Analysis of the Character of Scarlett in Gone with the Wind
Abstract:
This paper mainly discuss Scarlett’s particular characters. Scarlett, who’s clever, stubborn and hard-working, is different from other aristocratic woman. She has been married for three times and killed a soldier; then buys sawmills, peddles timbering herlf and earns money openly. The worst thing is she succeeds in business while other gentlemen lead poor lives. She is different, and also damned. But she is judged as a new woman in the old time.
Key Words： Rebellious; different; new woman
关于《飘》中斯嘉丽的性格分析
摘 要：
这篇文章对于文学名著《飘》中的女主人公—斯佳丽奥哈拉的独特个性进行了分析。斯佳丽
不同于其他贵族妇女，她聪明﹑迷人﹑勤勉并且倔强而坚定。她共有三次婚姻，枪杀了一名正在家中行窃的北方士兵；后来买下锯木厂，自己为卖木材而四处奔波，最后公然地赚取了很多钱。在许多绅士还过着贫困潦倒的生活时，她却获得了成功，这是人们认为最不能接受的事情。她与众不同，因此被谴责，但却是“旧”时代的“新”女性。
关键词：反叛；与众不同；新女性
Katie Scarlett O′Hara, the leading role of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, always gets mixed reception. Scarlett, who’s clever, coquettish, stubborn and diligent, is different from other aristocratic woman. She has been married for three times and killed a thieving Yankee soldier; then buys sawmills, peddles timbering herlf and earns money openly. The worst thing is she succeeds in business while other gentlemen lead poor lives. She is different, and also damned. She is judged as a new woman in the old time.
Undoubtedly, if Scarlett were in our society, she would live comfortably. Meanwhile, she is a good example of survival. But we can not imitate Scarlett in all her ways. On the other hand, critics nowadays should criticize Scarlett in a new way, the way of how to survive in
modern society.
Ⅰ. Prent Social Situation of Women
Some novels and fictions create the images of women who are successful in career and gain respect from people. But the images are just the good wishes of the writers. The reason why the writers create such heroines is partly that in real life under that background, women can not easily succeed either in family life, career or interpersonal relationship.
An ideal woman is one who should at least be successful in career, family and interpersonal relationship. But do not be scared of the three goals which em difficult to achieve. To be an ideal woman, one can get some inspiration or suggestions from Scarlet and Melanie, the two heroines in Gone with the Wind.
Ⅱ.Description of Scarlett’s Special Characters and Styles
Before the Civil War, Scarlett lives in a nearly perfect family. A gentle mother, a rich father,
and a black mummy look after her well, and they make her a beautiful girl. On the other hand, she’s clever, brave and stubborn. Owing to the characters, her actions make her very welcome in gentlemen but unwelcome in ladies.
A.The Background of Scarlett’s Family
Scarlett shows her difference at the right opening of the novel. She has a “gently bred Creole mother from the acoast” (John, 253). Ellen O′Hara, has never been en “stirred from her austere placidity nor her personal appointments anything but perfect, no mater what the hour of day or night” (Margaret, 42). “There was a steely quality under her stately gentleness that awed the whole houhold” (Margaret, 43). Scarlett regards her mother美女图片微信头像
as “something holy and apart from all the rest of humankind” and “the embodiment of justice, truth, loving tenderness and profound wisdom—a great lady.” Young Scarlett, or Scarlett antebellum, wants very much to emulate Ellen, but in order to avoid missing joys of life, she will follow her mother only on condition that “some day when she was married to Ashley and old, some day when she had time for it”(Margaret, 62). Nevertheless, Ellen does influence Scarlett much.
On the other hand, Scarlett’s father, Gerald O′Hara, a little, hard-headed and blustering Irish man, is not well educated, he believes that a man who wants to be rich should be strong and unafraid of work. And Gerald is hardy. “When Gerald wanted something, he gains it by taking the most direct route” (Margaret, 48). This conclusion emed to fit for Scarlett, too.
B.Scarlett’s Different Attitudes to the Social Life and Her Happiness Antebellum
As for Scarlett, in her face “were too sharply blended the delicate feature of her mother, a coast aristocrat of French descent, and the heavy ones of her florid Irish father” (Margaret, 1). At the age of sixteen, thanks to Mammy and Ellen, she looked sweet, charming and giddy, but she was, in reality, lf-willed, va毛笔字图片大全
in and obstinate. She had the easily stirred passions of her Irish father and nothing except the thinnest veneer of her mother’s unlfish and forbearing nature.she is high hearted, vivacious and charming, different from other ladies’ elegance. She is beautiful that she has made almost all the young men in the neighborhood court her; she has her own view that she always tries her
best to gain what she wants—Ashley, or Tara, then Rhett. She will never know, and she would be plead but unbelieving if she has been told, that her own personality, frighteningly vital though it was, was more attractive than any masquerade she might adopt. Undoubtedly, she is different, and becau of this differences, Scarlett is destined to be damned—“No girl in the county, really liked Scarlett”.
C.Scarlett’s Rebellious Activities in Atlanta during the Civil War
Then comes the Civil War. After her impul (marry Charles Hamilton to “retaliate” Ashley Wilkes’ marriage to Melanie Hamilton) Scarlett is soon widowed, to her dismay, motherhood follows. Of广州的美食
cour Scarlett can not fell contented in her widow life, she still wants to dance, laugh and be courted as Scarlett O′Hara, not Scarlett Hamilton. And so, with the help of Rhett Butler, Scarlett begins to arch for another paradi in her life. When she is still in mourning, Scarlett “tosd her head and sped out of booth” (Margaret, 189), hurriedly steps into the dancing floor, and begins her another rebel life. She begins to think for herlf instead of letting others think for her again. At that very tim
e, she forgets herlf and her rearing neglects the look on the chaperons’ faces, cares not what she will be criticized, she just wants to dance, to relea her partly from mourning.
