Gone with the Wind
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If the sequel to the book would have been written, do you think Rhett and Scarlett would have gotten together eventually?
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I have not read the entire thread so forgive me if I'm repeating something. I'm now rereading GWTW for the third time. Read it first when I was around ten, then in my twenties, now too many decades to confess later.
I read many of the responses here and what struck me most was not the good arguments for Rhett and Scarlett getting back together. What struck me most was not the good arguments for Rhett and Scarlett remaining apart.
What struck me most was the ignorant, misogynist hatred for Scarlett, and the free pass handed to Rhett Butler.
Scarlett O'Hara was SIXTEEN YEARS OLD at the beginning of the book. She was *trained* to be a coquette, nothing more. God gave Scarlett a good mind for math and for business, but not an overabundance of compassion. Neither genetics nor environment handed Scarlett the gifts of a saint.
Even so, Scarlett saved the life of Melanie, her rival in love. She saved the life of Melanie's baby. She saved Tara plantation. She employed Ashley and kept a roof over the head of Aunt Pittypat and India, not even her own blood. She could have tossed India out, and she did not.
Slowly but surely throughout the book, Scarlett does mature. She commits to others. She grows a conscience. She recognizes Melanie's value and Ashley's limitations. And she comes to recognize what Rhett means to her.
At every step in the road, Rhett is an arrogant, game-playing, abusive, self-protective jerk. It is Ashley, not Rhett, who sees the good in Scarlett, who compliments Scarlett, who holds Scarlett on a pedestal. Ashley loves her not because of hot sex but because, when she is walking away from him in the orchard, he sees her square her frail shoulders, so she can put the weight of the world back on them.
Rhett mocks Scarlett, never shows his true feelings to her, plays endless games, and *rapes* her. He than callously abandons her emotionally and he causes her to miscarry, almost killing her. Rhett spoils Bonnie and Rhett orchestrates Bonnie's death.
Female posters here are going on and on about what a b---h Scarlett is. Give me a break. Scarlett does her best with the limited skill set she got from her training and her genes.
The women here bashing Scarlett sound exactly like the small minded, petty gossips of old South tut tutting about how Scarlett dares to be a businesswoman, travel in public while pregnant, and add figures in her head. Shocking!
It is Rhett who is a weak, cowardly, let-down.
Oh, and remember, please, that Rhett is almost twenty years older than Scarlett. He is a man of the world. At the end of the book, he's in his mid forties. And he never, ever, not once in the book, mans up and carries his load in the relationship.
Rhett is a a------. Scarlett can do better, and I hope she does.
Min-jung wrote: "If we don't have Rhett and Scarlett reconcile, why would we want a sequel? The perfect ending for those who think that their reunion is out of the question is right there (I mean, MM's original boo..."I really liked your post. Thank you.
I have read "Gone With the Wind" three times now. Also, having read the interview transcript (PBS) with "Peggy" Margaret Mitchell, she admits that she didn't know if they would get back together or not. She did not seem concerned about it. She just left it as it was, and Scarlett being as strong-minded as she was, could have easily gone on to make more money, never marry again, and find something, perhaps breeding horses, to put her energy into. Unfortunately, Margaret Mitchell died from being hit by a car, but I think she felt this was a complete story and each person could imagine a different ending if another were written. I don't agree that a sequel written by someone other than the original author was appropriate - I found that arrogant and obnoxious. Being fiction, we can each create another ending for ourselves if they had gotten back together or stayed apart. This is what Margaret Mitchell said: "In a 1948 letter from Mitchell being auctioned Wednesday, the author reveals: 'To me, the lives of my characters ended on the last page, and your guess is as good as mine as to what happened thereafter.'" https://www.ajc.com/news/margaret-mit...
I really don`t think so.Because of Scarlett`s very stubborn attitude and lack of sense.
Scarlett was spoiled, it's just that Scarlett had been obsessed with Ashley the whole time, which Rhett found threatening all along. Of course, keep in mind that their child Bonnie Blue (Eugenia Victoria) was also killed when she fell off her horse while clearing a jump (same fate as Scarlett's father) and she was the apple of Rhett's eye. (In real life, 60% of all divorces, even in the strongest of marriages, result from the death of a child.)
