On Scarlett's Attitude towards Life

Abstract

Gone with the Wind is one of the most popular American novels, which is written by American female writer Margaret Mitchell. When it was published, its sales broke many records among the publishing circles, and it is famous all over the world. The novel mainly describes the life of Scarlett who is the daughter of Tara’s master during the American Civil War. Meanwhile with the hint of a triangular love between Scarlett, Ashley and Rhett, the novel depicts a wide and prosperous picture of the social life of the South in America. Not only the rich content of the novel but also the complex plots and the contradictions between the figures of the novel have an important artistic effect on shaping the characters in the novel. Among all the roles, Scarlett, is the most successful one who is full of conflicting and complicated features. This article analyzes  Scarlett’s Attitude towards Life from three period：the first period is before the the Civil War; the second is during the civil war; the last is after the civil war. The article also analyzes Scarlett’s idea of “Tomorrow is Another Day”, and Scarlett’s Rebellion against Social Restrictions. The analysis aims at showing the eternal charm of the image, Scarlett in the novel.

[Key Words] Scarlett’s character; exterior reason; internal reason; Gone with the Wind

 

Contents

1.Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….4

2. Summary of Scarlett’s Attitude towards Life……………………………………………….4

2.1 Scarlett’s Rebellion against Social Restrictions……………………………………………4

2.2 An idea “Tomorrow Is Another Day”…… ……………………………………...…………5

3.Different time Period Changing Attitude for the New Life…………………………………. 6

3.1 Before the Civil War………………………………………………………………………..6

3.2 During the Civil War………………………………………………………………………..6

3.3 After the Civil War………………………………………………………………………….7

4.Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………….8