Valentine's Week
Today we'll peek at Margaret Mitchell's award winning characters: Scarlett O'hara, Rhett Butler, and the beloved Ashley from her novel, Gone with the Wind.
We'll see how romance does not come in a one size fits all category yet still can thrill the reader.
Mitchell wove Scarlett's love for Ashley throughout her book. Scarlett could have had the love from any man in her town. Her seventeen inch waist accented a beauty unmatched by any other girl and her spirited personality enticed every male to become the victor in marriage. When she discovered Ashley had proposed to Melanie, Scarlett's raging jealousy flared. "Oh Ashley I love you. Tell me you love me." Would Ashley leave Melanie for Scarlett? We wonder and perhaps hope to the very last scene.
Ashley loved Scarlett but married Melanie
It doesn't take long to realize Ashley's "love" for Scarlett is lust. His honor forces him to remain true to Melanie, yet he finds himself alone with Scarlett and caught in her lustful snare several times. Mitchell didn't need intimate bedroom scenes to paint a driving love scene. The characters drove the point with passionate conversations.
Despite Rhett's shady past, he found himself genuinely in love with Scarlett. "You need kissing badly." He determined to take care of her since no one else could. Rhett coped with Scarlett's lack of love for him, but he wouldn't accept her constant desire for Ashley.
In the end...
Scarlett sobs as Rhett tells her he is leaving. She gazes at his determined face and begs for him to stay. "I only know that I love you." Scarlett follows him to the door. "Rhett, Rhett. Where shall I go? What shall I do?" As Rhett walks away Scarlett sobs, "I can't let him go. There must be some way to bring him back." Will she?
Mitchell painted love with different colors drawing readers into the harsh realities found in American history. Now that's a history lesson!
Are you painting love with different colors in your writings?
This discussion makes me think of God's love for us. His love is genuine, never wavering, always true.
Romantic love is thrilling to read
and hopefully experience;
God's love is a blessing to receive
It will never leave.
