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
When she can go out again, Scarlett has Lou lace her corset as tightly as possible. She is disappointed that she can only get her waist down to 20 inches. She thinks that babies ruin everything as she makes her dress bigger and decides she won’t have any more. When she’s dressed, she drives out to the lumber yard, excited to talk to Ashley about the account books and hoping to find him alone.
Scarlett still feels that babies are a burden and that they ruin a person’s life. She still cares as much about her appearance as she did when the story began, and hasn’t grown to love other things, such as motherhood. She gets through her childbearing period as quickly as possible so she can get on to what she feels is more important: Ashley and her work.
Themes
At the mill, Ashley steps out, looking happy to see Scarlett. But she is very disappointed in his accounts, and he can tell. He tells her he would work better with free Blacks instead of convicts; he’s no “convict driver.” Scarlett says that free Blacks cost more than convicts, and Johnnie Gallegher does an excellent job driving them. She says Ashley should try whipping them, like Johnnie does.
Working the convicts makes Ashley uneasy, but he wouldn’t mind “driving” a Black labor crew. This shows that Ashley believes Black people are inferior, while he sees the white convict crew more as equals. Scarlett’s suggestion to whip the convicts indicates that she’s gotten over her guilt about abusing the convicts.
Themes
Ashley cries that Scarlett used to be so sweet before Rhett “brutalized” her. Scarlett is glad Ashley cares, even though she knows her conduct isn’t Rhett’s fault. Ashley says he can’t bear to think of Rhett touching Scarlett. Scarlett thinks Ashley is going to kiss her, but he apologizes and says he shouldn’t be talking like this. On her way home, Scarlett feels certain Ashley loves her. Since Ashley can’t be intimate with Melanie because Melanie can’t have another baby, Scarlett decides it would be wonderful if she stopped having sex with Rhett. Then she and Ashley would basically be faithful to each other, even though they are married to other people. She will arrange to stop sleeping with Rhett and tell Ashley that she is making a great sacrifice for him.
Ashley thinks that Rhett is the reason behind Scarlett’s cruelty. However, the convicts were Scarlett’s idea, and Rhett even suggested that it was immoral for her to lease them. Scarlett doesn’t care that Ashley doesn’t know how bad she is, and only cares that Ashley cares about her. And just as Scarlett wants people to think she’s like Ellen even though she doesn’t at all resemble her mother, Scarlett wants Ashley to think she’s a martyr for giving up sex with Rhett even though Scarlett genuinely wants to stop sleeping with him.
Themes
Scarlett finds Rhett in the nursery playing with the children. She leads him into the bedroom and announces that she doesn’t want more children. Rhett says he can divorce her if she refuses sex. Scarlett asks Rhett to take Ashley as an example: Ashley kindly stays away from Melanie so she doesn’t become pregnant. Rhett sneers and asks if Scarlett visited the mill today. He says that if he wanted to be with her, no lock could keep him out. Since she doesn’t want to be with him, luckily there are other women and he doesn’t value fidelity. He leaves. Scarlett feels suddenly unhappy and starts to cry. She got what she wanted, but she’ll miss Rhett.
Even as Scarlett does what she thinks she wants (kicking Rhett out of her bed and pursuing Ashley), she’s still not happy. This mirrors how Scarlett thought all she wanted was money but yet, Scarlett is still unsatisfied. Scarlett also betrays her reasons for refusing to sleep with Rhett when she holds up Ashley as an example. She admires Ashley for what he’s doing, and Rhett can’t ignore that he still hasn’t won Scarlett over.
Themes
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