The author and main characters of "Gone with the Wind"

"Gone with the Wind" is also known as "Gone with the Wind"

Author: Margaret Mitchell

Main character: Scarlett O'Hara ( Carrette O'Hara)

"Gone with the Wind" tells a love story set against the backdrop of the American Civil War.

The protagonist of the novel, Scarlet O'Hara, is the daughter of a wealthy and well-established plantation owner in Georgia, USA.

Father Gerald is an immigrant from Ireland. When he first arrived in Georgia, Gerald was penniless and won the ownership of the Tarot Manor through gambling. So he started to start a business in this red land and weave his American dream. It wasn't until he was 43 that he married 15-year-old Ellen, the daughter of French immigrants from the East Coast. Gerald is kind-hearted but has a bad temper, while the young wife has a good family education and strict moral values. She personally handled the daily affairs of the entire manor, and even treated the black slaves in the manor and delivered babies. Therefore, the couple were respected by the surrounding white manor owners and also deeply loved by the black slaves. Daughter Scarlet grew up slowly in this environment.

In April 1861, relations between the North and the South of the United States were already very tense. Men in Georgia were talking about the inevitable war. However, 16-year-old Scarlet had no interest in this. In addition to the dance and outings, what she was thinking about was the group of admirers surrounding her. When she heard that Ashley Wilkes would announce her engagement to Melanie at the outdoor party the next day, she was shocked. She has always liked Ashley's gentlemanly demeanor, and believes that she is much better than Melanie in every aspect. With her charm, she can definitely convince Ashley to elope with her.

But at the banquet the next day, Scarlet never found a chance to talk to Ashley alone, because Ashley had been with Melanie. Together. Out of a sense of revenge, Scarlet easily attracted Melanie's brother Charles to her side. In a few words, this shy, inexperienced and in love man The young man was fascinated. After the banquet, the male guests were arguing fiercely about the current situation. Gerald had a particularly heated argument with a stranger named Rhett Butler. Leiter believed that the South had no industrial resources and would definitely lose in a war; but Gerald and his friends believed that the Yankees could defeat the enemy in one or two battles without fighting. They surrendered.

In the afternoon, Scarlet finally seized an opportunity to discuss her idea with Ashley, but Ashley politely refused. Scar

Leiter felt "abandoned" by Ashley. She angrily slapped Ashley.

When news of the war came, the dance that night was cancelled. Scarlet suddenly decided to marry Charles because

it could save her own face and stimulate Ashley and her suitors. In this way, the willful Scarlet became Charles's wife two weeks later.

Two months later, Charles died of illness at the front, and Scarlet suddenly became a widow. To make matters worse, she found out that she was pregnant. A few months later, her son Wade was born.

The life of a widow makes the lively Scarlet unbearable. At this time, Ashley also went to the front line. His wife Melanie wrote from Atlanta, inviting her to stay at Charles's aunt's house temporarily. Scarlet left the tower with Wade. Rowe Manor,

comes to Atlanta.

The change in environment made Scarlet's mood slightly better. Fortunately, her late husband Charles left her a estate and several shops in the city.

As the war became more and more intense, women in Atlanta were mobilized to go to local hospitals to care for the sick and wounded brought back from the front

and to support the Confederacy. The army sewed munitions. However, as Scarlet is a new widow, she cannot attend the balls and parties held for

the soldiers on the warpath.

Once, the hospital held a fundraising dance. Due to a shortage of manpower, Scarlet was called in to help. At the ball, Scarlet once again met Leiter, who had debated with her father at the Tarot Manor. Now, Leiter has become Atlanta's most famous businessman who stole supplies across the northern blockade to provide supplies to the southern army. Every time he came back from the north, he also brought the fashionable clothes and fabrics that the upper-class women in Atlanta liked. Therefore, Leiter was very popular with ladies. When the dance began, Leiter invited Si Carret to be his dance partner. Scarlet finally couldn't bear the temptation and stepped onto the dance floor in mourning clothes.

As the war situation continues to worsen, the rules and regulations in life gradually fade in people's minds. Scarlet returned to her original appearance, frequently participating in various entertainment activities, flirting and joking with the officers. But she still couldn't get Ashley out of her mind.

For a time, Leiter became a guest in many homes in Atlanta. However, he quickly became annoying because of his constant ridicule and sarcasm of the Confederacy. Only Melanie agreed with Leiter's analysis of the war, because her husband Ashley also believed in the letter that the Confederacy could not win the war at all.

In July 1863, the troops commanded by Confederate General Robert E. Lee were defeated in the northern state of Pennsylvania. Many of the boys who grew up with Scarlet were killed in that fierce battle. On Christmas Eve, Ashley returned from the front line and rested at home for a few days. When they were alone, Scarlet told Ashley the real reason why she married Charles and admitted that she still loved him. However, Ashley has lost his past passion after suffering in the war. At the beginning of the next year, Melanie received a notice from the front saying that Ashley was missing. Later, through Leiter's northern connections, it became clear: Ashley was not dead. He was wounded, captured and imprisoned in the Rock Island Concentration Camp in the north.

