Scarlett O'Hara (full name Katie Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler) of French-Irish ancestry is the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and in the later film of the same name. She also is the main character in the 1970 musical Scarlett and the 1991 book Scarlett, a sequel to Gone with the Wind that was written by Alexandra Ripley and adapted for a television mini-series in 1994. Image File history File links Vivien-Leigh_publicity_still_Gone-with-the-Wind. ... Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier (November 5, 1913 – July 8, 1967) was a two-time Academy Award winning English actress. ... For the film, see Gone with the Wind (film). ... For the Canadian politician, see Margaret Mitchell (Canadian politician); for the Scottish politician, see Margaret Mitchell (Scottish politician). ... Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier (November 5, 1913 – July 8, 1967) was a two-time Academy Award winning English actress. ... Joanne Whalley (born August 25, 1964 ) ) is a British actress. ... There are several people named Charles Hamilton: Charles Hamilton (1876-1961) was a writer whose pen name was Frank Richards Charles Hamilton (1767-1849) was a governor of the colony of Newfoundland Charles V. Hamilton (1929-) was a political science professor and co-authored the book Black Power Charles A... Rhett Butler is the handsome, dashing hero of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. ... A protagonist is the main figure of a piece of literature or drama and has the main part or role. ... For the Canadian politician, see Margaret Mitchell (Canadian politician); for the Scottish politician, see Margaret Mitchell (Scottish politician). ... For the film, see Gone with the Wind (film). ... Gone with the Wind is a 1939 film adapted from Margaret Mitchells 1936 novel of the same name. ... Scarlett is a musical with a score by Harold Rome. ... Scarlett is a novel written in 1991 by Alexandra Ripley as a sequel to Margaret Mitchells Gone with the Wind. ... Alexandra Ripley, née Braid (January 8, 1934 - January 10, 2004) was a U.S. writer best known as the author of Scarlett (1991), the sequel to Gone With the Wind. ... A miniseries, in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ...

Character development

Scarlett O'Hara may not be beautiful, as indicated by Margaret Mitchell's opening line, but she is a charming Southern belle who grows up on the Georgia plantation of Tara in the years before the American Civil War. Scarlett is described as being sixteen years old at the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861, which would put her approximate birth date in 1844 or early 1845. She is the oldest of three daughters born to Irish-born plantation owner Gerald O'Hara and his wife Ellen, a French-born woman, daughter of an aristocrat. She has two younger sisters, Susan Elinor ("Suellen") and Caroline Irene ("Careen"). Her mother also gave birth to three younger sons, all named Gerald Jr. who all died as infants. A southern belle (derived from the French belle, beautiful is an archetype for a young woman of the American Old Souths antebellum upper class. ... Fundamentally, a plantation is usually a large farm or estate, especially in a tropical or semitropical country, on which cotton, tobacco, coffee, sugar cane, or trees and the like is cultivated, usually by resident laborers. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total...

Selfish, shrewd and vain, Scarlett inherits the strong will of her Irish father Gerald O'Hara, but also desires to please her well-bred, gentle French American mother Ellen Robillard, from a good and well respected Savannah, Georgia family. Scarlett also has two younger sisters—the lazy and whiny Suellen (Susan Elinor), and the gentle and kind Carreen (Caroline Irene). Scarlett loves Ashley Wilkes, her aristocratic neighbor, but when his engagement to meek and mild-mannered Melanie Hamilton is announced, she marries Melanie's brother Charles Hamilton, out of spite. Her new husband dies early in the war, and Tara falls into the marauding hands of the Yankees. A French American or Franco-American is a citizen of the United States of America of French descent and heritage. ... This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedias quality standards. ... Ashley Wilkes is a fictional character in the Margaret Mitchells 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and the later film of the same name. ... Aristocracy is a form of government in which rulership is in the hands of an upper class known as aristocrats. ... Melanie Hamilton-Wilkes is a fictional character first appearing in the novel Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. ...

In the face of hardship, the spoiled Scarlett uncharacteristically shoulders the troubles of her family and friends, and eventually the not-so-grieving widow marries her sister's beau, Frank Kennedy, in order to get funds to pay the taxes on and save her family's beloved home. The development of Scarlett's character into a woman who is capable of incredible, unforeseen fortitude when she is cornered, in times of crisis, is shown in her resourceful nature, and her devotion to her family during the most violent time in American history.

