Thursday, May 19, 2011

Gone With the Wind: Chapter 4

Summary Chapter 4: Ellen returns from the Slattery's house with bad news and tired eyes. The family pays little attention to her needs as they inundate her with the details and worries of their own lives. While reflecting on the saintliness of her mother, during the household's nightly prayers, Scarlett hatches a brilliant scheme to win Ashley away from Melanie. Before heading to bed for the evening, Scarlett overhears a conversation between her parents where her mother insists Jonas Wilkerson be dismissed from his post as overseer on Tara due to his being responsible for Emmie Slattery's ill-fated pregnancy. Despite the severity of this information, Scarlett is only able to think about her impending elopement with Ashley as she goes to sleep.
from http://www.cornel1801.com/1/g/GONE_WITH_THE_WIND/1_online_pictures_quotes.html

KatieBug's Response: In this chapter we see that Scarlett idolizes her mother and aspires to one day be like her, but not just yet. She even compares her mother with the Virgin Mary, telling us that she once believed her mother was one in the same. Ellen seems to take care of everyone in the household, from the slaves to her family. She balances the books, tends to the sick, mediates between the children, and listens to her husband's thoughts. Ellen O'Hara is the very heart of this family and plantation; sending out life-giving support and attention to everyone around her.
This also follows very closely with the movie. Scarlett gets the idea to win Ashley while in prayer with her family and it seems like a missive from God. A few things are switched around, like Ellen telling Mr. O'Hara to fire Jonas Wilkerson. This happens in the O'Hara's Bedroom, after prayers, instead of in the Study and without a word to Wilkerson on the way in the house, and Scarlett over hears the conversation, whereas in the movie I believe the audience is the only witness.

SammiDrake's Response: I'm having a bit of difficulty following dialogue when the slaves speak - but I mostly got the gist of this chapter. Scarlett's plotting a way to keep Ashley and, in all honesty, sounds a bit childish in her plot, really showing her age of sixteen. I anticipate that this only sets the stage to show how much she grows over the course of the novel. Or at least I hope so, I don't know that I can take 800 more pages of this prattling.

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