I thought you might find Roger Ebert's dissection of GWTW interesting, especially for the context into which he places it:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19980621/REVIEWS08/401010323/1023
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3 comments:
Damn...a little bit of power, and there he is using it. ; )
Steve
In almost every culture, we have trickster myths. In Navajo there're Coyote stories. Among the Cherokee, there's Rabbit tales. I never thought about Scarlett as a trickster, but Ebert's essay has me thinking.
Tricksters are all about letting us live out the self which violates social expectations. Coyote and Rabbit are always doing things for themselves rather than the community. Such behavior is seductive but forbidden in polite Navajo and Cherokee society, where the harmony of the group is much more important than the good of the individual.
Ebert is arguing that Scarlett functions in the same way. He's saying the character allowed women to explore what it would be like to do what it takes, not to starve, to take care of those around you, and to succeed as a woman in a man's world. In 1939, such behavior was not acceptable in polite American society. Heck, my Mom, who was Scarlett's age in 1939, that is, if Ebert is right, one of the target audience, was in some ways very typical of womanhood in the '30s-'50s. Mother was 57 when she learned to drive a car; in fact, she learned the same year as did I.
Imagine for a moment my Mom getting to live vicariously through Scarlett. But--and this is a big but--everything and everybody my Mom knew would have said Scarlett's behavior was questionable, even to prevent starvation of her and hers. So, my Mom would have been fascinated by Scarlett, attracted to the possibilities inherent in her behavior, but Mom would have liked to have been told her values were good and solid. Take it from me, they were. I wouldn't have wanted to be Scarlett's son. On the other hand, there have been times when I wanted my Mom to pay more attention to herself and less to the family, my Dad, or to me.
Scarlett as trickster. Cool. Like all tricksters, Scarlett succeeds long enough to allow those in the audience who identify with her to fully explore their selves as Scarlett, but she has to have her comeuppance; otherwise, (horrors) women would be having careers, be sexually mature, have equality, drive, vote, and own property (and men might have to get used to it).
Next you'll have us believing we can have hand-held communication devices like in the science fiction and space stories! Beam me up Scotie!
Bobbie
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