Her practical nature and willingness to step on anyone who doesn't have her family's best interests at heart, including her own sister, is despicable, yet admirable. For example, it is important to note that Scarlett had very good reason to feel that her sister, every bit as selfish as she, but without her complete devotion to the family home, would marry into money and turn her back on "the only thing that matters." In her mind, and the circumstances appear to support her thinking, there simply was no choice if they were to keep Tara. It simply had to be done. She had to steal and marry Frank Kennedy herself. And yet, what people hate most about her literally enabled her to save the family.

One of the most richly developed female characters of the time on film and in literature, she repeatedly challenges the prescribed women's roles of her time. As a result, she becomes very disliked by the people of Atlanta, Georgia. Scarlett's ongoing internal conflict between her feelings for the Southern gentleman Ashley and her attraction to the sardonic, opportunistic Rhett Butler—who becomes her third husband—embodies the general position of The South in the Civil War era. A bagpiper in Scottish military clan-uniform. ... Atlanta redirects here. ... For other uses, see Conflict (disambiguation) In political terms, conflict refers to an ongoing state of hostility between two or more groups of people. ... Rhett Butler is the handsome, dashing hero of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. ... Motto Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God, Our Vindicator) Anthem (none official) God Save the South (unofficial) The Bonnie Blue Flag (unofficial) Dixie (unofficial) Capital Montgomery, Alabama (until May 29, 1861) Richmond, Virginia (May 29, 1861–April 2, 1865) Danville, Virginia (from April 3, 1865) Language(s) English (de facto) Religion... An era is a long period of time with different technical and colloquial meanings, and usages in language. ...

Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley is controversial to fans. Scarlett grows up over the course of the book, and while this is appealing and believable to some readers, others claim it cheapens the original novel and film and compromises her character. Scarlett and Rhett make love one night and create another child, Katie "Cat" Colum O'Hara. Rhett does not know about Cat until four years after she was born. Either way, Scarlett was a runaway best-seller after its publication in 1991.^{[citation needed]}

Searching for Scarlett

In the 1939 film version of Gone with the Wind, Scarlett O'Hara is similar to the character in the original novel, but there are some noticeable differences. In the book, Scarlett gives birth to three children: Wade Hampton Hamilton, Ella Lorena Kennedy, and Eugenie Victoria "Bonnie" Butler. In the film version, only Bonnie is featured. In the sequel book, she has another daughter with Rhett, Katie "Cat".

While the studio and the public agreed that the part of Rhett Butler should go to Clark Gable (except for Clark Gable himself), casting for the role of Scarlett was a little harder. The search for an actress to play Scarlett in the film version of the novel famously drew the biggest names in the history of cinema, such as Bette Davis (whose casting as a Southern belle in Jezebel in 1937 took her out of contention), and Katharine Hepburn, who went so far as demanding an appointment with producer David O. Selznick and saying, "I am Scarlett O'Hara! The role is practically written for me." David replied rather bluntly, "I can't imagine Rhett Butler chasing you for ten years." Jean Arthur and Lucille Ball were also considered. Susan Hayward was "discovered" when she tested for the part, and the career of Lana Turner developed quickly after her screen test. Joan Bennett was widely considered to be the most likely choice until she was supplanted by Paulette Goddard. William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901 – November 16, 1960) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... For the singer, see Betty Davis, for the meteorologist, see Betty Davis (meteorologist). ... Jezebel is an American film drama released in 1938 and directed by William Wyler. ... It has been suggested that Tom Hepburn be merged into this article or section. ... David O. Selznick David Oliver Selznick (May 10, 1902–June 22, 1965), was one of the icon Hollywood producers of the Golden Age. ... Jean Arthur (October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991) was an Oscar-nominated American actress and a major film star of the 1930s and 1940s. ... Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an iconic American comedian, actress and star of the landmark sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, and Heres Lucy. ... For other persons named Hayward, see Hayward (disambiguation). ... Lana Turner (February 8, 1921 – June 29, 1995) was an Academy award-nominated American film actress. ... Joan Bennett on the December, 1945 issue of Movie Story Magazine Joan Geraldine Bennett (February 27, 1910 – December 7, 1990) was an American film actress who also achieved success later in life as a television actress. ... Paulette Goddard (June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990),[1] an Oscar-nominated American film and theatre actress. ...

