Irony in “Gone with the Wind”

by Margaret Mitchell

“Irony is the gaiety of reflection and the joy of wisdom.”

Anatole France

It’s well known that irony has a double audience – the one who captures
what is literally said, and the one who can read between the lines, more exactly the
audience that understands what it’s not said.
The classification R.W. Gibbs made in “ A poetics of mind” shows us the
variety of irony and his work reveals the figurative aspects of language. Gathering
information , he managed to obtain quite a large selection:

many kinds of irony have been identified – tragic irony,

comic irony, rhetorical irony, practical irony, dramatic irony, double irony, situational
irony, verbal irony, philosophical irony, self-irony, the irony of fate, and so on.¹

Books, as well as films may bring in front of our eyes many of the types
listed above. A book, for example, can give us a perspective about the way society used
to be organized in a time when the horse you owned or the number of servants you had
were the most important things, and utterly, provided you a respected position in the
hierarchical structure .
One of the most representative books of the 20th century is the 1937
winner of the Pulizer Prize. “Gone with the wind”, by Margaret Mitchell is a romantic
novel which depicts the experiences of young Scarlet O’Hara.
The vivid characters and the rich plot allow us to enter a new world, a
world where the southern belle’s charm contrasts with the sweat of hundreds of slaves
who carried the whole South on their back.
Although it’s classified as a romantic novel, ‘ Gone with the Wind “ is
more to the literature than meets the eye. Not only does it outline the life of young
Scarlett, but it reaches deep problems such as the slavery, the power of true love and last,
but not least, the consequences of war upon society.
Irony can be find in the construction of the characters, the every day
situations, the relationship between Scarlett and her idyllic love ,Ashley, as well as
between Scarlett and her true love , Rhett.
The North and the South represent two distinct parts of the same world.
The big gap that lies between them reflects the irony of being born in a family that
respects the human rights, or a family that has no respect for the ones below them – black
people. The influence of society upon someone is huge, so if one could have been a great
person and someone to look up to, the constant pressure of the society would’ve .

¹Gibbs, R. G. ( 1992 : 363)

eventually changed his perspective. The only ones who seem to be different in this rotten
society are Ashley Wilkes and Rhett Butler ,even if the first one comes from a
conferedate family which has tens, maybe thousand of slaves working for them.
Another ironical image is the one of the spoiled Scarlett, whose well-being
is assured by the slaves her family holds. Not only does she eat the finest meals with
young men and women from “good families”, but she also has the most beautiful and
expensive dresses. Making a brief , but punctual comparison between the 17-year-old
Scarlett, and a 17-year-old black adolescent, we can observe the irony of fate – while
Scarlett is a young, respected lady, a black woman of the same age is a slave, with no
rights; while the first deserves and must be respected, the other must obey and be
whipped at/for the smallest mistake.
The course of events, tough, changes a lot in Scarlett’s life. The war has
its consequences, which affects all classes and each and every one. Long story short, the
hierarchical structures are turned upside-down, and the big landowners are left with
nothing in their pockets.The heroine finds herself put in the situation of having nothing to
eat, nothing to support her and her family. The picture of Scarlett digging in the ground
for something to eat , and her memorable quote “As God is my witness, I'll never be
hungry again!” ² are devastating, but have a hidden irony : the girl that used to avoid even
touching a slave, is willing now to accept anything that could make her life better.
The disruption of the social hierarchy by the war leads to many ironic
situations. Jonas Wilkerson, the former overseer at Tara, gains an important position in
the Freedmen’s Bureau after the war. Having this new position of power, he forces
Scarlett to sell the estate to him. Another important image of the role reversal, is the visit
of Wilkerson and Emmie Slattery at Tara in a fine carriage and expensive clothes offering
to buy the place. The irony is that before the war, the O'Haras had wanted to buy the
Slatterys' land but the Slatterys had been too proud to sell.
It’s quite ironic how Scarlett is blind when it comes his love for Ashley.
She marries three men, but not him. The fact that he is so unattainable makes her want
him even more and ignore the idea that maybe they aren’t even alike. It becomes clear to
her that they don’t share the same goals, ideas or even expectancies from life when they
are put in the situation of providing food and financial support for their families. Scarlett
takes the business in her hands, while Ashley struggles to remain anchored in the cruel
reality, dreaming of better days and refusing to deal with the every day problems. That
moment when she sees that gap that lies between them is crucial.
This idea is strongly linked to her discovery in the end of book two, when
the veil that was covering her eyes for so long is lifted, and she sees that her really true
love was Rhett.The chief irony of the novel is that Scarlett's obsession with Ashley
prevents her from appreciating that Rhett is the perfect match for her, and when she
realizes, it’s to late. He fights for her, in his own way, and admits that his attraction for
her comes exactly from who she really, beyond the ladylike attitude she struggles to put
up : “I love you, Scarlett, because we are so much alike, renegades, both of us, dear, and
selfish rascals.Neither of us cares a rap if the whole world goes to pot, so long as we are
safe andcomfortable.”³

