摘 要

玛格丽特·米切尔在她驰名中外的作品《飘》中为我们塑造了一位并不完美的女主角形象：斯嘉丽。她傲慢、叛逆，几乎与所有主流的女性形象背道而驰。本文首先简要介绍了女作家玛格丽特·米切尔、《飘》以及“女权主义”， 随后着手分析斯嘉丽独立而又坚韧的性格，最后得出结论——玛格丽特·米切尔正是通过在她的作品中塑造了斯嘉丽这样一位新女性形象而表达了她的女性主义思想。

关键词：《飘》；斯嘉丽；性格；女性主义

Contents

1.Introduction………………………………………………………………………....1

1.1 The Background of Gone with the Wind………………………………………….1

1.2 Gone with the Wind and Feminism……………………………………………….2

2.Demonstration……………………………………………………………………….3

2.1 Scarlett’s characters contrasted with the other two women……………………….3

2.1.1 Difference between Scarlett and Ellen………………….……………………………………3

2.1.2 Difference between Scarlett and Melanie………………....…………………………………4

2.2 Feminism reflected in Scarlett………………………………………………………………...6

2.2.1 Freedom and independence………………………………………………..………………..6

2.2.2 Responsibility and perseverance……………………………………………………………..8

3. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….…9

Works Cited…………………………………………………………………………..10

Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………….11

A Brief Analysis of Scarlett in Gone with the Wind

1. Introduction

1.1 The Background of Gone with the Wind

Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind was first published in 1936, a time during the Great Depression of the United States. As all the industries were depressed, everyone had to strive hard to earn a living. Thus the entertainment needs of the U.S citizen kept declining and the libraries were largely shut down nation-wide so that no one had expected Margaret’s Gone with the Wind could succeed. This novel became the best seller once it came out. Even though the selling price for each book rose from 3 dollars to 60 dollars, the supply of this novel has never met the needs. What makes this novel popular is not only the powerful war scenes in this novel but also the vivid description of its characters. It successfully shapes several characters who own a distinctive personality, and the experiences of those characters imply Margrett’s unique thoughts about life, love, and the change in society at that time.

Margaret Mitchell's life story was more like a tragicomedy; at least the first half of her life was not smooth sailing. Her first lover died of war, and her mother died of illness; worse still, she was forced to drop out of school to help her father with housework and married a rogue who used to commit domestic violence and alcohol abuse. Her life only got better after she met her second husband, John Marsh, a gentleman who worked hard daytime and helped Margaret to organize her novel at night. Without the encouragement from her husband, Margaret would never have completed this immortal work. Margaret converts her own life experience and emotions into the novel, which makes those characters vivid, and each of these characters could be considered as one miniature of part of her life experience.

It took Mitchell ten years to collect materials, organize and finish the book. From the perspective of an American Southerner, she displayed in her book the transformation of the social economy structure from the manor economy to the capitalist economy by describing the rise and fall of several south manors. We could find the customs, rituals, and political ideals of the Southerners from the book. No wonder that Malcolm Cowley calls it “an encyclopedia of the plantation legend” (Cowley 3) in his critical review which written in 1936. Additionally, Margrett described the entangled emotional change among several young people, which implied a miniature of how people lived during the Civil War and the awakening process of feminist consciousness.

1.2 Gone with the Wind and Feminism