Mary C. M. Phillips

With the 100th anniversary of  the publication of Edith Wharton’s, The Custom of the Country, author, Sarah Emsley, plans to celebrate with special upcoming posts devoted entirely to this incredible piece of work (I’m talking about the book, not Undine).

Join the conversation here at Sarah Emsley’s blog

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Today, I’m writing over at Caffeinated Word (my other blog which seems to be consuming a bit more of my time lately), highlighting a poem by the wonderfully talented poet, Luci Shaw.

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I’m adding Scarlett O’Hara to my list of favorite heroines: Jane Eyre, Elizabeth Bennet, Lily Bart, Dolores Price, Anne Elliot, Summer Royall, and Scarlett O’Hara.

Who is Scarlett O’Hara?

I don’t think Scarlett even knows.

I finally got around to reading Margaret Mitchell’s, Gone with the Wind, and had some thoughts on the character of Scarlett O’Hara.  She’s a heroine (although not terribly likable) to be sure…and complicated.

She continually questions her own identity:  Scarlett O’Hara, a widow?  Scarlett O’Hara in rags?  Scarlett O’Hara picking cotton? Scarlett O’Hara, a wife and mother? 

If I were Scarlett’s therapist, here’s what I would tell her:

Scarlett, you’re part Ellen O’Hara (hearing this would make her elated as she longs to be just like her mother), you’re part Gerald (upon hearing this she’d squirm in her chair a bit, then she’d remember the Gerald-of-old, and think it a valid observation), and you’re part Rhett Butler (upon hearing this, she’d immediately leave the room with a Fiddle-dee-dee screw you!)

Because, this part of Scarlett’s character is the part she absolutely refuses to recognize.

But she is truly a combination of all three:

She’s like Ellen O’Hara in her efficient administration and organizational skills. She also longs to be like her  morally…but we (the readers) know this will never ever happen.   She shares Ellen’s rather twisted and immature view of love as well.  Remember that Ellen – on her deathbed – cries out for dear Philippe, not her husband, Gerald.  After all that Gerald had given her, after all his provisions and loyalty, she still cries out for Philippe. So Scarlett shares in her mother’s romantic fantasy and misguided loyalty.  Philippe is Ellen’s own Ashley Wilkes.

I must add that there is so much more intrigue and character background in GWTW (the book) rather than GWTW (the movie).  Don’t compare them.  For instance, if you’re wondering, “Who the heck is Philippe?” then basically…you need to read the book.

Scarlett is like Gerald (“Pa”) in her love for the land.  She holds tightly to the red earth that Ashley places in her palm.  She has Gerald’s “no one is going to lick me,” attitude, and she longs for Tara and all that Tara holds (the landscape, the house, the tall pines along the path) like the body longs for water.  Also, her hot Irish temper tells the reader that she is without a doubt, Gerald’s daughter.

Rhett Butler relays to Scarlett numerous times that they are in fact alike, but she refuses to accept it.  It’s so obvious to the reader though.  They both can see the truth and do not wear rose-tinted glasses.  They recognize that war is an awful, bloody waste of time and should be avoided at all costs; they both are selfish; they both want to enjoy life. But Scarlett refuses to accept Rhett’s observation in their likeness – just as she refuses to accept his love.  It isn’t until he finally leaves her that she feels a void.

Why?

Because Rhett was really a part of Scarlett, in my opinion.

Scarlett has her moment of self-discovery, only after losing the part of herself that she refused to recognize….the Rhett Butler part.

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May I reach

George Eliot aka Mary Anne Evans

That purest heaven, be to other souls

The cup of strength in some great agony,

enkindle generous ardour, feed pure love,

Be the sweet presence of a good diffused,

And in diffusion ever more intense!

So shall I join the choir invisible

Whose music is the gladness of the world.

 – George Eliot

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