This poem, The child is not dead, by South African poet, Ingrid Jonker, is deeply moving. Reading the About Ingrid Jonker section below before reading the poem will give context to the poet and this poem.

The child is not dead

The child is not dead
The child lifts his fists against his mother
Who shouts Afrika ! shouts the breath
Of freedom and the veld
In the locations of the cordoned heart

The child lifts his fists against his father
in the march of the generations
who shouts Afrika ! shout the breath
of righteousness and blood
in the streets of his embattled pride

The child is not dead not at Langa nor at Nyanga
not at Orlando nor at Sharpeville
nor at the police station at Philippi
where he lies with a bullet through his brain

The child is the dark shadow of the soldiers
on guard with rifles Saracens and batons
the child is present at all assemblies and law-givings
the child peers through the windows of houses and into the hearts of mothers
this child who just wanted to play in the sun at Nyanga is everywhere
the child grown to a man treks through all Africa.

About Ingrid Jonker

From SA History Organisation

On 19 July 1965, Ingrid Jonker, a South African poet, committed suicide by walking into the sea. Jonker was 31 Years old.

The advanced ideas inherent in Ingrid Jonker’s poems have made her a recognized literary figure internationally, with her poems being studied, translated and published in many languages including English, German, French, Dutch, Polish, Hindi and Zulu.

The collected works of Jonker, including several short stories and a play, were published in 1975 and re-issued in 1983 and 1994. Much of Jonker’s early writing related to the episodes and trauma of her early life. Yet as a mature poet, Jonker never failed to express compassion for her fellow human beings, reflecting a refreshing innocence devoid of pernicious social prejudice and hatred.

This seminal Afrikaans language poet sensitively engaged with the cause of the poor and the lot of black South Africans from the position of a common humanity.

Jonker’s work was condemned by her father, then a leading member of the National Party and the chairperson of the parliamentary committee responsible for the apartheid system of censorship.

In April 2004, Jonker was posthumously awarded the Order of Ikhamanga by the South African government for “her excellent contribution to literature and a commitment to the struggle for human rights and democracy in South Africa”.

On 24 May 1994, in his State of the Nation Address to Parliament in Cape Town, President Nelson Mandela read this poem by Ingrid Jonker.

You can listen to Nelson Mandela reading this poem here:

You can read more about Ingrid Jonker here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrid_Jonker

Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

Pashley Manor is a Grade 1 listed house in East Sussex, England. It is known for its wonderful English country garden and craft market. My mom and I visited it specifically to tour the 11 acres of beautiful gardens.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

You can join in Thursday doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2021/08/05/random-pittsburgh-doors/

What Amazon says

Sam thinks his problems are over when finds his fishing bucket filled with gold coins. There’s a problem though. The gold burns the fingers of anyone who touches it. His unlikely find coincides with the appearance of a mythical sea creature on the headland overlooking the town and the resumption of quarrying up in the mountains that is poisoning the streams and contaminating the town’s water supply.

Determined to keep his coins hidden, Sam goes up-river to bury them. There he encounters a beguiling young woman called Shasa, who lives by one of the tainted springs and just happens to have a fish’s tail.

As the blasting continues, the discovery of a series of recently-made drawings in the cave under the headland, reveals a terrifying prophesy that will result in the earth spilling apart. Fearing for Shasa’s safety, Sam sets out find her again, only to meet the danger head on, as nature takes its revenge for the damage being wrought by humankind.

Will Sam and Shasa survive?

Set in a fictional location on the West Coast of South Africa, this moving story blends the charm of small town life with the threat of ecological disaster at the hands of a powerful force beyond human understanding.

My review

This is the first book I’ve read by Chris Hall. This story is a humorous fantasy story set in South Africa, but with a serious message about industrialisation and water pollution at its heart. I loved the author’s take on the melting pot of colourful and multicultural personalities that make life in a small town in South Africa so distinctly different to anywhere else in the world.

