The noble women in GWTW
"It’s always annoying to the godly when the ungodly flourish like the green bay tree" (Mitchell 1180)
In the novel, Mitchell shapes a variety of different characters. There are types like Scarlett O’Hara or Rhett Butler who stand out because of their strong will to fight after their life has been changed by their environment, whether it is being disowned and thrown out of the family like Rhett, or war and other strong deprivations in life. Alongside the strong characters are also those referred to as rather weak personalities by the readers (Taylor 110), because they cannot easily adapt to the changes in their lives. Considering only the female characters in the novel, two women come into mind who are deemed as …show more content…
Women are supposed to stay in the private domain where they would give birth to children and educate them in proper behavior, like it was explained earlier through depicting noble women. In order for the gender and racial hierarchy to work, both parties are required to stay in their own sphere. On the one hand there is therefore the private sphere of the women, which is composed of "femininity, beauty, simplicity" and most of all "submissiveness" (Brown 759). Brown also states that the highest roles women are permitted to acquire are those of the "nurturing mother" and the "dutiful wife" (Brown 760). In Gone with the Wind, this matches the description of Ellen O’Hara’s life, who dedicates herself entirely to her husband, aspiring to bless him daily with her great mindfulness, and her children, who she tries to conform to social norms in order to successfully convert them into real Southern belles. Even after many years of matrimony she still refers to her husband as Mr. O’Hara and never calls him by his Christian name. Hence, she fulfills the ideal of a woman who stays in her assigned space. The male sphere, which takes places in the public area, is also clearly defined as he is supposed to be providing for his family and taking care of business, while his wife is at home due to the "unwritten contract between men and women" (Brown 759). In the antebellum era, Southern society dictates that women need to be under protection of a male, namely first under her father's, then her husband’s, her brother’s and her son’s. A woman is neither allowed to own property, unless it is inherited, nor to vote, as everything which is categorized to be in the public sphere is her husband’s business. Brown quotes Sir William Blackstone in her journal article, who says in his legal book that a husband and wife become one person
"It’s always annoying to the godly when the ungodly flourish like the green bay tree" (Mitchell 1180)
In the novel, Mitchell shapes a variety of different characters. There are types like Scarlett O’Hara or Rhett Butler who stand out because of their strong will to fight after their life has been changed by their environment, whether it is being disowned and thrown out of the family like Rhett, or war and other strong deprivations in life. Alongside the strong characters are also those referred to as rather weak personalities by the readers (Taylor 110), because they cannot easily adapt to the changes in their lives. Considering only the female characters in the novel, two women come into mind who are deemed as …show more content…
Women are supposed to stay in the private domain where they would give birth to children and educate them in proper behavior, like it was explained earlier through depicting noble women. In order for the gender and racial hierarchy to work, both parties are required to stay in their own sphere. On the one hand there is therefore the private sphere of the women, which is composed of "femininity, beauty, simplicity" and most of all "submissiveness" (Brown 759). Brown also states that the highest roles women are permitted to acquire are those of the "nurturing mother" and the "dutiful wife" (Brown 760). In Gone with the Wind, this matches the description of Ellen O’Hara’s life, who dedicates herself entirely to her husband, aspiring to bless him daily with her great mindfulness, and her children, who she tries to conform to social norms in order to successfully convert them into real Southern belles. Even after many years of matrimony she still refers to her husband as Mr. O’Hara and never calls him by his Christian name. Hence, she fulfills the ideal of a woman who stays in her assigned space. The male sphere, which takes places in the public area, is also clearly defined as he is supposed to be providing for his family and taking care of business, while his wife is at home due to the "unwritten contract between men and women" (Brown 759). In the antebellum era, Southern society dictates that women need to be under protection of a male, namely first under her father's, then her husband’s, her brother’s and her son’s. A woman is neither allowed to own property, unless it is inherited, nor to vote, as everything which is categorized to be in the public sphere is her husband’s business. Brown quotes Sir William Blackstone in her journal article, who says in his legal book that a husband and wife become one person