Gone with the Wind discussion

The book had a very unprecedented ending, though you can't really hope for it to have been any different, but what do you think eventually happened, did the two most loved characters get back together, or Rhett got on with his life without Scarlett?

My opinion changes every time I read the book, sometimes she gets him back next time she doesnt. Whatever i imagine in now way does it match that awful pretence of a sequel (Scarlet) I was so annoyed with that 'book' I threw it across the room (never treated a book before or after with such disrespect).
At the moment I think she gets him back!

Linda wrote: "My opinion changes every time I read the book, sometimes she gets him back next time she doesnt. Whatever i imagine in now way does it match that awful pretence of a sequel (Scarlet) I was so anno..."

Me too, I think afterall Rhett Butler did give a damn...

I remember my mother telling me years ago that she had come across an interview with Margaret Mitchell who, when asked that same question, said that her vision of GWTW did not have Rhett and Scarlett reuniting. However, she allowed that others were free to imagine the future as they wished.

Cynthia wrote: "I remember my mother telling me years ago that she had come across an interview with Margaret Mitchell who, when asked that same question, said that her vision of GWTW did not have Rhett and Scarle..."

Hey thanks for that :) I always wanted to know how she would have continued it.

I think they did get back together because Scarlett had finally changed, finally matured and could see Ashley and Rhett for who they really were. She was always in love with Rhett, but let her pride and stubborness get in the way.

Quite frankly...I don't give a damn!...but there was a sequel to GWTW written by Alexandra Ripley in 1991.And I think you'll find that Rhett & Scarlett get their act together.But whether Margaret Mitchell would have approved we can only speculate.I loved the book when I was much younger,& the film starred 3 English actors in the 4 main parts...as Vivien Leigh,Howard(Ashley Wilkes) & Olivia de Havilland (Melanie) were all well-trained thespians (Leslie Howard was at my school,Dulwich College in the 20s).Rhett Butler(Mr Gable) seemed so much more the primitive by comparison...& thus, would certainly have wanted to ring Scarlett's bell again,and again,methinks.

Jasleen wrote: "The book had a very unprecedented ending, though you can't really hope for it to have been any different, but what do you think eventually happened, did the two most loved characters get back toget..."

I think Rhett was done with her. (period)

There is a sequel by a different author. Ooops I see that has already been posted.

The sequel is worth reading if you are a huge Gone with the Wind fan.

When I first read it, at age twelve, I wanted them to get back together. But now, too many years later to disclose, I would like to see Scarlett continue to rise on her own.

I have to say I did not like the 'sequel', She quickly disposed of all the main characters, except Rhett and Scarlet. She had Scarlett running around Ireland, barefooted, like a peasant and aiding the IRA!!!

I think Rhett Butler was done with Scarlett and even over her at the end.after she finds out that she really loved Rhett all along she shifts her obsession of having and controlling someone from Ashley to Rhett,and by reading Rhett character I doubt he would have accepted to be controlled.first he was deeply hurt twice and second he said he feared for his liberty.
but it would've been so beautiful if they were reunited and I always wished the novel ends with a happily ever after ending.

Sahar wrote: "I think Rhett Butler was done with Scarlett and even over her at the end.after she finds out that she really loved Rhett all along she shifts her obsession of having and controlling someone from As..."

I completely agree. In the end when he is talking to her there seemed to be hope but then when she quotes Ashely I think that just killed it for him.

They could never really be 'together' because
1, Ashley will always be there since Scarlet aggreed to look after him and his son.
2, Scarlet is switching her controling obsession from Ashley to Rhett.
3, Rhett is changing and is no longer just like her, he wants to change and Scarlet is too wild and free now.
4, He was hurt much too deeply for to long to ever be able to trust her with his feelings.
5, the death of Bonnie will hang over their heads, when a child dies many parents end up breaking up after a while, they just can't take it.

However, I really wish deep in my heart that it was just one of Rhett's games and he is forcing Scarlett to chase after him since she only seems to value things she has to stuggle for (Tara, money, Ashley).

http://gwtwscrapbook.blogspot.com/201...

Some good info on Mitchell's thoughts...

Thanks for that Cynthia.

I think they had an ultimately doomed relationship, but they would have gotten back together, been miserable, fought like cats and dogs, broke up and hated each other, then repeated that process half a dozen times before realizing they were old and had wasted half their lives on one another before ending it for good.

Answer: I won't spoil it for you. Read "Scarlett" by Alexandra Ripley (the authorized sequel) for the answer to your question.

I think we should leave it alone. The ending is exactly as the author intended and should be left that way. I mean to say that we don't question her other plot line choices so why question the ending she chose?

the sequal sccarlett had me in hysterics .... and probably not because the author intended me to be .. however the book ( not a sequal more of a run alongside ) rhett butlers people was really quite good and i almost wished that that author had tried their hand at a sequel ....

i always wanted rhett to marry melanie anyway !!

