Gone With the Wind – The Class Society

Lincoln, the American president, is praised greatly because he has brought about the US Civil War which alleviated the discrimination problems. Black slaves were emancipated. A better and more harmonious living condition was provided. But maybe it is only the case for the Northerners. In the film Gone With the Wind, the screenwriter Sidney Howard successfully adapts Margaret Mitchell’s novel and portrays  the Southern society, through  the eyes of a Southerner. There is a great contrast between the condition of the South before and after the Civil War. Almost everything changes, leaving the pride of the Southerners. In this essay, I am going to discuss the class society portrayed  in this movie.

The South is inferior before the Civil War. The leading actress is in the superior class. Parties are held and proper manners should be maintained. As Nelly says, a lady should not eat too much in front of others. Of course Scarlett does not care about the table manners. But Nelly’s notion reflects the mind of the majority at that time. As a member of the highest class, manners should be strict. For the gentlemen, pride fills their heads. They believe that they will surely win the war because of their power as gentlemen! But they are far worse than the Northerners in all fields, except their pride. When the Southerners begin to lose the war, the Southerners can hardly believe it. In order to save their belongings, or better say their pride, they leave for the South after the army has surrendered. But they lose. They are so proud because they think that they are superior. Before the Civil War, the notion of class is rigid. After the civil war, their status is degraded. But their pride still remains.

The Southerners, or even the writer, still hold the pride after the war. The movie portrays  the serious destruction by the Northerners. The whole society is interrupted by the Northern army. Scarlett’s home Tara is in chaos. Later, the northern government imposes a heavy tax on the southerners. All these show the negative viewpoints towards the North. Although they live harshly, the southerners are still proud of being  well mannered. They still reject a southerner  making  money from the northerner. When Scarlett is involved in a riot, her husband and friends determine to crush the rebels, and this is believed as the job of a gentleman to protect women. Pride is greatly shown. The policemen resent their behaviour as they believe in the law. Private punishment is illegal. But the southerners have adopted it for a long time. They can do what they want with  the slaves. The image of a class society is obviously shown, with the pride and arrogance of the southerners

We can easily find a movie about the harshness towards  the blacks by the whites. However, Gone With the Wind describes a harmonious relation between the slaves and the masters. From the very beginning, the Black Belly shouts at Scarlett and she is always rude to her. But she still gets respect from the master. The same situation happens in Scarlett’s neighbours. Even in the wartime, Scarlett also cares about her black servants. In the riot Scarlett experiences, it is her old slave who saves her and this shows a very good relationship between Scarlett and him. As Ashley says, they will not treat the slaves too harshly, but the prisoners will suffer greatly if they are hired to work in factories. Gone With the Wind tries to portray a class society with southerners’ pride. But the southerners are so wise and kind that they know how to use their power properly. They treat their slaves reasonably. Black slaves, if they are diligent, can surely get the respect from others. So the class society described is very complicated.

All in all, Gone With the Wind portrays  the society of the South before and after the US Civil War. It gives great sympathy on the southerners. On the one hand, it shows the brutality of the Yankees. On the other hand, it also condemns the pride of the southerners. But overall, the movie praises the south for the way  it treats the Blacks. That is also the idea of the novel. Class society is greatly portrayed but it is warm. Although it may not be the real condition, I believe that the success is largely due to the great description of that sophisticated society!