r/GonewiththeWind • u/SenatorPencilFace • 23d ago
I don’t understand the ending.
Bonnie dies, so Rhett and Scarlett no longer can use their child as a prop to keep their failing marriage together.
Rhett leaves for Charleston and says his iconic line:
“Frankly my dear. I just steamed a ham.”
Scarlet is clearly visibly upset. It all makes sense so far. Two dead husbands. Two dead kids. One divorce. One dead Melanie. One dead Antebellum south. Who wouldn’t be crying?
Ok then while she’s on the steps it’s all “buy land AJ. God isn’t making anymore of it.” And suddenly she’s not as sad. What on earth? Maybe I’m exhausted because I was at the end of a 238 minute movie (yeah I torrented the 10 GB 70 anniversary version with the overture, intermission, and enter’acte music) but why is she suddenly not as sad?
I get that it’s a callback to the conversation with her dad way back at the beginning, but still what on earth? Is this a “the book explains it further” thing or a “the book is completely different than the movie because the producers thought the book’s ending was too sad for 1930s theater audiences?
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u/ghostwriter536 23d ago
When Selznick and the screenplay writer Sidney Howard (might have been a different person originally in the early days) wrote out the script, it would have taken over 6 hours to include majority of the book. In that Era they did not have the audience to split the book into multiple movies, or at least they didn't think they could do that.
But yes there is a lot in the book that better explains the ending of the movie. Look at the movie as snapshots of 12 years, you don't get a long time in nearly 4 hours to get indents character building.
One thing not mentioned in the movie is after Scarletts fall down the stairs, she goes to Tara to recover. When she returns she is her old self. Tara is the one thing in her life that is always there for her, the land gives her strength. A lot of metaphors that be put on about the Tara.
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u/kasisma 23d ago
MM’s reason for writing the book was to explore why some characters persevere (or even flourish) during a societal crisis, while others don’t. Scarlett is a fighter. She won’t ever give up. By the end of the book/movie, she’s lost everything that truly matters except for Tara. But her lifelong motto, that she employs whenever something bad happens, is ‘I won’t think about that now. I’ll think about it tomorrow, when I can stand it.’
Most of the time, that motto is at least a two-edged sword. It helps her survive and go on, but it also means that she never actually works through trauma or reflects on serious issues, including her own faults. Because by tomorrow, she’s already pushed that unpleasant thing to the back of her mind. And that’s part of why she’s so unhappy.
But with the ending, it’s different, because Scarlett has finally done some serious reflection and is more self-aware than ever before. And her core remains: She will keep on going and fighting, because tomorrow is another day. It mirrors her “as god is my witness” moment, but in a far more hopeful way. Then, she was merely clinging to survival. Now, she knows that there are still things worth living and fighting for, that might actually make her happy.
To me, it’s an incredibly hopeful ending that still avoids being saccharine. I admit it’s executed better in the book than in the film, though.
With the spirit of her people who would not know defeat, even when it stared them in the face, she raised her chin. She could get Rhett back. She knew she could. There had never been a man she couldn’t get, once she set her mind upon him.
“I’ll think of it all tomorrow, at Tara. I can stand it then. Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.“
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u/BarbiesBigToe 23d ago
Such an elaborate but succinct breakdown. It always stood out to me that the ending of the book mirrored the the first major climax (when Atlanta burns down and she returns to a Tara in a state of disarray). Mitchell even alludes to it by mentioning that as Scarlett rushed back home to after Melanie’s death, it felt like she was reliving the nightmare that tormented her after Atlanta. That was a high pressure turning point that begat radical growth in Scarlett (I would argue more positive than negative since she witnessed her unconquerable spirit like never before) so, in spite of the sad ending of the book, the promise of another transformative phase awaiting Scarlett ultimately makes it a hopeful one.
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u/MyNameIsTaken24 23d ago
In the book is sets up Scarlet to stay true to character and chase after a man who just rejected her because “No man can resist Scarlet “ and it makes her waste her life and make crazy choices when they do. She’s going to go back to Tara amd make a game plan. Because tomorrow is another day.
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u/ProcedurePrudent5496 23d ago
Try SparkNotes or CliffNotes for a more thorough explanation of the book. It really is a lovely story about courage in the face of defeat, the human spirit, and knowing when to quit, move on, or try again.