The young English actress Vivien Leigh, virtually unknown in America, saw that several English actors, including Ronald Colman and Leslie Howard, were in consideration for the male leads in Gone with the Wind. Her agent happened to be the London representative of the Myron Selznick talent agency, headed by David Selznick's brother, a co-owner of Selznick International Pictures. Leigh asked her agent to put her name into consideration as Scarlett on the eve of the American release of her picture Fire Over England in February 1938. David Selznick watched both Fire Over England and her most recent picture, A Yank at Oxford, that month, and from that time onward, Leigh had the inside track for the role of Scarlett. Selznick began highly confidential negotiations with Alexander Korda, to whom Leigh was under contract, for her services later that year. Leigh was informed of Selznick's interest, and told that she would not need to screen test for the role at present as he would view her movies. Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier (November 5, 1913 – July 8, 1967) was a two-time Academy Award winning English actress. ... Ronald Colman (February 9, 1891 – May 19, 1958) was an Oscar-winning English actor. ... Leslie Howard (April 3, 1893 - June 1, 1943) was an English stage and Academy Award nominated film actor. ... Myron Selznick (October 5, 1898 – March 23, 1944) was an American film producer and talent agent. ... Selznick International Pictures was a Hollywood motion picture studio, founded in 1935 by producer David O. Selznick and investor John Hay Whitney. ... Fire Over England is a 1937 film drama produced by London Film Productions. ... A Yank at Oxford is a 1938 film drama produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. ... Sir Alexander Korda (September 16, 1893 - January 23, 1956) was a film director and producer, a leading figure in the British film industry and the founder of London Films. ...

For publicity purposes, David Selznick arranged to first meet Leigh on the night in December 1938 when the burning of the Atlanta Depot was being filmed on the Forty Acres backlot that Selznick International and RKO shared. The story was invented for the press that Leigh and Laurence Olivier were just visiting as guests of Myron Selznick, who was also Olivier's agent, and that Leigh was in Hollywood hoping for a part in Olivier's current movie, Wuthering Heights. In a letter to Selznick's wife two days later, he admitted that Leigh was "the Scarlett dark horse," and after a series of screen tests, her casting was announced on January 13, 1939. Just before the shooting of the film, Selznick informed Ed Sullivan: "Scarlett O'Hara's parents were French and Irish. Identically, Miss Leigh's parents are French and Irish."^[1] A 1965 aerial view of the back forty. Other names used were 40 acres and Pathe 40 Acre Ranch. ... This article is about the film production company. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other persons named Edward Sullivan, see Edward Sullivan (disambiguation). ...

In any case, Leigh was cast—despite public protest that the role was too "American" for an English actress—and Leigh eventually won an Academy Award for her performance. Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ...

In the 1994 TV mini-series based on the sequel Scarlett, the character was played by English actress Joanne Whalley. This TV miniseries Scarlett was filmed at 53 locations in the United States and abroad. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Joanne Whalley (born August 25, 1964 ) ) is a British actress. ...

Characteristics

Part of Scarlett's enduring charm for women is her proto-feminism and strength, though recent critics have pointed out that many events in the novel are degrading to women. There is Rhett's ravishing of Scarlett (after which Scarlett is shown to have enjoyed herself immensely), Scarlett's apparent need of a man to be happy (whether it's Ashley Wilkes or Rhett Butler), and Melanie's sweet but submissive character (who is much adored by everyone).

However, there have been many defenses for this. First of all, Melanie is not offensive to women, she is simply a more traditional character - though she is able of equal determination as Scarlett is (see the scene in Tara when Scarlett kills a Northern soldier looting the house ; Melanie helps Scarlett to hide the corpse). Many believe the 'rape scene' quickly becomes consensual (this theory is backed by the novel Scarlett, although it was not written by Mitchell). And again, Scarlett is an individual character, and her need for a man should not be interpreted as universal. (Indeed, her three marriages obviously have ulterior motive, whether these motives are to upset and startle those around her, such as the Hamilton marriage, or for financial security and betterment, for which Scarlett married both Kennedy and Butler.)

