Gone with the Wind: Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Summary: The O'Hara Family finally arrives at Twelve Oaks for the Barbecue and Scarlett steals all the male attention with a flash of her smile.  Before she gets too far from the carriage, Scarlett sees Rhett Butler for the very first time and is immediately filled with conflicting emotions.  She is unable to get a moment alone with Ashley, during the barbecue, as he is completely monopolized by Miss Melanie.  There's a standoff between Gerald and John Wilkes as they discuss the possibility of war.  An old man tells everyone the truth about war from his own experience and Rhett Butler lays down the truth of the impending war.  Then whilst all the ladies are retiring for a nap, Scarlett launches her plan to capture Ashley's affection before it's too late.  She is unsuccessful in her attempt and her failure is witnessed by Rhett Butler.  Her pride forces her upstairs to pretend like nothing has happened, but she overhears Honey Wilkes and Melanie talking about her.  Honey is cruel and the Tarleton girls join in on the humiliation.  Only Melanie is above the pettiness of the others and comes to Scarlett's defense. In the meantime, war has officially come to Georgia and Charles Hamilton professes his love for Scarlett.  She accepts his proposal of marriage.

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KatieBug's Response: I think the most important thing in this chapter is the fact that Ashley doesn't have eyes for anyone but Melanie at the Barbecue.  He greets Scarlett but never leaves Melanie's side and Scarlett is very annoyed that all her carrying-on with the men doesn't even warrant a sideways glance from her beloved.  I also feel like Mitchell keeps making an big deal out of Rhett Butler seeing right through Scarlett.  In the hall, when she first sees him, she feels like he "knows what she looks like without her shimmy."  Then at the picnic, when she's desperately trying to catch Ashley's attention, Rhett seems to find humor in her distress even though everyone else thinks she is the Belle of the Barbecue.  I found it incredibly interesting that Scarlett's desire to accept Charles' marriage proposal stems from her spitefulness and desire to cause pain to Honey Wilkes and Melanie as well as the Tarleton girls for their catty conversation.  Her only reason to cause Melanie pain is that she is taking Ashley away from her.  It literally has nothing to do with making Ashley jealous anymore, it's all about her own pride and her ability to inflict the most damage to her enemies in one fell stroke.