In the summer of 1864, the Northern Army approached Atlanta, the capital of the Confederacy. The city was under siege, and many families in the city, including Charles' aunt, fled Atlanta. But because Melanie was about to give birth, Scarlet had no choice but to stay by her side.

In the meantime, Leiter once visited and asked Scarlet to be his mistress, but Scarlet refused.

At the end of August, the sound of siege artillery suddenly fell silent. Legend has it that the Confederates had decided to abandon the city. At this time,

Melanie’s son was born. At this time, the city of Atlanta was in chaos and there was no doctor at all. In desperation, Scarlet delivered the baby herself, saving the lives of Melanie and her son. That night, the last batch of Confederate troops withdrew from Atlanta. The Northern Army would soon enter the city. In desperation, Scarlet had no choice but to turn to Rhett for help. Leiter used a stolen horse carriage to transport her, Melanie and her son out of the city, and rushed to the Tarot Manor at night.

The scenes along the way made Scarlet panic. Many familiar manors were burned to ruins, with only a few ruins standing there. After a rough day, they finally arrived at Tarot Manor. Unexpectedly, Tarot's white building was still intact. But the only people who came out to greet them were their father Gerald and a black slave housekeeper; Scarlet's two sisters were seriously ill in bed, and her mother passed away yesterday. The old Gerald barely recognizes his own daughter

.

The burden of the entire family suddenly fell on the shoulders of Scarlet, a 19-year-old widow. In addition to himself and his children, the whole family also includes his father, two sisters, Melanie and her newborn, as well as the only three black slaves on the manor, so there are total needs

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Maintain the livelihood of 10 people. At this time, she remembered the stories she heard from her father when she was a child, about those Irish fathers who started their families with their own hands.

The first problem before us is to find something to eat. So Scarlet carried the basket to dig in the fields and pick up from the ruins every day. Her two younger sisters were both delicate young ladies who couldn't be counted on. Even the three black slaves emphasized that they only did housework and never worked in the fields. The hard life has tempered Scarlet, but it has also made her ruthless.

Everyone in the family is a little afraid of her. From this moment on, Scarlet had a strong desire to restore Tarot Manor

to its former glory: the dining table was filled with silver tableware, translucent wine glasses and sumptuous food. Horses were tied up in the stables, there were luxurious four-wheel carriages in the carriage house, and groups of black slaves were picking cotton in Tarot's fields...

One day, A Union soldier broke into the manor on horseback. Scarlet killed him with a pistol and obtained a horse and a sum of money found in the soldier's pocket. This relieved her urgent need.

On Christmas Eve, sister Sue Ellen's fiancé Frank Kennedy came to the manor with a Confederate food collection team.

Of course, Scarlet would not give them the food they had worked so hard to obtain for free.

In April 1865, the Confederate Army surrendered, and the war finally ended. Many Southerners wept over their defeat

. In Scarlet's mind, the more important question is how to save Tarot Manor.

After the war, some soldiers passed by Tarot Manor every day to return to their hometown. One day, Scarlet found an unconscious young man lying at the door and rescued him. Under everyone's care, the young man named Will gradually recovered to health. Will was homeless, so he settled in Tarot and slowly took on many management tasks of the manor.

Ashley finally came back alive. His clothes were ragged, his appearance was haggard, and his original temperament had completely disappeared.

In the spring of the next year, the new government ordered Tarot Manor to pay the new surtax within a time limit, otherwise the manor would be auctioned to offset the tax. It turns out that Jonas, the butler who was expelled from the Tarot Manor due to his mistakes a few years ago, became the leader of the newly established Committee for the Liberation of Black Slaves. Now, he is trying to embezzle the Tarot Manor, so he came up with the idea of ??forcing additional taxes to be paid. Scarlet and Will were at a loss, hoping Ashley could help them find a way, but Ashley's cowardice and incompetence disappointed them.

In despair, Scarlet suddenly thought of Leiter. If Scarlet is willing to spend money to keep the Tarot Manor, Scarlet is willing to marry him or be his mistress. The next day, Scarlet came to Atlanta to look for Leiter. Only then did he learn that Leiter had been imprisoned on suspicion of embezzling a large amount of funds from the Confederacy. The depressed Scarlet accidentally met her sister Sue Ellen's fiancé Frank. He is now the owner of a store and has a lot of money. Scarlet suddenly comes up with a plan and lies that Suellen is married, and then easily gets Frank into her arms. . Two weeks later, they were married.

Tarot Manor is saved! But it was soon discovered that Frank had no business acumen and turned a deaf ear to other people's advice.

As a result, the business was not running well. At this time, Leiter was released through various personal connections. He lent Scarlet a sum of money, and Scarlet bought a failed wood processing factory behind Frank's back and ran it on his own. For a woman to run a business and make money like a man was unprecedented in Atlanta. This incident caused a great stir.