Hannah wrote: "the sequal sccarlett had me in hysterics .... and probably not because the author intended me to be .. however the book ( not a sequal more of a run alongside ) rhett butlers people was really quit..."

I really didn't think Rhett Butler's People was good at all. But I am glad you enjoyed it.

For a different twist, you might try Alice Randall's "The Wind Done Gone". It got a lot of bad press but it isn't bad at all. It's just a bit irreverent to the original's purists and it has a couple twists that put Scarlett and Rhett Butler's People to shame in terms of creativity. Do add it to your "To Be Read" lists.

i liked it .. mind you i had just read the da vinci code so it may have been my brain sucumbing to the lesser of two evils !!!! may have to reread lol

Elesa wrote: "I think we should leave it alone. The ending is exactly as the author intended and should be left that way. I mean to say that we don't question her other plot line choices so why question the endi..."

Nobody's saying the ending should be any different, I mentioned the fact that it that can't be hoped to have been any different. The debate's all about if the story 'continued' what the fate of their love story would be.

I second those who felt the sequel by Alexandra Ripley, um, left a lot to be desired. The beginning was actually kind of good, including the moment when Rhett and Scarlett discuss the divorce, but the ending was much too rushed. I didn't mind the Irish angle until (view spoiler)[she actually moved to Ireland and tried to pretend she was a lady of the manor. (hide spoiler)]

As for the couple themselves, I don't see Rhett ever coming back to Scarlett. There's only so many chances a woman has with a man and Scarlett ruined every single one.

there is a sequel to the book it is called Scarlett it is not by the same author because of something but it is the sequel to gone with the wind so if you want to read it enjoy

AS a girl, I used to dream that they did indeed reunite, that he would see that she had changed and they would get their happy ending. As a grown woman, my opinion has changed. I think he means it when he says he is done. Love shouldn't have to be such hard work.

Perhaps (big perhaps!) if Rhett sees her mending the relationships with her children and the other people in her life she sacrificed to her selfishness and ambition, he might believe she was ready for a mature relationship with him.

It seems as if Rhett really was done with Scarlett by the end of the book. However, because Rhett hid his emotions (like his love for Scarlett) while acting nonchalant for so long, I don't think anyone can understand his exact feelings at that moment. Maybe he's just testing her (like he did so much throughout the book), to see if she really does want him and is seriously done with Ashley.

Also, the last sentence of the book leaves off at a hopeful note. Scarlett uses her motto "I’ll think of it all tomorrow, at Tara. I can stand it then...After all, tomorrow is another day." Throughout the book, when Scarlett tells herself these words, she gets over her obstacles. So maybe she will get Rhett to love her again. Scarlett mentions "Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back." Maybe she'll repair her relationships with her children and neighbors and show him that she isn't completely ruthless and won't take his love for granted again?
All we know for sure is that Scarlett isn't giving up anytime soon. She's so headstrong and self-willed, and she always gets what she wants. I don't think the Rhett-Scarlett relationship finishes after he leaves Atlanta. There's more to this story. *sigh* I can only hope.

Scarlett got what she deserved. Rhett leaving Scarlett was karmic justice being served on a platter. It was always my fantasy that Rhett found someone else he could love and moved on.

Although I agree with those of you who say that Rhett was truly done, I also have to agree with Rida - you can't count out Scarlett's determination. If she wants Rhett back, she'll find a way to get him.

Jasleen wrote: "Elesa wrote: "I think we should leave it alone. The ending is exactly as the author intended and should be left that way. I mean to say that we don't question her other plot line choices so why que..."

Oh. Ok I am sorry. Well of course if the author was still alive I think she should have continued with the story. :)

looking at their characters and with the assumption that their self opcessed personalities may never mature, then neither of them could be vissualised with each other permanetly or at least till they are just to god dam old to argue with each other any more. and even then, they would be two amazing clashing giant personalities always on their high horse with each other. they are the prime example of the saying " cant live with them and cant live without them".

Whatever Scarlett wants, Scarlett gets. She works for it and betrays anyone in her way, but she gets it eventually. She even got Ashley in the end, if she wanted him.

What I liked about Ripley's novel was how Scarlett matured. I don't know how Mitchell would have had Scarlett evolve or if she would have developed any redeeming qualities (don't get me wrong, I love Scarlett) But I think that would factor into whether Rhett would take her back, or if Scarlett would still want him back.

I don't think she ever really loved Ashley, she wanted what she wanted, it was about her. Perhaps an inking of maturity was her realizing that in the end of the novel.

