by Rhett's urgent message, telling her that Melly is terribly sick. When she reaches Atlanta, she learns that Melly has tried to have another child, despite the doctor telling her that this would kill her.

She is dying. Suddenly, Scarlett realizes that she has always depended on Melly, and that Melly has been her true friend, and her wall. She has always tried to help Scarlett and support her, and now Scarlett is losing her. She rushes to see her, and Melly tells her to take care of Ashley and Beau for her, because she is so strong. She also tells her that Rhett loves her very much, and she must be kind to him. She dies. Scarlett finds Ashley, and realizes that he really loved Melly, and only wanted her. This news

does not upset her, and she runs home to Rhett, suddenly discovering that she loves him. When she finds him, she tells him that she loves him, and he tells her that although he has loved her ever since he first saw her, when Bonnie died, she took all of his love with him. He tells her that he is going to go away for a long time, and he doesn't care if he ever sees her again. Just before he leaves he says "My dear, I don't give a damn." Scarlett decides that she must get him back, she will return to Tara to think of a way. "After all, tomorrow is another day."

The End

note: the movie differs slightly from the novel

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