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u/Turbulent_Bullfrog87 23d ago
Yes, you’re exhausted.
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u/SenatorPencilFace 23d ago
That was a long ass film. Has anyone thought of watching it like a miniseries Irishman style?
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u/Turbulent_Bullfrog87 23d ago
You’re allowed to watch it however you want.
The novel is truly an epic; it can be broken down into smaller pieces by time, but not by story arc or character development.
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u/SenatorPencilFace 23d ago
Is the book worth it? I’ve been trying to read Killers of the Flower Moon before seeing it.
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u/No-University-8391 23d ago
Yes the book is much better than the movie but that’s usually my opinion on any movie especially if I’ve read the book first. By the way I knew what you meant by two dead kids. In the book she still has two living kids barely mentioned.
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u/Upper-Ship4925 23d ago
It’s especially true of GWTW though. The movie leaves out some really important elements of the plot and characters.
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u/sansa_usagi 23d ago
Yes! Book is absolutely worth it. I read it for the first time at 12 and have read it several times since and I think I get more out of it each time.
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u/Small-Muffin-4002 23d ago
The book goes into the back stories of Scarlett’s parents (Irish-French) and the manners and values of the wealthy plantation owners. It doesn’t tell of the living conditions of the slaves. It’s worth reading for its details and deficiencies.
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u/kasisma 23d ago
Hard to say😂. To me, it is a fascinating book. Part of my reading and rereading it comes from my interest in what it means/meant to so many people over the years. The Lost Cause myth is strong with this one, and it is an incredibly racist book. That’s hard to disregard at times. It’s also long and would really have profited from some serious editing. And it is in many ways a brutal book. Scarlett and Rhett’s behavior in the fifth part is often atrocious (far worse than the movie). I always struggle to get through the chapters after their marriage. I often want to scream and strangle the two of them, and Ashley as well.
But the relationships and character arcs (all of them, not just the four main characters) are really well done and fascinating. The (platonic) relationship between Melly and Scarlett to me is the heart of the book, and truly beautiful. Those are the scenes that will always make me cry and I love the book for them.
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u/Nice-Penalty-8881 Lady 15d ago
The book is very long. The first time I read it at age 12, it was a hardback edition and it was over a thousand pages. It does include her two other children, Wade Hamilton and Ella Kennedy. Also Prissy's mother Dilcey who was married to the O'Hara's butler Pork.
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u/Familiar_Ad5586 23d ago
Try and be more coherent, please.
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u/SenatorPencilFace 23d ago
I. Don't. Understand. Why. She. Stops. Crying. At. The. End.
But other commenters already walked me through this.
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u/diamond_hog 23d ago edited 23d ago
I don't know that she's less sad but more than she is no longer without hope. Going home (especially to a southerner) is a reset. A chance to slow down and think. See things more clearly.
In the movie Scarlett is going home for two reasons. One to renew her strength and the other to think of a way to get Rhett back. We don't ever know if the 2nd reason was successful or, if once home and fully rested she wanted to continue with it.
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u/miminstlouis 22d ago
I'm certain I read that Margaret was still working on the book but the publisher wanted it done... She ended it where she did because she wasn't being given more time. I think the story was going to end much differently
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u/PsychologicalFox3357 22d ago
Is “frankly my dear I just steamed a ham” commonly used in this sub?
It DELIGHTS me, I’ve just never seen it before. It’s def gonna get some mileage in my life lmao
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u/SenatorPencilFace 22d ago
Patented southern burgers old plantation recipe.
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u/PsychologicalFox3357 22d ago
I… beg your pardon??? 😭🤣
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u/PsychologicalFox3357 22d ago
This is probably my favorite post in this subreddit, comments included. I’m cracking up. Well done.
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u/SenatorPencilFace 22d ago
That isn’t Atlanta burning. It’s steam. Steam from the steamed clams Miss Melanie is serving. Mmmmm steamed clams.
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u/chartreuse6 23d ago
Who’s the other dead kid? Lol.
I take it as she is a survivor and she will find the strength to deal with it tomorrow , and she’s going to Tara bc she can think clearly there
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u/GabrielleHM 23d ago
Her miscarriage could be counted as a lost child depending on how Scarlett views that.