Scarlett is by far the most developed character in Gone with the Wind^{[citation needed]}. She stands out because she is strong and saves her family but is incredibly selfish and petty at the same time. She challenges nineteenth-century society's gender roles repeatedly, running a store and two lumber mills at one point. Scarlett is in some ways the least stereotypically feminine of women (in other ways the most), and the more traditional Melanie Wilkes is in many ways her foil. But Scarlett survives the war, several marriages, the birth of children, and even a miscarriage. Melanie, on the other hand, struggles with fragile health and a shy nature. Without Melanie Wilkes, Scarlett might simply be seen as harsh and "over the top," but beside Melanie, Scarlett presents a fresher, deeper female characterization; she lives a complicated life during a difficult period of history.

Some of Scarlett's lines from Gone with the Wind, like "Fiddle-dee-dee!," "Tomorrow is another day," "Great balls of fire!" and "I'll never be hungry again!", have become modern catchphrases.

Similarities between Scarlett and the actress who played her (Vivien Leigh) are striking:

• Both had strong career ambitions, and wanted little to do with motherhood. Both swore they would never again have a child.
• Scarlett's father was Irish, and her mother was French. Leigh's mother was Irish and father was French.^[2]
• Both Scarlett and Leigh were famed for their appearance, their heart-shaped faces, their unusual eyes, and petite body proportions.
• Both were reputed to be "difficult" in relationships.

Historical sources for the character

While Margaret Mitchell used to say that her Gone with The Wind characters were not based on real people, modern researchers have found similarities to some of the people in Mitchell's own life as well as individuals she heard of. Rhett Butler is thought to be based on Mitchell's first husband, Red Upshaw, who reportedly raped her during their brief marriage. Scarlett's upbringing resembled that of Mitchell's maternal grandmother, Annie Fitzgerald Stephens, who was raised on a plantation in Clayton County, Georgia (where the fictional Tara was placed), and whose father was an Irish immigrant. Another source for Scarlett might have been Martha Bulloch, the mother of US president Theodore Roosevelt. Like the fictional "Tara," Martha grew up in a beautiful southern mansion, Bulloch Hall, just north of Atlanta, Georgia. Her physical appearance, beauty, grace, intelligence were well known to Mitchell and the personality similarities (the positive ones) between Martha, who was also called Mittie, and Scarlett were striking. Some say that some of Scarlett's plotting and scheming aspects might have been drawn from Martha Bulloch Roosevelt's beautiful and vivacious, independently wealthy and grandparent-spoiled, rebellious and attention-seeking granddaughter, Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Clayton County is a county located in the state of Georgia. ... Martha Bulloch age 22 - Was She the inspiration for the Scarlett OHara character? Martha Bulloch Roosevelt (July 8, 1835 – February 14, 1884) was the mother of US President Theodore Roosevelt and the paternal grandmother of Eleanor Roosevelt. ... Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ... Bulloch Hall in Roswell, Georgia, USA Bulloch Hall, located at 180 Bulloch Avenue in Roswell, GA 30075, USA, is a Greek Revival mansion built in 1840 by Major James Stephens Bulloch, one of Roswells first settlers. ... Atlanta redirects here. ... Alice Roosevelt, taken around her debut in 1902. ...

References in popular culture

• in 1963 Jet Harris and Tony Meehan released a song called "Scarlett O'Hara"

• In the 1980's cartoon G.I. Joe and toys of the same the red headed Atlanta born woman soldier was called Scarlet O'Hare
• Singer/songwriter Matthew Dunley references Scarlett O'Hara in his song "RubySkies."

• In the hit T.V. show, The Golden Girls, Dorothy often calls Blanche "Scarlett".

• On The Carol Burnett Show, Carol Burnett plays Starlett O'Hara, a parody of Scarlett O'Hara, in the sketch "Went with the Wind".
• In the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights, the best friend of little John is called will Scarlett O'Hara, and they both come from Georgia. This is a direct reference to Scarlett in Gone with the Wind.

Jet Harris (real name Terence Harris) was the bass guitarist and leader of The Shadows until April 1962. ... Daniel Joseph Anthony Tony Meehan, (March 2, 1943 – November 28, 2005), was one of the founder members of the British group The Shadows, along with Jet Harris, Hank B. Marvin and Bruce Welch. ... Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... For the homing pigeon awarded the Dickin Medal in 1946, see G.I. Joe (pigeon). ... For the Hong Kong film, see The Golden Girls (1995 film). ... The original cast in 1967. ... Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993) is a film parody of the story of Robin Hood, particularly parodying Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. ... For the film, see Gone with the Wind (film). ...

References