1、 黃河科技學(xué)院畢業(yè)論文 第 PAGE 19頁An Analysis of the Two Female Images inGone With The Wind 1 Introduction Gone with the Wind has been hailed as a triumph of American literature. In1937, Margaret. Mitchell won Pulitzer Prize, for her sweeping portrayal of the crumbling of the Old South. The love story takes pla

2、ce at a momentous time in history when Southern society undergoes changes and old codes of conduct begin disappearing. The novel created totally different two female images, Scarlett and Melanie. They are all slave owners of southern plantations and love the same man. However, they are not enemy but

3、 supporter for each other. In Civil War, they are all braves though as a woman. This article analyzes the character of Scarlett and Melanie from their distinctive personality. Firstly, the paper analyzes Scarletts growing background and her marriage which impacts her life. Her brave, energetic and r

4、ealistic image makes her become an independent woman with the consciousness of early capitalist. Secondly, the paper will discuss Melaines traditional female charms through her interpersonal relationship and analyzes Melanies loyality to the traditional culture of the southern plantation. Through th

5、is analysis, the author expects to give some inspiration for modern women. 2 About the Author and the Novel2.1About the Author Margaret Mitchell was born in a lawyers family in 1900. When she was young, she often heard people talking about the civil war which made her concern for the war and peoples

6、 life condition in that period. In the beginning of1930s, she worked for the Atlanta newspaper office, where provided her lots of historical materials about American civil war. After her marriage, she resigned from the Atlanta newspaper office and began her composition of Gone with the Wind. It took

7、 her 10 years to complete this masterpiece. In 1936, Gone with the Wind was all the rage. So far, it was regarded as one of the most famous love novel in American literature. 2.2 About the NovelIn Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell portrayed the inferior position of women in the south of America

8、during the 19th century. She also described a heroine Scarlet and her love entanglement with Ashley and Rhett. Scarlett is the oldest daughter of Gerald OHara, the Irish-American owner of Tara who worked his way to wealth, and Ellen Robillard OHara, a high-born Southerner of French descent. She has

9、two younger sisters, Suellen and Carreen. By the end of the novel, Scarlett has been married three times and has a child from each one.Scarlet was self-partial and priggish when she was a young lady. She was selfish and kind when she was a widow; she was shrewd and gainful when she was a businesswom

10、an. Her life was filled with legend. Her ups and downs fully embodied her life condition and her attitude toward life. She was a common woman but she acted like a great woman did. She was a modernwomanin old ages. Her bravery,independence,resolution andotherpersonalities always encourage women in mo

11、dern times. 3 Analyzing Scarlett3.1The Formation of Scarletts CharacterScarlett is the eldest daughter of Gerald OHara, the Irish-American owner of Tara who worked his way to wealth, and Ellen Robillard OHara, a high-born Southerner of French descent. She has two younger sisters, Suellen and Carreen

12、. Her character was affected mainly by her family environment. 3.1.1 The Background of Scarletts Family Scarlett was born in a farmer family in the South American during the civil war. Scarlett shows her difference at the right opening of the novel. She has a “gently bred Creole mother from the seac

13、oast1. Ellen OHara, has never been seen “stirred from her austere placidity nor her personal appointments anything but perfect, no mater what the hour of day or night 2. “There was a steely quality under her stately gentleness that awed the whole household3. Scarlett regards her mother as “something

14、 holy and apart from all the rest of humankindand“the embodiment of justice, truth, loving tenderness and profound wisdoma great lady. Young Scarlett, or Scarlett antebellum, wants very much to emulate Ellen, but in order to avoid missing joys of life, she will follow her mother only on condition th

15、at “some day when she was married to Ashley and old, some day when she had time for it4. Nevertheless, Ellen does influence Scarlett much. On the other hand, Scarletts father, Gerald OHara, a little, hard-headed and blustering Irish man, is not well educated, he believes that a man who wants to be r