Scarlett got some closure from Ashley, the realization that Ashley loved Melanie and not her, as Melanie was dying, but for Rhett, it was too little too late. However, the Alexandra Ripley's sequel, Scarlett, she develops a plot to get him back. I did a big review here - please look here https://hannahbananna.kinja.com/emoti....
I read what you wrote about emotions. I'm a social worker, so I have some insight into that. I did not, however, read the "sequel." Thanks for posting the link.
I read Scarlett the sequel not written by Margaret Mitchell it was lacking depth, complexity of characters that made the book. One dimensional Scarlett O'hara is about as interesting as reading the financial pages
Min-jung wrote: "If we don't have Rhett and Scarlett reconcile, why would we want a sequel? The perfect ending for those who think that their reunion is out of the question is right there (I mean, MM's original boo..." Thanks you ! The smartest, most thoughtful commentary (and Danusha)!
Danusha wrote: "I have not read the entire thread so forgive me if I'm repeating something. I'm now rereading GWTW for the third time. Read it first when I was around ten, then in my twenties, now too many decad..."
Thanks you ! The smartest, most thoughtful commentary (and Min-jung) !
Danusha wrote: "I have not read the entire thread so forgive me if I'm repeating something. I'm now rereading GWTW for the third time. Read it first when I was around ten, then in my twenties, now too many decad..."
I would second this opinion. Readers demand so much from Scarlett -- to be a perfect lady, a compassionate and sympathetic soul and at the same time, survive in horrid conditions and take care of her whole family, while Rhett gets a free pass. Their relationship was abusive and co-dependent, and Rhett had a big role in how it played out.
Scarlett comes out as a bad person, mostly in comparison to the Wilkses, but in fact Scarlett paid the moral price for their survival. She worked and schemed and made unsavory decisions to ensure they live and have something to eat. She developed into who she is -- a hardened, unsympathetic character -- because she could not afford to be in touch with her emotions. She could not indulge in self-pity or she wouldn't survive. And her love for Ashley seemed like a romantic dream that helped her escape the reality.
She was a damaged person, and Rhett had to know that. He was older, more mature, more self-aware, and yet instead of coming out as a loving, nurturing husband, he insisted that he wanted to use her for his own ends. That turned into an abusive, cruel game of who hurts whom more and Rhett had a stake in it no less than Scarlett. He was emotionally distant and unavailable when she wanted to make amends, and rude when she was prepared to start things over.
I definitely see an opportunity there of them getting back together -- because they were both selfish and self-centered and cared for themselves in this relationship. If Scarlett moves to Tara, takes care of Ashley financially, but stays away and doesn't meddle in his affairs, gives more time to her family, she could win Rhett over. After all, he was insanely jealous of the love she gave to Ashley and probably expected her to start an affair once Melanie was out of the picture. Probably he couldn't bear to stay and witness that. Once jealousy is out of equation, the most toxic part of their relationship is gone and they can rebuild something. I doubt that Rhett could resist being the sole object of Scarlett's love. He wanted it for so long, he would be at least curious to let it unfold. And besides, she was the love of his life, it's hard to let go of these feelings, even if the heights have passed.
In short, both characters are inherently flawed and in this sense, worth of each other. And that is why the ending is really as much open as possible -- there is a possibility that their passion will drive them closer to each other, but at the same time they can spoil everything at any minute.
I don't believe Rhett and Scarlett would get back together due to the type of love that they had it was passionate and fiery and on again off again due to her obsession with Ashley although she realised at the end of the film it was Rhett she truly loved it was too late. I would like to see that she set out to prove this to Rhett but by this time he would have not wanted to try again having tried so many times with her but I believe he would stay in her life a little bit like Mr Big in Sex in the City
There was a sequel written... But by a different author... It felt weird reading the continuing story written by someone who didn't write the original story... But it was a really good book! :)
There is a sequel "Scarlet" by Alexandra Ripley. It is excellent and something Margaret Mitchell would be proud of.
The love of Rhett's life was Belle. He was attracted to Scarlett when she was 16, but after Bonnie dies there is nothing keeping him with her. He is just one more thing Scarlett has to learn to live without. And when she wakes up about Ashley, she sort of wakes up to the fact that romantic love is about as silly as devotion to the Cause. There is not one single good marriage in Gone With the Wind, not even Gerald and Ellen.
