Though, “Gone with the Wind” had Katie Scarlett O’Hara go through heartbreaks cause she was a strong headed young woman – which clearly is still the case for most strong headed women, even a century and a half later, – my heart goes out to Scarlett from the sequel (Scarlett, 1991 novel by Alexandra Ripley – which is a sequel written to Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel, Gone with the Wind).
Scarlett was always different, strong and intelligent. In a society that preferred women to act as dainty creatures who needed protection from their men (unfortunately it still is the case), Scarlett was aware that acting empty-headed was just a way of presenting an acceptable feminine facade and deeply resented the necessity of it all. In “Gone with the Wind” she is in a whirlwind of love and survival, whose divorce finally left her stronger than she was given credit for. Thus, in the sequel we see a mature Scarlett. She doesn’t care much about love anymore, though somewhere the romantic in her still lives – the realist has taken over. Making her, rather – as usual – cold heartedly, seek necessity and survival.
Sometimes I wonder how she would have fared in this century. If the novel was set in 2021, what would she do? I can’t help but wonder if she would be a single woman, owning her business? Printing and publishing maybe? If not a communication agency? What would she do? I can imagine her seated on her couch, sipping on single malt whiskey, eyes closed, listing to jazz, after a heavy day at work loaded with problem solving, – while her little dog sleeps, curled up next to her. Softly snoring.
ANTHROPOLOGY OF LOVE 