The two elderly aunties who spend their days gossiping about life in their small town, drinking cups of rooibos tea, and making samosas (A samosa is a South Asian fried or baked pastry with a savory filling like spiced potatoes, onions, peas, chicken and other meats, or lentils) reminded me a little of Miss Marple but with a typically South African small town elderly lady overlay. Their kind heartedness in giving Albertina a home and a job as well as allowing her the freedom to raise some chickens and explore other money-making ideas is delightful.

Albertina is a wonderful character, full of ideas, life and inspiration. In her bright pink shoes and second best wig, nothing gets Albertina down and she makes the best of everything that comes her way in life. The hint of a possible romance between Albertina and Abdu, the polite and empathetic shop keeper across the road from the aunties house, is lovely.

Abdu is kindly and helpful, but he is also clever and adventurous. He discovers a secret that changes his life and proves to be life saving for Jannie. To find out more, you’ll have to read the book.

Jannie is an ex-convict who has discovered the errors of his ways and allowed his better nature to reassert itself. He is a lover of animals and the stray dog featured in the story, and Toti, the monkey, both love him. I always enjoy human interactions with animals as part of a good story.

Sam is on the run for a gang which he became embroiled with, resulting in harm to his sister. He is hiding out in the town and has managed to fix up an old fishing boat and is trying to earn a living as a fisherman. He is the character who kicks off the story and has the initial encounter with two talking octopuses’ who present him with a bucket of gold in exchange for their lives. Unfortunately, neither Sam or his mate, Jannie, can touch the gold. It burns them.

There are other great supporting characters, including the Professor, the Greek cafe owner, and a few others, as well as a number of mythical creatures including a water maiden, Shasa, a Sea Goddess who’s out to teach mankind a lesson because of the pollution and damage to her waterways, flying whales, and others.

I enjoyed this entertaining and imaginative read and recommend it to lovers of fantasy and a good humorous story. Chris Hall certainly has a talent for creating flavourful characters.

Purchase Song of the Sea Goddess by Chris Hall

Amazon US

Chris Hall Amazon Author Page

About Chris Hall

Chris describes herself as a compulsive story-teller, cat slave and hen keeper. Originally from the UK, she now resides in the Western Cape of South Africa.

Her latest novel, ‘Song of the Sea Goddess’ set in her adopted country of South Africa has just been released.

Other novels:
‘You’ll Never Walk Alone – Thrills and Spills in 1980s Liverpool’
‘Following the Green Rabbit – a fantastical adventure’
‘The Silver Locket’ (published under pen name, Holly Atkins)

A selection of her poetry is included in ‘Creation and the Cosmos – a poetic anthology’, published by Raw Earth Ink in 2021.

She has also published a tiny taster of her work in a short story collection, ‘A Sextet of Shorts’.

More of her short fiction has appeared in ‘Adler’s Writing’ and ‘One Minute Wit’. Her work also appears in the ‘Writing My City’ anthology, published in Cape Town in 2019.

Visit Chris’s website at www.lunasonline.wordpress.com to read her short fiction, fan fiction, mini-series, poetry and more.

Hugh Lewin was an anti-apartheid activist in South Africa. I recommend you read his biography below before reading this poem.

Touch

When I get out
I’m going to ask someone
to touch me
very gently please
and slowly,
touch me
I want
to learn again
how life feels.

I’ve not been touched
for seven years
for seven years
I’ve been untouched
out of touch
and I’ve learnt
to know now
the meaning of
untouchable.

Untouched – not quite
I can count the tings
that have touched me

One: fists
At the beginning
fierce mad fists
beating beating
till I remember
screaming
Don’t touch me
please don’t touch me.

Two: paws
The first four years of paws
every day
patting paws, searching
– arms up, shoes off
legs apart –
prodding paws, systematic
heavy, indifferent
probing away
all privacy.

I don’t want fists and paws
I want
to want to be touched
again
and to touch,
I want to feel alive
again
I want to say
when I get out

Here I am
please touch me.

What is the poem Touch about?

