By: Olivia Curcillo
Christmas 2008 I received Margaret Mitchell’s extremely large book Gone with the Wind. I did not know how to react to my mom’s expectant grin as I unwrapped the book. Yes, I have always loved reading and will never say no to a book, but Gone with the Wind? Really? How could I possibly stand Scarlet O’Hara’s whining for over a thousand pages?
After Christmas present unwrapping ended, my mom walked over to my seat and told me about her favorite novel and the impact Mitchell’s words had upon her own life. Though I was still hesitant to delve into the world of Ms. O’Hara’s experiences from before, during, and after the Civil War, I understood the importance of this gift from mother and I thanked her with the largest smile I could muster.
Gone with the Wind took me three months. I read two novels a week in high school for fun after homework. I read any chance I had—just like Rory Gilmore—on the bus, during lunch, before dinner, after dinner, and for the rest of my evening. I never put books down as a child. Yet Margaret Mitchell’s novel took a full three months. It was not that the book was not interesting—it was! I really fell in love with the characters: Mammy, Rhett Butler, of course, and even the annoying Scarlet O’Hara.
Though Mitchell’s heroine is not someone you would desire to be best friends with, she is inspiring through her fearlessness and success during the decline of the American South. Books and characters are my friends, though. Not in a weird “Olivia needs more friends way,” but in a “books are a constant companion with lessons and characters who grow with the reader” way.
Every time I pick up a novel a second time, I discover new themes and morals. These new outlooks are due to my growing catalog of personal experiences. Life is always moving forward. Even if books never change in literal wording, the meanings can always change as the reader focuses on different scenes, conversations, or descriptions.
Gone with the Wind definitely taught me many lessons the year I read it. The majority of the novel—the scenes from pre-Civil war with balls and fancy dresses to scenes of war and mass destruction and stress in Ms. O’Hara’s life—helped me sanely pass my midterms during my sophomore year of high school. The storyline and annoying antics of Scarlet O’Hara were not as stressful as I had first thought only a month before when I received the book from my mom. Instead, the stresses, woes, and challenges Scarlet O’Hara faced in the American South changed my own view and approach to stress.
Though some of her actions are extremely annoying in the novel, Scarlet O’Hara remains a dedicated and courageous female figure in literature. Her determination and successful ventures in redeeming her family’s land and building a life for herself inspired me to do the same. Though I do not plan to live in Tara for the rest of my life, I do plan to achieve success through my own independent efforts. I may not have a full plan for my life, but I at least know I have the ability and power to control the decisions I make. Scarlet O’Hara learned this same lesson in Mitchell’s novel. I think my mom learned this lesson too when she was a young girl reading Gone with the Wind for the first time. I am glad I can share something so special with her.
Though my mom and I are not as close as Lorelai and Rory, we are best friends. I think Gone with the Wind helped us grow even closer as we shared the success of finishing the novel and the joy of knowing that no matter what we face in life, it will probably never be as great a tragedy as Scarlet faced in her fictional tale. If Scarlet can make it in the South, then I can successfully make it through the rest of college toward my future career.
Christmas 2008 I received Margaret Mitchell’s extremely large book Gone with the Wind. I did not know how to react to my mom’s expectant grin as I unwrapped the book. Yes, I have always loved reading and will never say no to a book, but Gone with the Wind? Really? How could I possibly stand Scarlet O’Hara’s whining for over a thousand pages?
After Christmas present unwrapping ended, my mom walked over to my seat and told me about her favorite novel and the impact Mitchell’s words had upon her own life. Though I was still hesitant to delve into the world of Ms. O’Hara’s experiences from before, during, and after the Civil War, I understood the importance of this gift from mother and I thanked her with the largest smile I could muster.
Gone with the Wind took me three months. I read two novels a week in high school for fun after homework. I read any chance I had—just like Rory Gilmore—on the bus, during lunch, before dinner, after dinner, and for the rest of my evening. I never put books down as a child. Yet Margaret Mitchell’s novel took a full three months. It was not that the book was not interesting—it was! I really fell in love with the characters: Mammy, Rhett Butler, of course, and even the annoying Scarlet O’Hara.
Though Mitchell’s heroine is not someone you would desire to be best friends with, she is inspiring through her fearlessness and success during the decline of the American South. Books and characters are my friends, though. Not in a weird “Olivia needs more friends way,” but in a “books are a constant companion with lessons and characters who grow with the reader” way.
Every time I pick up a novel a second time, I discover new themes and morals. These new outlooks are due to my growing catalog of personal experiences. Life is always moving forward. Even if books never change in literal wording, the meanings can always change as the reader focuses on different scenes, conversations, or descriptions.
Gone with the Wind definitely taught me many lessons the year I read it. The majority of the novel—the scenes from pre-Civil war with balls and fancy dresses to scenes of war and mass destruction and stress in Ms. O’Hara’s life—helped me sanely pass my midterms during my sophomore year of high school. The storyline and annoying antics of Scarlet O’Hara were not as stressful as I had first thought only a month before when I received the book from my mom. Instead, the stresses, woes, and challenges Scarlet O’Hara faced in the American South changed my own view and approach to stress.
Though some of her actions are extremely annoying in the novel, Scarlet O’Hara remains a dedicated and courageous female figure in literature. Her determination and successful ventures in redeeming her family’s land and building a life for herself inspired me to do the same. Though I do not plan to live in Tara for the rest of my life, I do plan to achieve success through my own independent efforts. I may not have a full plan for my life, but I at least know I have the ability and power to control the decisions I make. Scarlet O’Hara learned this same lesson in Mitchell’s novel. I think my mom learned this lesson too when she was a young girl reading Gone with the Wind for the first time. I am glad I can share something so special with her.
Though my mom and I are not as close as Lorelai and Rory, we are best friends. I think Gone with the Wind helped us grow even closer as we shared the success of finishing the novel and the joy of knowing that no matter what we face in life, it will probably never be as great a tragedy as Scarlet faced in her fictional tale. If Scarlet can make it in the South, then I can successfully make it through the rest of college toward my future career.