Rhett really did love Scarlett, and can he ever really love someone with less fire? He could move on, but I think he would miss her spark forever.
Of course, no one is limited to one great love in their life.

http://www.amazon.com/Scarlett-Sequel...

There is a unauthorized sequel called "The Winds of Tara" that has a interesting twist to how Rhett and Scarlett's relationship turns out

Whatever you do, pass by "Scarlett" the authorized sequel. It's horrible. There's no depth to the characters and it's painful to get through.

I'm a romantic, so I wanted them back together. I didn't mind Scarlett because it satisfied my need for a sequel, even if some of the events were completely out of character for the, um, characters.

Although the sequel Scarlett was completely different from GWTW, I think it was exactly what was ment to happen. The characters were so different from the first book but thats how they needed to be in order for the relationship to work. If Mitchell had wrote the sequel they probably wouldn't have gotten back together because Scarlett wasn't ready for Rhett. She needed to grow up. Melanie was a great person but she would never have been able to handle Rhett: he was too much man for her and he would have been bored with her(like Anne). He loved Scarlett because she was like him and she could handle her own.

I didn't love Scarlett. There was just something off about it. I loved GWTW so much that is was hard to read another person writing it. She just had a different style or voice or something. I can't exactly put my finger on it.

Danielle, the writing was really poor. What bothered me the most was the author kept passing by great opportunities in the plot and chose to gloss over them with brief summaries. She did way more "telling" than "showing".

Its been so long since I've read it (probably 6 years or so) that all I remember was feeling disappointed. It wasn't GWTW and I'm not sure why they tried.

I know exactly how you feel.

I would've for sure hoped so.

The very fact that the ending of GWTW was ambiguous is what kept people thinking about it for decades. If it had been all tied up with a ribbon it never would have survived to become a classic. So, my opinion (which is of no consequence) is that Rhett had had enough. Once you burn out on someone, you can't go back. He had burned out on Scarlett, and was simply done. Done and done. Buh-bye. This was unfortunate for Scarlett, but that's the way it goes. Grow up, young Southern Belle!

I think that even if Scarlett gave her best enduring performance that truly showed that she loved him. I think too much would have happened for Rhett to be willing to fully give her his heart again. Maybe he could share her bed and company on occasion, but that is probably it.

Linda wrote: "I have to say I did not like the 'sequel', She quickly disposed of all the main characters, except Rhett and Scarlet. She had Scarlett running around Ireland, barefooted, like a peasant and aiding ..."

I know! The sequel was absolutely ridiculous!

A.H. wrote: "Answer: I won't spoil it for you. Read "Scarlett" by Alexandra Ripley (the authorized sequel) for the answer to your question."

That sequel should never have been authorized. The story was ridiculous and so far off track from who the original characters really were.

I think, if you look at any of the bits attached to Margaret Mitchell - she had no intent to reunite Scarlett and Rhett. Honestly - from little bits left over - I don't even think she liked Scarlett much - she is the embodiment of many of the "belles" in Atlanta, and while Scarlett does prove herself a survivor - she truly is rather vapid and very selfish.
I read the 'sequel' and found it heinous. There are some authors that just have one story in them that is ever released to the 'public'. And while that may leave readers feeling like there needs to be an "end" to neatly tie everything together - perhaps we were never meant to have more - because the one thing done exceedingly well in the story was the description of the devastation wrought on the south at the end of the war - and reconstruction of lives, of homes, of families was more important. And Scarlett had already done a fairly nice job of wreaking havoc in her family..

I don't believe a sequel would serve any purpose. Rhett and Scarlett are now different people, less exciting and appealing for a successful storyline. Scarlett is more grounded now, no longer the narcissistic, unattainable southern belle who appealed so strongly to Rhett, because he savored the excitement of the chase. She is now only a cruel reminder of their daughter's untimely death. Rhett's new found appeal to Scarlett, is perhaps based on him being unattainable! It would be boring to revisit that storyline. Let's leave this great classic alone, and allow everyone to figure out their own ending.

The Ripley sequel was crap. I worked in a bookstore the year it came out (shortly before the Xmas season, if I remember correctly) and our buyer went out her mind and ordered 400 copies for our store alone. We sold two and a half. The half being the copy someone bought, read and returned because "this wasn't how I imagined it." I think Mitchell's ending was the right one - the reader can decided for her/himself if Scarlett gets Rhett back. Personally, I don't think she does. Rhett wasted 12 years on Scarlett, hoping that she would eventually grow up, and she never really did.

I tried to read the sequel, Scarlett and I had to skip to the end, to see how it turned out.

It's been a long time since I read it, but I tend to agree with everyone who said that Rhett is Done. He'd taken all he was going to from Scarlett, and that was it. He could find someone with more maturity and the same fire as Scarlett, who could love him with passion to match his.