Ron wrote: "The love of Rhett's life was Belle. He was attracted to Scarlett when she was 16, but after Bonnie dies there is nothing keeping him with her. He is just one more thing Scarlett has to learn to liv..."I am much more inclined to agree with Ron than Sandi. If Scarlett is a representation of the “innocent” antebellum South, and what war does to a place and a people, then she will always remain an unreachable dream for Rhett. Something that he will make snide remarks about, and only fight for when it is far too late. I would have loved to hear more about what happened to the “Watling creature.”
I only watched the movie version of “Scarlett”, so take this with a grain of salt, but I very much doubted Margaret Mitchell would have loved it. Changing the setting from the post war South to Scotland, having a wide array of men appear only to throw themselves at Scarlett (including a priest), and moving the plot along with convenient storms and extremely large beds all felt Harlequin romance-y to me. Note, though, that I only watched the movie.
The marriages in Gwtw felt like outgrowths of two unique people and their families— if they were happy or unhappy it made sense for them to be so. The narrator never bought the mythos that falling in love was going to solve all your problems.
I first read Gone With The Wind when i was 12. I fell in love with Rhett and Scarlett and always hoped for them to have a happy ending. In the years that followed i have read both the sequel Scarlett and Rhett Butler's People. Between the two i prefer Rhett Butler's People. It gave us the ending most of us wanted which was them realizing that they needed and belonged together.
I first read Gone With The Wind when i was 12. I fell in love with Rhett and Scarlett and always hoped for them to have a happy ending. In the years that followed i have read both the sequel Scarlett and Rhett Butler's People. Between the two i prefer Rhett Butler's People. It gave us the ending most of us wanted which was them realizing that they needed and belonged together.
Ron wrote: "The love of Rhett's life was Belle. He was attracted to Scarlett when she was 16, but after Bonnie dies there is nothing keeping him with her. He is just one more thing Scarlett has to learn to liv..."Rhett is not in love with Belle though.
(Please don't discuss any ridiculous sequels! Only Margaret Mitchell's text is relevant in any discussion about GWTW.) The arguments supporting Scarlett and Rhett reuniting, or Scarlett and Rhett permanently separating, are both strong ones. That's the genius of MM. In support of their reunion, I considered the following:
1) It is clear throughout the text that the two characters are soul mates, not merely misguided, abusive, infatuated fools. Their connection is deep. It is not likely that either one will find a new mate that is so fitting.
2) Rhett is far too interested in the final conversation with Scarlett to convince me that he is truly done with her forever. He seems to hang on every word, and his reaction to her newfound realization is intense. This is not how someone who doesn't give a damn acts.
3) Rhett is grieving the very recent loss of Bonnie (as in, a couple of days ago). His world is upside-down, and he is gutted. He is more vulnerable than he has ever been, and their relationship has never been one of mutual trust so he can't rely upon her for the comfort he needs. Scarlett's realization of her true love for him is very new news that he has not had time to process at all, let alone come to a final decision on. He is reacting on impulse. He is perhaps enjoying toying with her a bit, just to test her -- is she really telling the truth? It seems that he finally understands that she is telling the truth, but he is not ready to commit his heart again, as he says. For now.
4) He says many things that sound decisive and final (he is not one to mend something broken and call it new, he is tired and wants to retreat into the old ways of society), but he is really just finally sharing some true feelings with her about his state of mind at this time in his life, both from an age/maturity perspective, and also from a grieving father perspective. He wants to see how she deals with that information. Does she really understand what it means to go forward from here after all they've been through? Is she ready to do the work? Is he?
5) Throughout the entire LONG book, Rhett has a track record of concealing his true thoughts and emotions from her concerning his feelings for her. Why are we supposed to believe that now, he is being completely open and honest? Even if he is being completely open and honest as far as what he feels at that moment, why are we to believe that a man whose only, and most beloved, little child was buried a day ago really knows with certainty what his future holds?
6) They will not be getting divorced due to social mores of the time. He even says he will come back at intervals to keep the gossip down. For someone who is truly finished with her, and for someone who cares nothing for Atlanta's approval, this seems a pretty strong commitment to make just to keep up appearances. Clearly he still loves her and accepts that he is bound to her until one of them dies. Simultaneously, he may, in that moment, truly believe and accept that the marriage can never be what it once could have been, that for all intent and purposes, it is over. However, he'll be coming back, and he'll be in various stages of healing from his grief, and he will be able to observe her maturity and the resulting changes in her, and most of all, he will be able to ascertain if she really has no interest in Ashley. These are fertile, hopeful circumstances.
