THE IMPACT OF THE CIVIL WAR ON MARGARET MITCHELL’S MAIN SOUTHERN CHARACTERS IN GONE WITH THE WIND
THE IMPACT OF THE CIVIL WAR ON MARGARET MITCHELL’S MAIN SOUTHERN CHARACTERS IN GONE WITH THE WIND

Summary/Abstract: The present paper aims at presenting the ways in which the Civil War has affected the main characters in Margaret Mitchell’s novel “Gone with the Wind”. The focus is laid upon the major characters and their transformations caused by the Civil War. Scarlett is the female protagonist and she has changed due to the influence of war, she gave up all her principles and did everything necessary to survive. She was determined to achieve any goal that she wanted, she was thinking about future, her opportunities instead of her losses. Rhett is Scarlett’s male version and he went through an interesting transformation. First, he was ignorant about war, he knew that it was useless, he was making money out of the destruction of the South; in one moment of sentimentality or sense of duty, he joined the army and fought for the South. Finally, the present paper proves the point that the Civil War has significantly influenced Margaret Mitchell’s characters and their evolution. The South and its people were deeply affected by war, it changed people and their way of living. The war took away a lot of things from them and it also transformed the South.

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