16、ich should be strong and unafraid of work. And Gerald is hardy. “When Gerald wanted something, he gains it by taking the most direct route5. This conclusion seemed to fit for Scarlett, too. Grew up in such an environment, common sense, Scarlett should be the one with the other manor ladies has the s

17、ame elegance and gentle manners lady. But in fact, Scarlett was far beyond peoples expectations. Scarlett also make on the surface ladylike look. As the book said:But for all the modesty of her spreading skirts, the demureness hair netted smoothly into a chignon and the quietness of small white hand

18、s folded in her lap,her true self was poorly concealed.6In fact, Scarlett is a brave and stubborn women who dares to face the reality has rebellious character women. Scarletts rebellious first performance is her resistance to the secular moral codes. Because of this, Scarlett is often tought by the

19、mother and Mammy.“Mammy was greatly perturbed that Ellens daughter should display such traits and frequently adjured her to act lak a lil lady. You must be more gently,dear,more sedate,Ellen told her daughter.7Scarlett learning this etiquette just for her to welcome, but never like the behavior in h

20、eart. From her dislike of these behaviors, it is easy to see Scarlett inner rebellion and resistance.In terms to her marriage life, Scarlett embodies the rebellion against the old customs and personality. In scarletts father Gerald opinion: The best marriages are when the parents choose for the girl

21、.He only from the practical interests of the need to consider, while ignoring his daughter real feelings of love. Objectively Scarletts feelings are really naive, and Gerald such stop is not unreasonable. But in the Scarletts opinion, his father is representative of the old concept. This old ideas h

22、inders her pursuit of love. Therefore, in Scarletts heart, that bind of the human dogma more disgust. It is for her to get rid of the old way of life in the future, looking for a new life has a great influence. 3.1.2 The Meaning of Tara In any case Scarlett will not give up Tara, and her folks. As A

23、shley said Something you love better than me, though you may not know it. Youve still got Tara. Besides, the book described Scarletts feeling of Tara. In the pre-war period,“She thought of Tara and it was as if a gentle cool hand were stealing over her heart.To her , Tara is “a quiet place to lick h

24、er wounds, a haven in which to plan her campaign.But after civil war , the long road from Atlanta to Tara has ended, “in a black wall, the road that was to end in Ellens arms. Never again can Scarlett lie down, as a child, secure beneath her fathers roof with the protection of her mothers love wrapp

25、ed about her like an eiderdown quilt. In the post-warperiod, out of Scarletts expectation, the more terrible disaster occursEllen OHara, her gentle, amiable mother, has died; her father has turned to a terribly old man with schizophrenia. Now she is like a child, no longer a strong woman, the backbo

26、ne of Tara. Both of her sisters are ill in bed; slaves have run away, with only three darkies still remaining. There remains not enough food, and all their cotton has been burnt to ashes. Meanwhile, their lot of Confederate cash becomes worthless. The most important is that she, Scarlettt Hamilton,

27、will continue to carry her burdens. “There was no security or heaven to which she could turn now; there is no one on whose shoulders she can rest her burdens. Now Scarlett is seeing things with new eyes, for somewhere along the long road to Tara, she has left her girlhood behind her. She is a woman

28、now and youth is gone. The OHara do not take charity. The OHaras look after themselves. Her burdens are her own and they are for shoulders strong enough to bear them. She can not desert Tara, “She belonged to the red acres far more than they could ever belong to her. Her roots went deep into the blo

29、odcolored soil and sucked up life, as did the cotton. The next morning Scarlett forces her to endure physical suffering and pain in body and goes out to search for some food. In the Negroes garden patches of Wilkes plantation; she is licked down by hunger and tiredness. When she arises at last and s

30、ees again the black ruins of the plantation, her head is raised high and something that is “youth and beauty and potential tenderness has gone out of her face forever. The lazy luxury of the old days is gone, never to return. “There was no going back and she was going forward throughout the South fo

31、r fifty years there would be bittereyed woman who looked backward But Scarlett was never to look back At that moment hunger grows at her empty stomach again and Scarlett says aloud: “As god is my witness.the Yankees are not going to lick me. Im going to live through this, and when its over Im never

32、going to be hunger again. No, nor any of my folks. If I have to steal or killas God is my witness, Im never going to be hunger again. This is her dauntlessness. As for her courage and fieriness, Scarlett kills a thieving Yankees soldier, imperturbably and determinatelyright before the Yankees shoot.

