Summary of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1936)
Summary of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1936) — one of the greatest romantic epics in American literature
Overview
Gone with the Wind is set in the American South during the Civil War (1861–1865) and the Reconstruction era that followed. It tells the story of Scarlett O’Hara, a strong-willed Southern woman, whose love, loss, and determination mirror the fall and transformation of the Old South itself.
Detailed Summary
1. Scarlett O’Hara and Tara
Scarlett O’Hara lives at Tara, her family’s plantation in Georgia. She is beautiful, vain, and spoiled — admired by many men. She is in love with Ashley Wilkes, a gentle and honorable man, but he is engaged to his cousin Melanie Hamilton, a kind and selfless woman.
When Ashley marries Melanie, Scarlett, out of spite, hastily marries Melanie’s brother Charles Hamilton, though she doesn’t love him.
2. The Civil War Begins
Shortly after, Charles dies of illness in the war, leaving Scarlett a young widow with a child. She moves to Atlanta to live with Melanie and her Aunt Pittypat.
There she meets Rhett Butler, a charming, cynical, and wealthy blockade runner. Rhett is fascinated by Scarlett’s beauty, pride, and ruthlessness — and the two begin a tense, flirtatious friendship.
As the war worsens, Atlanta becomes a dangerous battleground. Scarlett helps Melanie give birth during the city’s fall and bravely escapes with her back to Tara, which has been ravaged by war.
3. Survival at Tara
Back at Tara, Scarlett finds her home in ruins. Her mother has died, her father is broken, and the family is starving. Showing fierce determination, Scarlett vows:
“As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again.”
She becomes hardened by survival, doing anything necessary — including marrying for money — to save her family and land4. Marriages and Ambition
Scarlett marries Frank Kennedy, her sister’s fiancé, purely for financial security, and uses his money to rebuild Tara and start a successful lumber business.
Despite being married, she continues to be drawn to Rhett Butler, who admires her ambition and strength. Eventually, after Frank dies, Scarlett marries Rhett for both love and wealth.
They have a daughter, Bonnie Blue Butler, who becomes the light of Rhett’s life.
5. Loss and Realization
Their marriage, however, is strained — Scarlett still clings to her fantasy of loving Ashley, while Rhett’s love for her turns to bitterness as he realizes she will never return his affection fully.
Tragedy strikes when Bonnie dies in a riding accident, devastating Rhett and deepening their emotional distance.
Only after Melanie dies does Scarlett realize that it was Rhett — not Ashley — whom she truly loves.
6. The Famous Ending
Scarlett rushes home to tell Rhett, but it is too late. Exhausted and heartbroken, Rhett tells her:
“My dear, I don’t give a damn.”
He leaves her, unable to bear the pain any longer.
Yet Scarlett refuses to give up, believing she can win him back one day. The novel ends with her defiant words:
“After all, tomorrow is another day.”
Gone with the Wind is not only a tragic love story between Scarlett and Rhett but also a sweeping portrait of a society destroyed and reborn. Scarlett O’Hara remains one of literature’s most vivid heroines — flawed, proud, but fiercely alive.
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