Scarlett O’Hara: an indestructible woman

The premiere of gone With the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939) was a historical and cultural event. At a time when television was in its early stages of development, cinema conquered the people. If we add to this a very expensive production, a face as well-known as Clark Gable, Scarlett O’Hara’s unmatched outfits and a promotion never seen before in her time, the result is extraordinary.

The event was such that, in Atlanta, a parade, dances and countless events were organized to celebrate the premiere of the film. The state of Georgia threw itself into the festivities and the day of its premiere, December 15, 1939, was declared a holiday throughout the state.. So, gone With the Wind He began to build a myth that would lead to a total of 10 Oscar awards. In short, a cinematographic event never seen before and unrepeatable. In Spain, it was released 11 years later, but its success was equally overwhelming.

However, although the film remains a classic and its impact has been studied from various perspectives, the truth is that the values ​​it transmits have become somewhat outdated. The image that it gives us of the black characters – totally stereotyped -, of slavery and the values ​​of the time do not have the same significance today. But gone With the Wind Not only is it a film from 1939, but it takes place in the 19th century.

But if there is a character that, from my point of view, deserves to be rescued and is quite timeless, this is none other than the exceptional Scarlett O’Hara played by Vivien Leigh. Scarlett is one of the most remembered female characters in film history.. How can we forget the dazzling curtain dress? How can we forget his excessive love for Ashley Wilkes and his relationship with Rhett Butler?

Neither heroine nor damsel in distress

The magnitude of the film and its length – no less than 4 hours – allow us to witness the evolution of an unprecedented character. Scarlett O’Hara is presented as a vain, selfish young woman, aware of her beauty and her ability to get what she wants.. She has lived a comfortable life, but she is not satisfied with the role that society has given her.

In both the novel of the same name and the film, Scarlett breaks all the molds of her time. She is not submissive, she does not allow herself to be manipulated by men and she does not want to live in their shadow.. She is not a heroine, because her values ​​are far from what the morals of the time dictated, she is interested and very selfish; But neither is she a ‘lady in distress’ looking for a man to rescue her from her. In the face of her adversity, Scarlett O’Hara is a strong, determined woman capable of moving her family forward.

He is irreverent, not even mourning can quench his desires and his desire to have fun like any man would do. When feminism was not yet talked about, when women were relegated to the home, Scarlett O’Hara showed that she could do anything, that nothing was going to stop her and that no man was above her.. She is not nice, nor endearing, nor does she want to be; On the contrary, she is arrogant, irreverent and very independent. Not even war can defeat it.

But Scarlett’s intentions are selfish, we know her in love – almost obsessed – with Ashley Wilkes, the man who is going to marry her cousin Melanie. Melanie is the opposite of Scarlett, she is naive, sweet and angelic, so much so that, sometimes, we would like to wake her up from that wonderful dream in which she seems to live. She does not believe in evil and is unable to see that Scarlett, in reality, does not feel any compassion for anyone and does not care about breaking up a marriage.

This relationship with Melanie will be a constant throughout the film; at the same time, another love triangle will begin to take shape with the intrusion of Rhett Butler. Scarlett likes the impossible, that’s why she falls in love with Ashley; while Butler, a businessman of dubious morality, will feel fascinated by the undisciplined young woman.. However, war will break into her lives, shattering the comfort of Scarlett and her family.

In the face of danger, she is the one who takes the reins, who manages to resurrect her beloved Tara – the family plantation. Without Scarlett, most of the characters that accompany her would not have survived. Marriage after marriage, she is widowed, something that would have been devastating for a woman of her time, but Scarlett is an incorformist and always manages to get ahead. She becomes a businesswoman in a world dominated by men and, like the phoenix, manages to rise from the ashes again and again..

Scarlett O’Hara: a different woman

Yes, Scarlett O’Hara is different, she is a woman who stands out in her time – both fictional and real. Cinema has given us countless ‘domesticated’, obedient women who follow the example of what a woman ‘should be’. Women devoted to their children and their husbands who seem to have no greater aspirations in life. On the contrary, the protagonist of gone With the Wind She rises as the true queen of her story, men and the rest of the stories revolve around her.

She is very far from being a good mother and a good wife, her marriages and practically all her actions are motivated by her own interest. Scarlett O’Hara must adapt, as best she can, to a world dominated by men. Rhett Butler is an opportunist, something that is no mystery to Scarlett, but if he is opportunistic, she can be too. We can read this character from the ambition that drives his actions, however, his complexity is infinitely greater.

Sometimes, we see that she can be compassionate, that she is protective of her loved ones and that she dares to ‘run the pants’ of the house, to make important decisions. Melania, on the other hand, despite her naivety, is quite intellectual, but, above all, kind. She will always be grateful to Scarlett for helping her survive and for resurrecting a family legacy of hers that seemed doomed to her disappearance.

The young and flirtatious Scarlett that we were introduced to at the beginning seems to have vanished, among ragged dresses she gets food from a land that seemed condemned.. She makes those around her survive and faces any adversity. Nothing can stop her, not even scarcity, if she cannot have a dress in condition to visit Rhett Butler and achieve her most interested goal, she will make some curtains into a dress for the occasion.

Throughout the film, we see her descend from the top to hell itself, however, she never allows anything, absolutely nothing, to end up bringing her down. Her arrogance and ambition may show absolute coldness, but deep down, her blows have ended up being devastating. Scarlett O’Hara puts on armor that will always protect her, that will keep her distant. Only Melanie’s death will make her connect with reality, with the pain it could have caused and, finally, she will know the value of kindness and love..

Without a doubt, Scarlett O’Hara is one of those characters that last over time, that are timeless and that, even today, are current. She is a truly interesting character, who deserves a more detailed and in-depth analysis. She allows us to see a constant evolution from adolescent happiness to the maturity of a woman who has suffered, but has never allowed herself to be crushed. We can love her, even hate her, but there is no doubt about her great impact. Indomitable, arrogant, beautiful, flirtatious… but, above all, a fighter, a true survivor who is impossible to defeat.

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