Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Gone with the Wind, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Civil War and Reconstruction
Looking Forward vs. Looking Back
Classism and Racism
Practicality, Tenacity, and Selfishness
Women and Power
Summary
Analysis
By the summer of 1863, everyone still says the South needs one more victory to win the war. That spring, the Confederacy scores several victories, though they lose Stonewall Jackson and General T.R.R. Cobb. The Yankees are now hanging on by a thread as Robert E. Lee marches towards Pennsylvania. In Missouri and Kentucky, the Yankees raid and burn homes, causing refugees to flee to Atlanta. The refugees want revenge in the form of Robert E. Lee burning Pennsylvania, but Lee refuses to damage property. The South feels less warmly toward Lee after this. However, everyone in the South expects the battle in Pennsylvania to be the last one. By July, they get news of fights in Pennsylvania—and people begin to fear the worst.
The war has been going on for two years now, and the South is still very confident that it has the upper hand. They continue to believe that the war will end any day now, that the next battle will be the last. However, when the refugees flee to Atlanta, Southerners get their first sight of the damage the war is really inflicting. They become more eager for the Confederates to get revenge in Pennsylvania, and, when they hear no news, they start to be afraid. The war is steadily becoming more of a reality to them.
Themes
At Miss Pitty’s house, Pitty, Scarlett, and Melanie are afraid for Ashley. Rumors fly about Lee possibly dying in Pennsylvania, and crowds gather at train stations to wait for news. Though people fear their loved ones are dead, they never imagine the Cause collapsing. They believe in it as unquestionably as they believe in God.
Scarlett, Melanie, and Miss Pittypat sit in their carriage in front of the newspaper office, where they hope to find out if Ashley is dead. All the women are gathered, even the pregnant Maybelle Merriwether, whose husband Rene Picard hadn’t even gone to Pennsylvania. Rhett Butler approaches. Scarlett can’t believe he has the nerve to appear. Mrs. Merriwether screams “speculator!” as he passes. Rhett jokes with Scarlett and shares that the casualty list will be printed in a few minutes. Soon after, the newspaper window opens and the crowd fights for the papers. Rhett grabs a paper for Melanie and Scarlett. Ashley isn’t on it, and Miss Pitty collapses. Scarlett is overjoyed; Ashley wasn’t even wounded! The McClure girls lost their brother Dallas and Fanny Elsing lost some beau, but Maybelle shrieks that Rene is alive.
Rhett Butler’s presence at the newspaper office is particularly conspicuous because he’s one of the only men there. All the women are gathered to find out if their men are dead; meanwhile, Rhett is riding around making fun of everyone. Mrs. Merriwether calls him a “speculator,” accusing him of sitting around in comfort watching everyone else fight and die. However, Rhett seems to care about something—perhaps Scarlett or Melanie’s reaction to the news they might get—enough to come to the newspaper office on this day at all.
Themes
Mrs. Meade is looking down at her lap. She says nothing but everyone knows. Phil Meade, who is 15, tries to comfort her, saying he’ll go kill all the Yankees. Mrs. Meade grabs his arm and cries “no!” Melanie throws Miss Pitty onto Scarlett’s shoulder and climbs into Mrs. Meade’s carriage to escort her home. She tells Scarlett to put Miss Pitty to bed then come to the Meades’. They drive off.
This is the first moment in the story when the war touches the personal lives of the characters, as Dr. and Mrs. Meade’s son has been killed. This tragedy makes Phil even more eager to fight, wanting to avenge his brother, which upsets Mrs. Meade; she’s lost one son, and doesn’t want to lose another.
Themes
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Scarlett scans the list to see who else has died. Raiford Calvert, her old beau! Joe Fontaine, a new husband and father! Lafayette Munroe, who’d been engaged to Cathleen Calvert! Brent, Stuart, Thomas, and Boyd Tarleton! She can’t read on. Rhett looks sympathetic and says there’ll be a longer list tomorrow. Ashley still isn’t safe. Scarlett wishes the South had sold the “darkies,” or just given them up for free. Rhett says the enslaved persons are just an excuse for the war. He says that women hate war, but men love it. He smiles mockingly and goes to tell Dr. Meade his son is dead.
For the first time, some of the story’s major characters have died. Brent and Stuart Tarleton, both of whom were visiting Scarlett when the story opened, are on the casualty list. Before the war started, Brent and Stuart represented the quintessential Southern teenager—athletic, fun-loving, and eager for war. The two were both extremely excited for war, and confident that they’d win, and now they are two of the first personal casualties. As the war claims Scarlett’s old beaus, it fundamentally changes the South as Scarlett sees it.
Themes
Scarlett puts Miss Pitty to bed then goes to the Meades’. Mrs. Meade is upstairs, and Melanie is helping some neighbors turn her dresses black. Scarlett decides not to tell Melanie that another casualty list is coming out tomorrow because she doesn’t want to let on how anxious she is about Ashley. Dr. Meade comes home, hanging his head, and goes upstairs. Shortly after, Phil comes down and sits on the stoop, depressed that his parents won’t let him join the war.
Although Ashley isn’t her husband, Scarlett is just as anxious about him as Melanie. In fact, Ashley is all Scarlett can think about whereas Melanie is thinking only of Mrs. Meade’s suffering, and puts her own worries aside to help her. This highlights how selfless Melanie is.
Themes
Melanie says she’d love to have a son like Phil. She confesses that she’s jealous of Scarlett because she has Wade. She could bear Ashley’s death only if she had his baby to comfort her. Scarlett tells her to go comfort Phil. The idea of Melanie having a baby disgusts her. Melanie having Ashley’s baby would be like Melanie taking something that belonged to Scarlett.
Melanie wants a son who’s passionate about his homeland. This is another way in which Melanie is very different from Scarlett, who barely wants the child she has. Scarlett hates the idea of Melanie having a baby with Ashley for the same reason she hates that Carreen was dating Brent: she feels like the men, and the babies they could father, are rightfully hers.
Themes