33、 But actually, she only does what under the circumstances must be done if she is to survive8. In modern society, that is called “l(fā)egitimate defense, is therefore guiltless. Anyway, Scarlett saves other three sick girls and the babies. That is worthwhile. Even if Melanie were in the same situation, “

34、shed have done the same thing. With Scarletts wisdom and diligence, the Tara can surely offer a better and better life. In a word, Tara is a power sourcefor Scarlett.3.2 Scarletts Outlook on LoveThe protagonist of Gone with the Wind Scarlet was beautiful, shrewd, brave and independent. In the ordina

35、ry course of events, she can marry an excellent or rich man or at least a man that she loves and also she can live a sweet life. But, she chose another way of life; she really took every possible chance to make her future brighter. She first married Melanies brother Charley. Just two months later sh

36、e became a widow. In order to get money, she married her sisters fianc Frank. From Starlets marriage life, we can clearly understand that life is not a play-game as well as marriage. As a woman, one should circumspectly consider of her life and marriage. Scarletts life has been married three times,

37、the pursuit of her people more numerous, so she really loved one who is it?3.2.1Blind Pursuit Ashley In fact, as above mentioned, Scarlett to Ashleys love is just a young girl beautiful fantasy, it is a kind of vanity and a desire of conquer performance. Such as written in the book, She loved him an

38、d she wanted him and she did not understand him. Scarlett couldnt understand Ashley talking about music, poetry, and fantasy. She doesnt understand that Ashleys idea, dont understand his inner world, dont know his want and be afraid of things. Because of Scarletts ignorance, made she thought her lov

39、e is Ashley, until the last minute, Scarlett woke up, only to find it was wrong. “I have never been able to see the world at all, because Ashley stood in the way. Scarlett loves Ashley becauseof all the young man she flirts with, he is the one who seems to have the strength of character she admires.

40、 The Tarlatan boys are foolish and irresponsible and all too willing to hang around waiting for her favors. Some of the others gather around her like a flock of birds hoping for some teasing word or batted eyelash. She plays the game, but has no notions of love with any of them. They are just friend

41、s, and if she can use them to tease the other girls, shell do it. Ashley alone seems to have remained aloof from her although they have apparently had enough encounters to make her fall in love with him and to give her the impression that he cares for her. The difference between Ashley and the other

42、 boys is that Ashley is well educated, intellectual, artistically and musically talented, and does not put him at the mercy of every pretty face. He is also tall and handsome, and somewhat aloof. Scarlett doesnt understand anything he talks about, but she is drawn to his dignity and his old world ch

43、arm. She says that she created a dream and put him into it, but dont we all try to find mates who fit what we think we want. He was her dream, and when the dream was destroyed, her love forhim was destroyed with it. Scarlett finally recognized her feelings to Ashley. However it seems that some too l

44、ate.3.2.2 Ridiculous MarriageHamilton and FrankScarletts first husband is Melanies brother Charles, which is a shy and simple boy. At that time, Scarlett felt angry and embarrassed due to Ashleys refusal. From the beginning of their marriage to her husbands death, just which was less than two months

45、 time, Scarlett became a widow, was buried her good girlhood by herself. Therefore, she paid a great price for her vanity.Later, in Rhett help, Scarlett gets rid of the widow extremely boring life.However, the good days soon ended, and the failure of the war made the south get into extreme poverty.

