Who doesn't like to pork?

Yeah. I don't doubt a certain fondness could exist between master and slave (depending on the relative shittiness of the rich asshole slaveowners, of course), but Gone with the Wind pushes it way too far. Though I do love that scene where Scarlett gives Pork her father's watch. It's probably the only altruistic thing…

Nope. Northern soldiers went to war to keep their country together, not to liberate slaves.

Awwww!

Oh, certainly. I meant only that I wouldn't expect that losing a war would make the main characters regret their former way of life or suddenly start seeing slaves as people.

Melanie was too loyal to see it that way and wouldn't hear a word against Scarlett.

Hahaha! When I read the book, I was rooting for her, but I imagine I would absolutely loathe her now.

Huh. I read the book— she was definitely different from her portrayal on film and WAY more into the cause, but I guess compared to Scarlett everyone seems like a nice person to me.

I read it in middle school and just kept waiting for it to be over. There was one scene where Scarlett is discussing the difficulty in putting her hair into 3 small buns with her hair that just goes beyond any wardrobe discussion I've seen in other period novels. So fucking boring.

My mother always loved Scarlett and hated Melanie. Watching the movie as an adult helped me to understand exactly how fucked up this is.

Yeah, in that instance, the former slave was incredibly heroic. Though I think this was supposed to show that slaves had no resentment over being owned by people, and remained protective toward their former owners. There's also a scene where Big Sam and a few other slaves are headed toward the front lines to help out…

I think it would have been incredibly unrealistic to portray former slaveowners as suddenly NOT being racist pieces of shit after being humiliated in the war.

Not that I approve of the way she depicts black characters, but I would note that writing conventions have changed since that time. Now, people typically try to spell words properly and let the reader infer accent and intonation based on context. When GWTW was written, this wasn't the case.

I think the confusion is that in your first comment, it read as though you thought Melanie was putting Scarlett in her place deliberately. This makes it more clear.

Melanie is the moral backbone of this story. She is all forgiveness and reliability in the face of Scarlett's treachery and backstabbing tendencies. She's the reason I rewatch at this point.

How is Melanie awful, exactly?

Rhett is a much nicer person than Scarlett . . . you know, aside from the rape. He's more respectful and appreciative toward the people who love her most (Mammy and Melanie) and in general kinder to those who lack his status (Prissy, Belle).

I will NEVER understand the appeal of Heathcliffe. "Oh, I love a man who holds a grudge, especially when he ruins the life of the woman he supposedly loves!"

You sure know how to pick a deserving target.

He represents a better time for her. On the day he rejected her, the war started and changed her entire way of life. But even after she regained her wealth tenfold (at least!), she had lost so many of her loved ones (parents dead, one sister in a convent, the other hating her) that Ashley was really the only tie she…