Popularity of Gone With the Wind Theoderek Wayne

Margaret Mitchell's romantic epic, Gone With the Wind, owes its remarkable popularity to the climate of sudden self-destruction and dreariness the Depression created. The Old South's grandeur, coupled with its Civil War-era decadence, provided much-needed escapism for readers, as well as paralleling the U.S.'s own plight in the 20s and 30s. In addition, Scarlett O'Hara's feminist role, her devotion to her land, and her indomitable optimism lent hope to those who had lost faith in the American Dream.

A spirit of beautiful, colorful life at the onset sets up the South's inevitable destruction and magnifies the greatness of the land and its people. "Spring had come early that year, with warm quick rains and sudden frothing of pink peach blossoms and dogwood dappling with white stars the dark river swamp and far-off hills. Already the plowing was nearly finished, and the bloody glory of the sunset colored the fresh-cut furrows of red Georgia clay to even redder hues." (10) The foreshadowing of the "bloody glory" of sunset is striking, but idealism is the main theme presented here. Scarlett's status as a second-generation immigrant adds further to this atmosphere of opportunity. Her...