46、In order to remanage Tara, Scarlettstole her sisters beau, the hapless Frank Kennedy, to get her hands on his hardware business. She will seduce her sisters fianc in order to get his money.9 If her sister is a little less selfish than her, Scarlett will need not to marry such an old man. After all,

47、she victimizes herself. She made use of again. Her marriages were ridiculous. She takes on the support of Ashley and his wife Melanie, who represents the perfect depiction of the old ways, yet unfailingly stands by the side of Scarlett, who fails to understand her value. She cares not that it is dee

48、med unladylike that she runs a successful lumber business instead of living in genteel poverty. She causes a scandal by traveling alone in the shanty town district of Atlanta, risking the lives of the men who retaliate on the inhabitants of shantytown where Scarletts honor was assaulted. Join the 3

49、K Partys Frank in revenge, was shot in the unfortunate death. So the second time Scarlett became a widow.3.2.3 The Awakening of Love Rhett Butler In Scarletts marriage life, she is blind and ignorant. Even she married Rhett in order to change the life standard. Rhetts tolerance, trying to make her g

50、et rid of the illusion of Ashley and hope she understands what she loved; but Scarlett persist therein, stubbornly believe that she loved Ashley. Fortunately she realized her pure love. Faced Ashleys weakness, she realized Rhett was her real backbone. Rhett always gave her spirit and material suppor

51、t. When she was afraid of poverty and other things, Rhett always accompany her. When Melanie dead, Scarlett suddenly found the one she loved is Rhett instead of Ashley. Melanies dead made she wake up. In the end of the novel, Scarlett said Tomorrow is another day. 3.3 Scarlett Advanced Capitalist Th

52、oughts and Feminist Ideology In the image of Scarlett, the author gives her much superiority, such as, her bravery, independence, strength. Among them, her progressive capitalists ideology is superior over many womens at that time. 3.3.1 Spirit of Adventure and Innovation In the beginning of the nov

53、el, girls were expected to act like air-brained coquettes before they married and afterwards were expected to manage households. She inherited her aptitude for math from her mother and her strong will from her father. When she bought her first mill, it was with honorable intentions; she wanted to pu

54、t a new roof on Tara and have enough money so the imposition of taxes would never again be a threat. But her desire for money is never satisfied. The more she has, the more she wants, whether she really needs it or not. However, she is able to handle the worst tragedies by thinking about them tomorr

55、ow. She perfected the concepts tomorrow is another day, and things always look better in the morning. In many ways, its not so much that she puts things off; but that she deals with the problems she can resolve at the moment and puts the other problems aside until she can create a solution. She crea

56、tes her own problems, but doesnt whine about them. If she cant fix the problem, she simply ignores it. 3.3.2Rebelling against the Old WorldAs for Scarletts marriage life, she has the good sense to show disdain rigid manners. They were taught such things as: a hearty appetite would never catch a man.

57、 Thus, when going to a party, they would stuff themselves with food at home. Then they would be able to eat only the daintiest morsels at the party. Also, women were taught to act ignorant, to hang on every word a man said as if she knew nothing herself, in order to make him feel superior. They were

58、 never to say what they actually thought. Scarlett has no use for all this play-acting, although she practices it when it will be to her benefit. She does, however, have a practical way of looking at southern customs, so it doesnt bother her a great deal when other ladies gossip about her for not ac

59、ting like a lady. This is Scarlett, a beyond secular woman, have the courage of showing self and risked the danger of reputation.3.3.3 Progressive Feminist Ideology To get and save enough money, Scarlett buys a sawmill herself. She shuttled back and forth in Atlanta city with the whole town talking

60、about her. And she makes a success. Simultaneously, she is excluded out of social contacts. All she has done is to be different from other women and she has made a little success of it. That is the one unforgivable sin in any society.Be different and be damned. As Rhett says to her, Scarlett, the me