I've been re-reading Gone With The Wind ... a book that I absolutely adored as a young girl. I must've read it a dozen times in grade school. Between you and me and the LCD monitor you're looking at, when I read it way back then, I always imagined I had so much in common with Scarlet O'Hara. Sure, in retrospect, she's probably not a role model that any young woman should aspire to ... but if I'm being truthful, I wanted nothing more than to be (a slightly smarter) modern-day Scarlet.
But the years roll by ... it's probably been twenty years since the last time I picked it up. I mean, it was one of my favorites ... but common, the damned thing is over 1,000 pages! And reading it now ... wow. I'm almost ashamed to be seen reading it at all.
The racism in Gone With The Wind is mind numbing ... simply abysmal. I could give you examples that would curl your hair ... but, quite frankly, I'd be too ashamed to re-type any of them here. Sure, you have to put it in the context of the time it was written ... but even so, it was published in 1936 not 1836.
I also understand that most of it is written from the viewpoint of a Georgian plantation-owners daughter but it still requires you to believe the myth that all slaves were considered members of the family and well taken care of. We are told time and time again that they're a child-like race of people who were lost after the war and wanted nothing more than to loyally serve their masters until they died.
That's a lot to swallow ... and makes me wonder what my 12 year old self must've thought when I read this all those years ago. Honestly, I don't remember ever having a thought about anything other than desperately wanting a hoop skirt and a green flowered muslin dress and matching morocco slippers. See, I warned you I was like her, didn't I?
In any case ... years have gone by and I'm simply not the person I was years ago. I'm reading Gone with the Wind now ... at this point in my life ... and my number one question is ...
I mean, now a days women don't go around fainting every time they get bad news ... or good news ... or walk up a flight of stairs. It's ridiculous! Was there a dangerous lack of oxygen in the atmosphere during the 1860's? Even Scarlet O'Hara, who is supposed to be the brave, fearless heroine of this book is always wishing she had smelling salts on her. Do they even sell smelling salts anymore?
All I know is that I've had a lot of bad news lately ... and according to the world of Gone With The Wind, I should've fainted at least a half dozen times in the last month. Somebody owes me some fainting, damnit ... and the next time I get bad news, I'm going teats up ...
And speaking of all that ... it's Friday. Three more days until our Monday appointment with the oncologist. We're supposed to get (my ex-husband) in the office 20 minutes early so he can fill out paperwork. It seems like such a long road we're on. But, hey ... if Scarlet O'Hara can fight the Yankees ... surely we can do just as well against all this, right?
Makes me feel right at home
Well now I dig you Georgia peaches
Makes me feel right at home
But I don't love me no one woman
So I can't stay in Georgia long
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Call Me The Breeze