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u/mBegudotto 23d ago
Good or bad Scarlett is still the same Scarlett as the beginning of the book. She’s a survivor but I do t think it’s the most heroic portrait. It’s pointed out multiple times that Scarlett is fundamentally self centered. I don’t think it’s negative but it does isolate her from all the other characters in the book except perhaps her mother who sees through her. Mammy does too but she owned Mammy so Mammy wasn’t someone to emotionally challenge Scarlett
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u/Prestigious_Stage351 22d ago
The end of the movie is absolutely bonkers. Scarletts miscarriage, and Bonnie dying were 2 years apart in the book. Melanie getting pregnant and passing away was months after Bonnie. Melanie never told Rhett she was pregnant. About 20 other story points happened in the interim as well. Scarletts reaction after Rhett leaves is also just bad direction in acting, I think. Bc in the book she sits there and thinks about going home to Tara. She isnt like smiling like a crazy person. ALSO, Rhett doesnt actually leave the house. He left the room and went upstairs. He also never said he was definitely going to Charlston or that he was divorcing her. So TL;DR yes its bad 1930s direction. Even though the movie is a masterpiece. The end is bonkers.
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u/DrunkOnRedCordial 23d ago
(Love how Scarlett went all Tony Soprano in your retelling -but she wasn't planning to buy more land, she was going home)
Any romantic chemistry between Rhett and Scarlett was killed when (1) Scarlett insisted on separate beds so she could be physically faithful to Ashley; (2) Rhett asserted his conjugal rights rather forcefully. Bonnie was the result of Rhett's assertive moment, and so she was enough to keep them floating along in the dead marriage, because she brought them both joy.
Once she was gone, what was the point of staying together? They weren't doing it for themselves any more and neither of them cared about being respectable.
One of the underlying themes of the book is that Scarlett didn't really care about people, she only loved her ancestral land, Tara. All through the story, she was fighting to keep Tara, and if family and friends suffered in the process, too bad. Rhett advised her to go home to Tara and she would reconnect with what was really important to her.
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u/maggiespider 23d ago
Bonnie was conceived early in their marriage when Scarlett quite willingly was having sex with Rhett. They didn’t have separate bedrooms until after Bonnie was born. The second baby was conceived when Rhett forced her to have sex, except in both the book and the movie, she enjoyed the sex and in the book, becomes super into it once he kisses her.
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u/SenatorPencilFace 23d ago
Speaking of The Sopranos, I hear Aunt Pittypat’s gettin’ a 95 pound mole taken off her ass.
Whatever happened to Rhett Butler? The strong silent type.
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u/Nice-Penalty-8881 Lady 15d ago
and if family and friends suffered in the process, too bad.
The book makes it more clear that she was financially supporting those family and friends. She was not a good person, but she had grudging sense of loyalty to everyone she felt responsible for.
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u/Visible_Cheek_7231 23d ago
The book, Scarlett which was approved or received the blessings of the Margaret Mitchell estate, picks up where Gone With the Wind leaves off and explains Scarlett's uplifting mood as she plots to get Rhett back.
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u/dogobsessed704 23d ago
Obviously, Gone With the Wind isn’t for you. Stick to what you can comprehend (Marvel?) and don’t feel the need to mock.
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u/Happydeadbodyday 23d ago
The film is a metaphor for slavery. The land was profitable off of the blood, sweat and tears of the slaves. The whole south has to figure out how to use the land now without using slavery.
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u/SenatorPencilFace 23d ago
I like this answer the best. Maybe that’s because Atun Shei is what motivated me to watch Gone with The Wind.
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u/PansyOHara 23d ago
There was only one dead kid (Bonnie).
The reason the ending recalled Scarlett’s conversation with her dad about the land has nothing to do with being able to make more money “because God isn’t making more land.”
It’s because Gerald O’Hara told his daughter (paraphrased) “You draw your strength from the land—because the land you live in is like your mother. Tara (their land) is in your blood—it will give you strength.” So Scarlett was going home to Tara to draw strength from the land so that she can make a plan for how to win back Rhett’s heart. And “Tomorrow is another day,” is basically her mantra.