²˒³ Mitchell, Margaret ( 2002: 356, 322 )

 Scarlett, Ashley and Rhett aren’t the only ones who find themselves in
ironical situations. Melanie, Ashley’s wife, is the pure example of love, trust, honesty and
calm. I believe that her caring attitude towards Scarlett may be interpreted in two ways :
either she’s so naïve that she can’t accept the idea of a evil Scarlett, either she observes
things, but the power of forgiveness wins at the end. It is ironic that Scarlett hates and
despises Melanie throughout most of the novel, while Melanie loves Scarlett and is her
devoted friend, fact that infuriates Scarlett , whose self-absorbed blindness to the
romantic image of Ashley, stops her from loving Melanie like she deserves to be loved.
Even more ironical is Melanie’s constant belief in Scarlett’s altruism,
devotion and bravery, when , in fact, she acts like that only because of a promise she once
made to Ashley.
Both Scarlett and Ashley realize how much they love and rely on Melanie
on her deathbed. This cruel irony reveals the fact that many times we tend to appreciate
someone close only when it’s to late.
Here's the grand irony of “Gone With the Wind”: the story encourages us
to see how the war and especially it’s consequences force Scarlett to change and mature.
The tragedy of war strips Scarlett of her youth and forces her to turn into a real
businesswoman, determined and at the same time dreaded. But Rhett Butler nails it in the
library at Twelve Oaks when he says, "And you, miss, are no lady." 4　 　

Although it’s ironical, the reason why Ashley Wilkes doesn’t marry her
because she isn’t a delicate “Southern flower” like Melanie. The society has certain
expectations, it’s obsessed with rules, expects chivalrous attitude from man and excessive
sensibility from women. Scarlett is, compared to Melanie’s grace and vulnerability , just
a scandal waiting to happen. In the given context, we find Northrop Frye’s personal view
of irony fitting here perfectly : “Irony, as a mode, is born from the low mimetic; it takes
life exactly as it finds it.” 5　
　

Considering all above, we can agree that “Gone with the Wind” is a
romantic novel, which illustrates not only the monograph of the 18th century America,
with all its problems, as well as a inside monograph of the human soul. Finding
themselves put in various ironic or dramatic situations, the characters act completely
different and change radically. The tragic irony, self-irony, verbal irony and situational
irony contribute to the creation of a exciting plot , rich in events and profound characters.

4　
　Mitchell, Margaret ( 2002 : 100)
5　
　Frye, Northrop (1957 : 41)
 Reference

R.W. Gibbs, “ A Poetics of Mind”; Routledge, 1992

http://wikiethica.wikidot.com/irony

Margaret Mitchell, “Gone with the Wind”; eBook, A Project Gutenberg

of Australia, 2002

Northrop Frye, “Anatomy of criticism”; Princeton University Press, 1957

Rus Alexandra Maria

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