Gone With The Wind

On the morning of the barbecue, Scarlett laces her 17-inch waist into a gown that she hopes will dazzle all the men in attendance, especially Ashley. Mammy forces her to eat ahead of time, which is difficult given her tight corset. Scarlett and her two younger sisters, Suellen and Carreen, climb into a carriage to drive to Twelve Oaks, the Wilkes plantation. Ellen stays behind to deal with firing the overseer, who now hates her. Meanwhile, Gerald happily escorts his daughters to the party.

After arriving at the Wilkes plantation, Scarlett finds Ashley on the arm of his betrothed, Melanie Hamilton. She is disdainful because Melanie is plain, mousy, and intellectual. Melanie appears to love Ashley, and he also seems fond of her. As an act of spite, Scarlett attracts all the unmarried men at the barbecue, raising the ire of all the unmarried girls.

Melanie’s brother Charles is clearly infatuated with Scarlett and proposes marriage. She stalls him with a vague answer, trying to find an opportunity to speak to Ashley alone. During the afternoon, Scarlett notices a swarthy man named Rhett Butler. She hears rumors that he isn’t received in polite society because of a dueling incident in Charleston. Rhett catches Scarlett’s eye on multiple occasions and seems amused by her flirtatiousness. As the men begin a long conversation about the impending war, Rhett tells them that the South has no factories or ammunition and that the arrogance of the planter class is ill-founded. He expects the North to win. His comments are met with hostility, so Rhett excuses himself from the conversation.

Later, Scarlett goes to the library in search of Ashley. She frankly tells him she loves him and proposes running away together. Ashley says that he cares about Scarlett but that they aren’t suited to one another, and he has agreed to marry Melanie. In a rage, Scarlett slaps Ashley, and he leaves. She then throws a vase against the wall. At this point, Rhett makes his presence known. He had been seated on a library couch and overheard the entire conversation. He admits that he admires Scarlett’s directness and says that she would be better suited to a more spirited husband than Ashley. Mortified, Scarlett exits. Shortly afterward, the entire party receives the news that a war with the North is about to start. Charles is going to volunteer but appeals to Scarlett one last time to answer his proposal. Impulsively, she agrees to marry him before he leaves for the battlefield.

Two weeks later, Scarlett is wed. She arranges the ceremony to be a day before Ashley marries Melanie. Now that Scarlett has married Melanie’s brother, the two are sisters-in-law. Within two months, Charles dies of pneumonia while stationed in South Carolina and never gets a chance to fight in the war. Scarlett is shocked to discover she is pregnant and delivers a baby boy named Wade. After his birth, Scarlett takes little interest in the child. She is too upset about her widowed status and the lack of social events since the war started. As an attempt to distract her, Melanie and her Aunt Pittypat invite Scarlett for an extended visit to Atlanta. Scarlett packs her son and his nurse, Prissy, and leaves Tara.