7) It is a mistake to lay the failed marriage at Scarlett's feet; Rhett loved her but he was already a bitter man and prone to abusiveness before he met her. That's a fact. Perhaps in his later years, and after some contemplation, he'll come to accept that he has not been a perfect mate himself. This might soften him and make him more receptive to her maturation.
8) Rhett is attached to Wade and to a lesser extent, Ella, and it is unlikely that he will cut them off at the knees.
9) With all the continuing contact in their future, which was directly stated and not just alluded to, Scarlett will have many chances to lure him back into a sexual relationship, and when she does, pregnancy will become a possibility. It's true that the death of a child often signals the end of a relationship, even one that was previously very strong, but the promise of new life sometimes is very healing.
10) The weakest argument for their reunion is that "Scarlett always gets what she wants." Actually, she does not - she did not really get Ashley due to her will; he was made available to her by tragic circumstances. This argument also diminishes what is really a very complex relationship occurring at a complex time in history. It is not just a story about a young woman's willfulness always winning out. Having said that, her determination will surely play a part in her fate.
11) Rhett has to figure some things out for himself, but when he does, he may very well realize that he still loves her enough to risk his heart a third time after all, and now their relationship takes on new potential. Most importantly, he has to grieve the loss of his child first, before anything else.
12) Scarlett has burned her bridges in Atlanta. Melanie was the only substantive friend she had, and now Melanie is gone. Scarlett will be ripe for the new adventure of a new locale, like Charleston.
In support of the argument that it's over, and too bad for Scarlett:
1) Sometimes a person really can just reach the breaking point, where they've had enough. Will Benteen introduced this concept at Gerald O'Hara's funeral - perhaps some foreshadowing?
2) There may be too much pain for him related to the death of Bonnie, and he's not able to come back from that.
3) He is feeling old, and she is still young. He is no longer interested in her spiritedness that he had always loved so much before. It's an additional burden to him, as is the idea that she will fix her determination upon him now that she's given up Ashley.
4) "You have never been very soothing, my dear." This might signal a realization that she is not one with whom he can really settle down and relax. He needs tranquility now, and she is still full of fire.
5) His interest in her confessions of love may merely be that of a man long rejected who finally enjoys hearing what he has always wanted to hear, even if he realizes it's too late to make a difference.
6) Their relationship was a toxic one, with mutual abusiveness, and there is some justification for a reader hoping that it will finally be over.
Regardless of which way you think it would have gone, resist simplistic arguments like "she always got what she wanted so she'll get him back" or "he finally dumped that b!tch." These are such fascinatingly complex characters, coming to life through a text rich with hints and clues, that they deserve more analysis than that!
I read both 'Scarlett' the so called sequel by Alexandra Ripley and Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig. Though I found some entertainment in both they had nothing on Gone With The Wind and that's ok. GWTW is a classic and it ended just the way the Author intended; to keep people talking for years to come. Success.
I don't think either wanted the other unless they couldn't have them.
I first saw GWTW when I was 7 years old and read the book when I was 12. I have adored her all my life, but I think Scarlet had burned all her bridges and would never have gotten Rhett Butler back. He had done everything a man who loved a woman to distraction could do to win her love. The fact is that Scarlet was a fool and was too stubborn and narcissistic to recognize that Ashley had nothing to give her and that she was blindly infatuated with him. As Rhett had said if she was free and Melanie was gone she wouldn't want him.. He was right . She didn't understand anyone, including herself. I also read Scarlet the Sequel by Alexandra Ripley. I am sorry to say, it was a terrible book. She turned Scarlet O'Hara into a wonderful mother, and Rhett into a wuss with a thickened waistline. iI didn't work.
Cheri wrote: "I first saw GWTW when I was 7 years old and read the book when I was 12. I have adored her all my life, but I think Scarlet had burned all her bridges and would never have gotten Rhett Butler back...."There are a variety of GWTW fanfics that I've read, but none even comes close to the original. It's kind of like writing a sequel to Anna Karenina, in my opinion. (Would I like to see what happens to the characters later on? Sure! Would I believe any later writer's interpretation? No!) I get that it's kind of a no-win scenario for the sequel-ist, but that doesn't mean I like it.
There is a sequel. (A very very good squeal, in my opinion!!) It's called Scarlett!!! Check it out!!