Scarlet is pregnant. She wanted to make more money before production in case of urgent needs, so she bought a second lumber mill.

During this period, Scarlet drove to and from the lumber mill by himself every day, without any friends except Scarlet. One day, Ray specially advised her to be careful on the road, implying that if she was attacked by a black man, the Ku Klux Klan would take revenge on her. At that time, the military-controlled government in Atlanta that was implementing the "Reconstruction Act" was thinking about how to wipe out the Ku Klux Klan and all suspected southerners.

In June, Scarlet rushed back to Tarot Manor to attend her father's funeral. After the funeral, the Scarlet family, including Ashley, Melanie, and Will, moved to Atlanta and bought a dilapidated house to live in. Melanie quickly gained trust in the women's community and became a respected figure. Although Ashley was entrusted by Scarlet to manage a lumber mill, his management was very poor.

Scarlet gave birth to a daughter, and within weeks she was once again traveling between the two lumber mills. At this time, Atlanta's security situation continued to deteriorate. One night in March 1867, Scarlett was attacked by a white man and a black man while driving home. Thanks to the protection of a black slave, she suffered no harm. That night, the Ku Klux Klan attacked, but they fell into a trap set by the army. During the exchange of fire, Frank was killed and Ashley was wounded. Thanks to Leiter's advice, a group of other white people who participated in the Ku Klux Klan's actions were saved. A few months later, despite the dissuasion and opposition of relatives and friends, Scarlet and Leiter got married. Their honeymoon was spent in New Orleans, and the new home, designed by Scarlet herself, was soon completed and was the most luxurious home in Atlanta. For Scarlet, it seems that she has achieved her ideal at Tarot Manor. Leiter gave her great satisfaction in any material requirements she had. She really had everything she wanted. Soon,

their daughter Bonnie was born. Leiter devoted almost all his efforts to Bonnie. The reason why Leiter worked hard to change his image in the eyes of Atlanta residents was entirely to establish Bonnie's future status in Atlanta.

Scarlet still has feelings for Ashley. One night at the lumber mill, Scarlet and Ashley had a very interesting conversation. Together they recalled the outdoor party 10 years ago. Ashley admitted that he and Leiter are actually very similar, but they have chosen different directions in life. Recalling the past gave Scarlet a sudden feeling of fear, and she fell involuntarily into Ashley's arms. Rhett and Melanie soon learned about this. A few days later, Leiter took Bonnie on a long trip. After he left, Scarlet immediately went to Melanie to confess her fault to her. But Melanie stopped her. She repeatedly emphasized that Scarlet was her closest relative.

Soon, Scarlet discovered that she was pregnant again. At this time, she began to miss Leiter and hoped that he would come back soon. On the day when Leiter arrived home, Scarlet specially greeted him at the stairs. She wanted to tell him about the pregnancy, but when she saw his sarcastic look, Scarlet couldn't get angry. As a result, he lost his footing and fell down the stairs, breaking his ribs.

Leiter was filled with regret and cried like a child in front of May

Lenny, confessing his mistakes.

Since then, Leiter seems to have changed. He completely severed ties with his "old friends" from the past military administration and joined the Democratic Party, preparing to unseat the federally appointed governor with a group of Civil War veterans in Atlanta.

On Christmas 1871, the power of the state government finally returned to the hands of the Southerners.

The black mother suggested buying a pony for four-year-old Bonnie so that she would no longer have to ride the same horse as Rhett. Unexpectedly, the restless Bonnie encountered an accident while riding a horse over the fence. After Bonnie's death, Leiter drank all day long and treated Scarlet as a fellow traveler.

Melanie ignored the doctor’s advice and got pregnant again. Her health deteriorated rapidly after her pregnancy. Before she died, she handed over the responsibility of taking care of Ashley to Scarlet. At this time, Scarlet suddenly realized that Melanie, who had always been thin, was actually the sword and shield that protected her.

When Melanie passed away, Ashley seemed to have lost his backbone. He was more scared than Scarlet. Only then did Scarlett believe what Leiter had been telling her for years, that Ashley was indeed not worthy of love. In fact, she herself did not love Ashley in real life. From then on, the two major spiritual pillars in her life disappeared.

In the thick fog, Scarlet ran home desperately. In the fog, she seemed to be reliving a nightmare that had troubled her many years ago.

Finally, she saw the lights of her house, and for a moment she felt that she had seen hope, because there was still Lei Te in the world, and the one she really loved was Lei Te!

However, it was too late. Leiter has decided to abandon his family and leave Scarlet forever. At this moment, for Scarlet, all the light in life disappeared. Her only way out was to return to Tarot Manor.

She felt too tired and her brain could no longer bear the pressure.

She said to herself: "Let's leave it to tomorrow...

...Anyway, tomorrow is a new day..."