Tomorrow Is Another Day

【Abstract】It is generally acknowledged that Scarlett O’Hara， the protagonist in Gone with the Wind， is also a heroine in feminism. She represents progress and relocation on female's social status.

【Key worlds】 Scarlett，feminism，love，Le Deuxieme Sexe

Gone with the wind，written by Margaret Mitchell has been prevalent for many years. An important element of the story’s popularity is Scarlett O’Hara， the outstanding heroine who is full of conflicting and complicated features. She longs for love from Ashley， tosses and turns at night， and she is even brave enough to propose a marriage first which is still hard for nowadays' female. I think Rhett Butler's words after Scarlett threw a tantrum described the Ashely and Scarlett clearly ，accurately and delicately.

"Sir， you are no gentleman， and you， miss， are no lady."

what indeed makes her such a person？ Decent life makes Scarlett capricious， arrogant and egoistic. Scarlett's blended the delicate features of her mother， a Coast aristocrat of French decent， and the heavy ones of her florid Irish father. Her disposition followed his father as well， straightforward， informal， grumpy and brave. She is material， simple and practical. Before the Civil War， spoiled and beautiful， Scarlett is a princess. During the war， Scarlett enjoys pleasures of being one who lives by herself. She becomes shrewd， strong and greedy， and haggles over every ounce. She showsa virtue of perseverance. However， war leaves her nothing. Scarlett rebels against destiny bravely. She is brave， strong-minded， and optimistic， all of which supports her to get through the hardship. She wants to be rich and covets money from Rhett. She used her mother’s curtain and changed it into dresses to visit Rhett.

’I must marry to him，’ she thought coldly，’ I will never worry the money.’

Meanwhile， she is also a woman who dares to break the convention. She took part in parties and dances wearing beautiful dress after her husband death； she also drunk and started business at that time， being shrewd， selfish and hardhearted as a businessman should be. Moreover， although Ashley had married Melanie and she had her own family， she still told him how deep she fancied him ，which I think is kind of seduction. In a word， she is the mixture of angles and demons. At last she knew she loved Rhett. But it might be too late， Rhett was too tired of loving her. Certainly， it was not like her to give up and she comforted herself at last.

"I'll think of it all tomorrow， at Tara. I can't stand it then. Tomorrow， I'll think of some way to get him back. After all. Tomorrow is another day."

Based on this， I think Sarlett sort of fight against the status of female presented in Simone de Beauvoir’s Le Deuxieme Sexe that women are “passive beings”. In Le Deuxieme Sexe， Simone holds the view that female plays a passive role waiting to be rescued by male.

“她得知必须被爱， 才能快乐；而要被爱， 她必须等候爱之光临。”

However， Scarlett is always busy pursuing love. It is her who plays an active role to find love. Simone claimed， marriage， is a task assigned by traditional society.

“婚姻， 是传统社会指派给女人的命运。”

Scarlett used to experience three marriages. It is her to be the one who choosees， and as if she wants， she can get married.

To sum up， Scatlett in Gone with The Wind is a complicated but vivid role to present America after civil war and reveals a progressive spirit to be a leader in life and society.

References：

[1]Gone with the Wind， Margaret Mitchell. [M].中国出版集团，中国对外翻译出版公司，2012.

[2]西蒙·波娃.第二性[M].桑竹影， 南珊， 译.长沙： 湖南文艺出版社， 1986.

[3]马格丽泰·密西尔.飘[M].傅东华， 译.浙江： 浙江文艺出版社， 1988.

[4]杨玉珍.论〈飘〉的女性意识[J].吉首大学学报， 1994（3） ： 79.