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
In August, the siege of Atlanta stops suddenly. A sinister quiet falls over the town. News arrives by word of mouth, since there isn’t enough paper for sending letters or printing newspapers. Although it felt like forever, the siege only lasted 30 days. The Yankees have moved south, turning towns into graveyards as they go. Scarlett is terrified when she learns that Sherman plans to attack Jonesboro for the fourth time, since Jonesboro is so close to Tara. As she receives news of the battle’s progress, she also receives letters from Gerald informing her that first Carreen, and then Ellen and Suellen, are very ill. Scarlett prays for her mother.
The war moves steadily south, getting progressively worse by the day. At this point, the war has impoverished and stranded Southerners all around Georgia. Scarlett is separated from her family and trapped in Atlanta because of the fighting along the railroad. Also, there is not enough paper even for news to circulate. The South has fallen from a land of abundance to a land of poverty, and the powerful families have been split up.
Themes
Scarlett grows increasingly frightened when a week passes with no news; a lot can change in a week with typhoid fever. It’s unthinkable that Ellen is sick or might even be dead. If she dies, Scarlett will be stuck with Wade and Melanie. Scarlett daydreams about the miles of white cotton at Tara, and the enslaved boys running around. If it weren’t for Melanie, she’d ride the train home immediately. She hates how still and quiet Atlanta is now. No one jokes about the war anymore because they knew that if the Macon railroad is captured, the Yankees will get Atlanta.
Although Scarlett has strayed completely from her mother’s path, and the two of them have become distant, Scarlett is very afraid of losing her. Like Tara, Ellen represents safety and perfection. Scarlett would like to be like Ellen one day, and she yearns for the old ways of Tara. But it now seems likely that both her mother and the prosperous pre-war Tara might perish in the war.
Themes
On September 1st, Scarlett wakes up afraid and goes to the window. Atlanta is deathly quiet. Suddenly, she hears distant cannons. She realizes the cannons are coming from the south, which means they might be the signal that Atlanta has fallen. All Scarlett can think of is the Yankees invading Tara. Scarlett longs to be home and shushes Prissy when Prissy starts singing a sad song.
If Atlanta has fallen, it suggests that the whole South will fall with it—a terrifying prospect for Scarlett, Prissy, and Melanie. Atlanta is Georgia’s sole source of power, and, without it and its intersection of railroads, it seems that the South has no chance against the North.
Themes
Scarlett looks in Melanie’s room. Melanie lies in bed. There are black circles around her eyes and her face is swollen. Scarlett wishes meanly that Ashley could see how ugly Melanie looked. Melanie’s cheers up when she sees Scarlett, who sits down on the bed. Melanie holds her hand and says she’s sorry about the cannons in the south. Scarlett has been so good to her, and Melanie loves her. Melanie asks Scarlett to take her baby if she dies in childbirth. If it’s a boy, Scarlett should raise him like Ashley; and if it’s a girl, Melanie would like her to be raised like Scarlett. Scarlett promises reluctantly, thinking of how silly Melanie is for not realizing Scarlett loves Ashley. Then, Melanie says she’s been having pains; she’ll give birth today. She asks Scarlett to fetch Mrs. Meade, not Dr. Meade.
Scarlett’s hatred for Melanie contrasts sharply against Melanie’s unconditional love for Scarlett. The fact that Melanie wants Scarlett to raise her baby to be like Scarlett if she dies shows that Melanie admires Scarlett and views her as an example of the ideal woman. This is surprising because Melanie has often been likened to Ellen—who has in turn been likened to the ideal “great lady.” This raises the question of whether Melanie or Scarlett—two opposite examples of femininity—represents the true ideal.
Themes
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