Should they get together? Yes no who knows. Rhett just needs a hug without words or meaning near the end.
Scarlett should have followed and just hugged in silence.
I liked Scarlett she did what needed to be done. She needed better people skills but only really with Melainene, Rhett and her kids. Always felt for sorry for Wade.
The others was way to up themselves moral high ground. And as she put it could go to hell.
I think she's damaged Rhett enough. Tho I am not blaming her completely but they should stay as friends.
I do think Rhett should get his happy ending.
Scarlett is a strong chachater and will always survive and I think she could use a hug too.
Free hugs to all!
On my own theory, I believe she did! If Rhett didn't give these two signs, I would've thought otherwise:Rhett's reaction when Ashley was mentioned by Scarlett(yet again) sounded bitter. "He shrugged and the light went out of his eyes. 'Always Ashley.' he said and was silent for a moment." Then there was that matter in which Rhett said he'll come back often enough to keep gossip down. Which meant that he's willing to see Scarlett occasionally and didn't insist on divorce any further! He still gives a damn!
That's the problem with Rhett Butler. His actions contradict his own words. Even if he said he didn't love Scarlett anymore, I'm having a hard time believing it because of those obvious actions that gave him away. I also remember some moments throughout the book when Rhett denies his feelings for Scarlett and it turns out he really loves her. In fact, even if Scarlett realizes she loves Rhett, I still think Rhett loves Scarlett more than she loves him.
In order for Scarlett to get Rhett back, she needs to learn her lesson and change. She said she'll think of some way to get him back, and we all know she's relentless. She would do whatever it takes to win him again. And she will get him back!
I have figured some clues . 1. When he never asked for a divorce but rather him coming and going from their home so as to not raise any questions in public . I would assume he wouldn’t care about such things and Scarlett wouldn’t mind the scandal any more so .
2. He was jealous and bitter about Ashley until the very end . “Ashley. Always Ashley “ . He fears she is going to end up with him .
3. Scarlett matured a lot after the loss of Bonnie and Melanie . That was much more prominent in the book and I believe that in the end her new self would melt his anger .
4. He talked so much about how he loved her but that love is now gone and he was always like that - he wouldn’t admit his true feelings .
5. After the loss of Bonnie , she accused him of killing Bonnie , and he said to her that he goes to Belle because he can’t handle her accusing him of that . I believe that he desired her affection but she was too mad to give him that and this was the deal breaker for him , but seeing her coming to her senses after a while he would realise she’s changed .
6. He said that he couldn’t handle another heartbreak and that’s why he won’t stay with her - therefore not because he stopped loving her as he claimed .
7. In the book unlike the movie she didn’t make a fool of herself running after him and tried hard to keep her composure and then it’s mentioned that he appreciated that and it seemed as though he admired her for that.
Some argued that their marriage in the book was over for Rhett after the loss of their unborn baby , however I believe he still tried to fix things by removing her from the work she had with Ashley so clearly he still cared for her well-being and her being his .
I used to hate the ending of GWTW. But now I have come to terms with it. By ending that way, the story still lives on, and it makes the characters so more realistic.Truthfully, I am not quite sure if they ever get together again. Rhett is scarred by what happened to Bonnie, and he is just tired of emotions... and we should all agree that Scarlett as a lot of those. In the end, I really hope that they do get together again, but for that to happen, Scarlett has to change drastically again. You would need a whole other epic for that to happen. So in the end, no, I don't think they get together again, but that ending wasn't written like the ending where they get together wasn't written, and to me, that is half the beauty of the book.
there was a sequeal written.. it was called scarlett and it was a great read.
Susan wrote: "there was a sequeal written.. it was called scarlett and it was a great read."Sure, but it wasn't written by M Mitchell. And I'm pretty sure that Mitchell would have come up with-- different plot points.
It has been a long time since I've read GWTH and Scarlett. GWTH remains today my all-time favourite book. I have them on 8-track, very old-school, DVD's and it's recorded on my PVR. I could not say how many times I've read or watched it, but it's many. In my opinion, Rhett and Scarlett belong together, they, as they say, are cut from the same cloth. They feed off each other. I feel they are lonely when they are separated.
I knew that. Never claimed it was original author. Question said 'sequel'. Never said sequel by original author. Sequel I read was good, and engaging. I recommend it.