Some one told me that this book has sold so many copies that it is perhaps next only to the Bible in the number of people reading it. Is that astonishing to believe? What makes this book special? Let us try and see…
The book is about two people.. Scarlet O’Hara and Rhett Butler. It is a love story. A story of how two people as different as they seem to be, are affected by the prejudice of one towards another though they are essentially alike. The book is special because it tends to explore their relationship amidst chaos and amidst their internal conflicts. The book is special because it has two beautifully etched characters. The book is special because of the character of Scarlet O’Hara.
There are two other characters that are essential to the book in Ashley Wilkes and Melanie Wilkes. By the end of the book I was in awe of Melanie too as much as I was of Scarlet. There are some particular scenes in the book that will move you to tears, and there are others that will make you smile. Melanie’s scene with Rhett Butler after the death of his daughter, and Rhett’s lament with Mammy… “She is scared of the dark.. I thought you would understand…. “, There are so many such sequences. What is most compelling is that though the book spans a very short time in history, you will feel as if you have traveled for years with American history. The almost indistinguishable blending of the story and the backdrop is romantic art at its best.
The book is intended to be a look at man and society together, how society tends to make a man behave as he does. It shows Scarlet O’Hara conscious of everything about herself and her appearances and how she is seen in the eyes of the others. Although this is not true and she does not care a damn about what others think about her so long as she is having a good time, she puts up with the act to save her face in society.
Rhett Butler on the other hand cares a damn about public opinion and shows it too. This irks a lot of people but he is true to himself. He is amused and is in awe of Scarlet O’Hara because he admires her spirit and detests her acts of being a saint. It is about these two people caught up in a southern society during the civil war, how they are affected by the times and how it changes them. It’s a story of pride, prejudice, love, denial, approval, war, loyalty, duty, whims, society, slavery, bravery, and a whole lot more. It’s a story set in the past. And yet, it’s a story that can be read again and again in the future. It is a story that perhaps would be best identified by a southerner in the United States, but since the book is so well written and the times so very well described, that someone who is not aware of “the southern pride” and “the southern hospitality” and the like will also identify with them.
And then, people always do complain about a book that is long. But I have always enjoyed reading this book, and even as I say it now, I want to read it again.