Gone with the Wind

Change is inevitable. How many times have you heard that adage? Cliche but true. This theme is embedded throughout Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind. The spoiled princess Katie Scarlett O' Hara evolves steadily through the plot.

She begins the story as a conceited, wide eyed, innocent girl. She is completely unaware of the politics of the soon to begin Civil War.

"There won't be any war, and I'm tired of hearing about it." Scarlett

Pg. 5 Paragraph 5

At the end of the war, Scarlett emerges cold, hard, bitter, with a keen sense of business. She single handedly saves her family estate while dealing with the death of her parents.

She goes into each of her marriages for a different need. To make someone jealous, for financial security, for thrill.

Margaret Mitchell was a master at capturing the humanity and humility of a desperate lady in hard times. She captures how the essence of a person changes. As the war took different turns, so did the people of the South.

The people begin jubilant and fancy free as the Confederacy leads the beginning of the war. Slowly they turn into remnants of the 'Good Ole' Days' as goods and specialities become scarce and as Sherman ravages their home.

1037 pages-3 books