Gone With the Wind

    Before our class partook in watching Gone with The Wind, I had never heard of the award-winning film. For myself, I am not one to enjoy older films with the plot that this incredible film portrays. Upon watching the movie, I felt engulfed in the tragic storyline that is displayed. Directed by Victor Fleming, the tale of romance at the height of the Civil War into the Reconstruction era in the Deep South. The romantic tale focuses on Scarlett O'Hara, a stereotypical Southern belle, who changes her ways in the face of adversity from the terrors of the war. Due to destruction, death, economic hardships, and the many other tragedies of the war, Scarlett adapts to a new life embodied by loss resulting in her learning to be resilient and forget her past archetype. 

    I believe that women like Scarlett, reserved and accustomed to a Southern Belle lifestyle, were allowed to change their ways and act more independently. Everyone had to play a role in the war and women had to fulfill the roles of men as they all left to go fight. This has happened in other wars as well, specifically, the two World Wars fought after the Civil War, in which women grew to be more independent and displayed how they were able to hold their own without male presence.

    Aside from Scarlett, Rhett Butler plays a crucial role in the film as he strongly opposes the Confederacy and refuses to fight in the war. This was an extremely unpopular belief at the time as many were volunteering to fight in both the Union and Confederacy. Rhett, in the meantime, chose to profit off the war by moving supplies, trading, and adapting to the changing market. I believe Rhett choosing to profit off the war instead of fighting was the right decision. He did not believe in the values and ideas of the Confederacy and while it may seem to others he is scared or acting cowardly, he stood up for his own beliefs. In turn, Rhett made quite a profit from his decision and work which benefits his family and his lover, Scarlett. 

    Rhett's situation is not unusual, many choose to stay back and avoid putting their lives at risk and instead benefit from the war financially. This is true for the Civil War, along with the other major wars across the globe as wartime is very fluctuating and demanding for supplies and trade. Everyone needs to find a way to survive during a war and this is how Rhett found his way to survive and improve life for him and his family. 

    In terms of Gone with the Wind, the plot describes life in the South to be one of tragedy, conflict, and violence. However, there are other themes displayed throughout the movie apart from those with a more devastating connotation. For instance, the romantic side of the South in the 1800s is shown in the relationship between Scarlett and Rhett. Theirconnection displayed in the film is one of beauty but like the plot of the movie, does not end with a happy ending. Their marriage starts to deteriorate just as the minds and lives of the characters throughout the film deteriorate as well. Another theme is the distinction of life in the South between social classes. The southern economy was solely focused on slavery and the rich white male slave owners ruled the upper class while freedmen and non slave owners were designated as middle class. Which left slaves and others in poverty the lower class which Gone with the Wind exposes through the course of the film. 

    I believe the filmmakers of Gone with the Wind fictionalized the story to add suspense and build a more attention-grabbing plot for the audience. While the plot itself most likely is a story that was never true, I believe that it was a possible outcome for a family in the South in the Civil War era. This means that parts of the truth must have been added to the plot to convince the audience, including myself, that the story could not possibly be complete fiction. The Civil War itself was a tragedy and held years of death and horrible times, but there is no possibility it was devastating for every family across the South. While Gone with the Wind is a tragic tale and does include devastation, there are notes of happiness and peace in the film potentially highlighting families in the South that continued their rich, happy lives during the war. Therefore, I deem the story to be believable even if the plot seems heavily detailed and suspenseful.