Gone with the Wind Reconsidered

Gone with the Wind Reconsidered

I was not present during the class where we watched Gone With the Wind. However, I did purchase it and watch it on my own time. GWTW is known to be one of the most enduring films of all time. Watching GWTW for the first time as a college student was a surprising experience. I had always heard about the movie being a classic, but I never really understood why until I saw it myself. I expected an old-fashioned romance, but I ended up seeing a story that was much deeper and more complicated than I imagined. The movie's huge scale and emotional intensity pulled me in, but what really stayed with me were the characters, especially the women who carried so much strength in a world that constantly tried to hold them back.

Scarlett O'Hara's Early Transformation

Scarlett O'Hara stood out to me immediately. At first, she seemed spoiled, selfish, and more focused on herself than on anyone else around her. She cared about her looks, her reputation, and the attention of men, particularly Ashley Wilkes, who represented everything she thought she wanted. But as the Civil War began to turn her world upside down in the film's first half, she started changing in ways I didn't expect.

The transformation really began when she had to leave Atlanta as it burned. Suddenly, this woman who had servants attending to her every need was delivering Melanie's baby with only Prissy's panicked help. The scene where she promises "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again" marked a turning point. Her transformation from pampered Southern Belle to determined survivor really caught my attention. Even when everything was falling apart, her home, her wealth, and her illusions, she found a way to keep going. Watching her fight to survive made me think about how people discover strength they didn't know they had when they are pushed to their limits.

Mammy: The Moral Center

Mammy was another character who left a big impression on me. Before watching the movie, I had heard of her as a famous role in film history, but I didn't realize how important she actually was to the story. From the very first scene, Mammy is the moral center of the O'Hara family. She keeps everyone grounded and speaks her mind even when no one else will.

"You ain't got the sense that God gave a squirrel!" she shouts at Scarlett in an early scene, a slave addressing a white woman with complete authority. She scolds Scarlett when she needs to, comforts her when she's lost, and holds the household together through all the chaos. When Scarlett wants to wear inappropriate clothing or behave in ways that "just ain't fittin'," Mammy doesn't hesitate to call her out. Hattie McDaniel's performance gives Mammy real dignity and power, making her function almost like a Greek chorus commenting on the action around her.

Knowing that McDaniel was the first African American to win an Oscar makes her role even more meaningful. She played a character who had little control over her own life in society, yet she made Mammy the emotional rock of the entire story. Her famous response when asked about playing maid roles, that she'd rather make significant money playing a maid than earn poverty wages being one, reveals a practical strength that mirrors her character's resilience.

The Dirty South 

At the same time, I couldn't ignore how the movie romanticizes the Old South and avoids showing the true horrors of slavery. That part made me uncomfortable, and it's important to acknowledge. The film was made in 1939, and it reflects the attitudes of its time, presenting a highly stylized and sanitized version of Southern life that glosses over brutal realities. Even though it avoids these truths, I still think it captures real emotions about pride, love, loss, and resilience. These emotions are universal, which is part of why the story still connects with people today. In the version of the film I purchased, there was a disclaimer that came on before the film started explaining how it is good to be able to use the film as something we can learn from and look back on.

Women of the film

The first half of the film also introduces us to Melanie Hamilton, whose quiet strength contrasts sharply with Scarlett's fierce determination. While Scarlett fights and schemes, Melanie embodies a different kind of courage. She's gentle, loyal, and unfailingly kind. Together, these women represent different ways of surviving impossible circumstances. The wartime experience absolutely gave women in the story a chance to shed their Southern Belle weakness and prove themselves more independent and resilient, just as real wars throughout history have often expanded women's roles when men were absent.

Conclusion

Gone with the Wind remains a flawed but fascinating film. It's one that reveals truths about human resilience even while perpetuating harmful myths about the antebellum South. The strength displayed by characters like Scarlett and Mammy in the face of impossible circumstances continues to resonate, reminding us that survival often requires discovering reserves of courage we never knew we possessed. While we must acknowledge the film's deeply problematic romanticization of slavery and the Confederate South, we can still recognize the universal human experiences of loss, adaptation, and perseverance that make this story endure across generations. I am glad I was able to take the time to watch this movie and appreciate it for what it is. if I were to give advice to others my age who havent watched it, id tell them to take the time out to watch it and reflect on the movie.