Plantations, beautiful dresses, men in military uniform... barbecue on the lawn with the promise of war hanging in the air...all the wonderful aspects of the South before the Civil War. As I watched Gone With The Wind the other night I had fond memories of watching it as a child. As a child you only remember the main characters and catchphrases, but as an adult you see the pain and suffering, the love, the yearning...and the grace of the actors from long ago.
My mother loves Gone With The Wind. I learned to love it over the years as well. I love Scarlett, I love Rhett... and watching it with MY family made me very nostalgic. Some people are on Scarlett's side.. and I love her character, because so much of her is in every Southern woman... but it is Rhett that I love the most. Handsome, charming, with the money that comes from old wealth and gambling. Rhett truly loved Scarlett and she never loved him until the very end. A rambling man with words that would melt any girls heart... he truly loved Scarlett and Bonnie Blue, his daughter. He lavished them with gifts and tokens and took them on trips. He was the best father... he spent time with his little girl and it is lovely to see their relationship.
Watching the movie, I just kept thinking of what was going to happen next. Little Bonnie dies. That perfect, gorgeous little girl who loves her pony is taken from her parents. Both parents are distraught, but especially Rhett. She was his life. The love that her mother wouldn't accept from her father was given to this little angel while she was here on earth. Rhett didn't have a loving partner to help with his grief and it is very sad.
I am sad that my Zoe Jane will not see Gone With The Wind on a rainy day, snuggled with me in bed. I am sad that I can't tell her this story that is such a part of my life...I am sad that she won't be able to watch in wonder, all the while wishing she was Scarlett O'Hara wearing those beautiful dresses. I just know that she would have been a little dark haired, green eyed version of Scarlett, with the stubbornness that is in her Mom.
To lose a child is enormous. It doesn't matter if it is a movie, real life or something that is a possibility. We are all characters in this play called life and we never know when we will lose someone that we love. I had always felt sorry for Scarlett up until I was an adult and realized that it was Rhett who had his heart broken. Broken by the woman that he loved, broken by the loss of his only child. Broken... with no one to share in this grief that rips through your soul...
Sister, you have to give Scarlett a break! Yes, she was spoiled and selfish as a young woman. But you have to remember, who delivered a baby by herself with no training and no idea what in the world she was doing? Who got them out of Atlanta when it was burning around them. She was left in the middle of nowhere with a sick woman, a newborn child and a lame horse when Rhett took off for the war. He told her to use the gun to fend off the Yankees!He didnt protect her, she lifted her chin high and took her family home. She was hungry, tired, scared and wanted her mother! When she arrived, she found her beloved mother dead, her father demented and a entire household with no food. What did she do? She got to work, she made a difference, she took charge and got it done! Was she hurting inside? Sure, she was.. She had just lost EVERYTHING! But it didnt stop her, in fact her courage rose up and defeated them all. She saved Tara, supported a house full of family,made herself a dress out of drapes,and shot the enemy at her front door.She was the savior of the entire household, because she didnt give up, didnt whine and wring her hands and wonder what to do (thinking Melanie). She didnt complain about the hand life dealt her. She was a successful business woman, a mother, a wife, and manager of her home.She had to be tough! It doesnt mean she didnt love Bonnie or Rhett any less. She did..she just showed it in different ways. Remember when Bonnie ask to be taken home because she missed her mother? She loved that girl and her death was devastating, but she didnt fall apart like Rhett did. He took to his room and became distraught. SHE had to plan the funeral, run a business, take care of her household and nurse her own wounds. She had to be strong because she was a woman! A southern woman! Look at all the death and pain and suffering she endured. Rhett led a charmed life. He could ride off into the sunset when things went bad, but not Scarlett. She faced the enemy and won! Rhett, could afford to lavish his wealth,he had never gone hungry! He had little responsibility and was able to show his affection. Scarlett, had known hunger, pain, death and the feeling of being helpless. She just didnt let it kill her spirit. You know, I loved Rhett too, but Scarlett, she is my hero. I would like to think when times got tough, I could pick up the pieces and put it back together. When fear came knocking, she just knocked the hell out of it! That is what southern women do my dear!
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