Scarlett O' Hara, Feminist Before Her Time?

A thought kept occurring to me as I raptly read my way through Margaret Mitchell's classic epic, Gone With the Wind. Scarlett O' Hara was a feminist and equal rights activist decades ahead of her time, representing all of the strong women who fought to survive during the Civil War and afterwards. In a time where men did not hold equal rights among themselves, (let alone begin to include women into that equation(, they fought the bloodiest war to date on American soil, only beginning the process of equal rights among men. In the novel, Scarlett married and was pregnant for the first time at age sixteen and was widowed two months later by the war. She had to deal with teenage marriage and pregnancy and although it is a major issue and controversy today, that was all women were trained and prepared for in life in her time. She dealt with all the ramifications of war and the customs of society and even in that arena was an independent thinker, refusing to follow of the traditional customs, (i.e., widows wearing only black.) Further more, she instituted change even at that point in her life, and though her motives may have been of a selfish nature at the time, she never realized she was a catalyst of change. Scarlett O' Hara embodied progression for women in a rough and horrifying age.

Scarlett personally experienced radical change: her whole world shattered by the war, the death of family and close friends, loss of property and family financial holdings were now worthless. The culture and customs of southern society was also a casualty of the war. The destruction and death of the South and the only life she had known was a heart wrenching catastrophe, but she had to adapt to survive and that is exactly what she did. Did she live up to the stereotype of women and moan and cry for someone to help her? No, she held her head high, kept her pride, and continued living each day, no matter how painful it was to continue during this fearful experience. Living through starvation, personal attack of Sherman's troops, having to work the fields of Tara, shooting a Yankee in cold blood to protect her remaining family members were only a few of the tribulations that Scarlett endured near the end of the war. When her husband proved to be inept at running his small business, she took charge, causing the business to grow and prosper despite the condemnation of all her remaining family and friends for entering the forbidden domain of men. Scarlett learned to bend, not to break, since she viewed this as her only option to keep her family clothed and fed, but more importantly, to pay taxes and keep possession of Tara, the family plantation.

She chose to embrace the "reconstruction" of the South, "fraternized" with the enemy and turned the situation to her advantage, profiting greatly. Scarlett was truly a marketing genius, attracting business with her feminine wiles, with the shrewdness of the best businessman. Her goal in life was to be as wealthy as humanly possible, so she would "never go hungry again." Memories and nightmares of her horrendous experiences drove her even harder and she focused her mind on this goal and nothing and no one would stand in her way.

Not long after Frank Kennedy was killed, Scarlett became engaged to Rhett Butler, an aggravating, frustrating, handsome, egotistical, wise, shrewd renegade who knew her better than she knew herself. Regardless of his denial, Rhett's deep love for Scarlett is strongly conveyed by the author throughout the novel, as is the heartbreak and jealousy he feels every time he looks at her, knowing that she does not love him and only married him for financial security.

Though Scarlett was pampered and spoiled by Rhett, it did not quench her thirst for money and her exploit's as a businesswoman continued, as she ran her small store and lumberyards, submitting to modern methods that all residents of Atlanta despised. She further alienated herself from any friends she had left, but heartbreak and sorrow was not gone from her life, as the death of a dear child, the death of a friend, and the following breakup of her marriage resulted soon thereafter. Just as Scarlett realizes the value of true, lasting love, it is too late and Rhett is already gone. The novel ends with perhaps one of the most famous lines in American literature as Rhett states, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!"

I admire the character Scarlett because she fought for what she believed in, reached her seemingly impossible goals and did what she deemed appropriate and necessary, not caring how often she was ostracized by the members of her community. Although I disagree with many of her perspectives, morals and ideals, she indicated that women could get along in those times, make decisions and function in a man's world. Scarlett is the perfect character, with depth and real human flaws, a person teenagers and adults alike can relate to. She is also a testament of the power of womankind, a role model for teenage girls everywhere, and representative of all of the strong, courageous, women throughout history that served as catalysts, but may not have had the notoriety she did.