Extracted from: http://www.knowledge4africa.co.za/english/poetry/touch-a.jsp

The poem “Touch” is an attempt to capture his feelings during those horrific years in gaol. Upon being released from prison in 1971, Lewin chose to leave the country on what was known as a “permanent departure permit”. In other words, he could never return to the place of his birth.

About Hugh Lewin

Hugh Lewin grew up during South Africa’s apartheid years. Upon leaving school, he became a journalist, working for Pietermaritzburg’s Natal Witness, Drum and Golden City Post.

His observation of the repressive South African regime eventually became too much for him and he resorted to fighting vehemently to bring about its downfall. In 1965 he was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for sabotage. The poem “Touch” is an attempt to capture his feelings during those horrific years in gaol.

Upon being released from prison in 1971, Lewin chose to leave the country on what was known as a “permanent departure permit”. In other words, he could never return to the place of his birth. He would spend ten years in exile in London, followed by a further ten years in Zimbabwe.

He returned to South Africa in 1992 upon the cessation of the apartheid system and thereupon became the Director of the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism in Johannesburg. Today he is a freelance media trainer.

Lewin has written several books and poems, and he has been the recipient of several literary awards.

The poet says the following of this poem: “It’s very emotional because the poem reminds me of so many aspects of what it was like being in prison: the violence, cruelty and brutality. Reading it remains an intense experience for me because the memories it evokes are still very strong.”

“Prison remains a touchstone for me,” he says, “and is still very much part of my life, even though I was released in 1971. I still refer back to the experience, whether I want to or not. It was a terribly cataclysmic but important part of my life.”

Lewin wishes that readers of this poem would arrive at a deeper understanding of their own emotions and the world in which they live, as well as an appreciation for the power of poetry, and how useful and important it can be when it comes to describing emotions and feelings.

“If the poem also helps them to appreciate what was happening in this country before they were born,” he says, “and the sacrifices made in the run up to the 1994 elections, I’d be very pleased.”

“Of course, it would also be great,” he added, “if the poem encourages students to write poems themselves and to explore the role of literature in society.”

Note: Excerpts from an interview of the poet are taken from:
The English Experience

In my Thursday Doors post last week, I said that my family had travelled to Dumfries to meet blogger and author, Mary Smith. Mary took us on a short tour of this fascinating town.

Dumfries Museum

A few interesting artifacts from the Dumfries Museum:

• 

• 

• 

• 

The story of the Siller Gun

James VI of Scotland and I of England presented the Seven Trades with a trophy – the Siller Gun – to be awarded in its annual shooting competition.  At a time when tradesmen had to be prepared to defend the town, the King’s intention was to encourage their shooting skill.

It is believed that the gun originally took the form of a miniature cannon mounted on a wheeled carriage.  It was remodelled to resemble a flintlock musket by David Gray after it was broken in 1808.  The individual responsible for the damage was fined £3. 6s. 8d. (£3.34p) for his act, and banished from associating with his trade for twenty-one years.

You can learn more about the Siller Gun and other Dumfries artifacts in Secret Dumfries written by Mary Smith and with pictures by Keith Kirk.

Seven Trades punch bowl

Robert Burns

A selection of pictures from Robert Burns’ house in Dumfries

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

St Michael’s Church

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

St Michael’s is the oldest church in Dumfries. The churchyard contains the elaborate Burns’ Mausoleum, and many other noteworthy memorials, including a Covenanters memorial and a mass grave to those who died in a cholera epidemic.

You can read more about St Michael’s Church here: https://stmichaels-and-south-parish-church.co.uk/history-of-the-church/

My review of Secret Dumfries by Mary Smith and Keith Kirk

Secret Dumfries is a non-fiction book depicting the fascinating history of Dumfries, a small town situated on the River Nith in Scotland. Dumfries is also known as the “Queen of the South”, a name bestowed on the town by local poet David Dunbar.

The book is divided into ten chapters each dealing with different aspects of the town, its inhabitants and its history.

Chapter 1: History provides a lot of background to the development and establishment of the town. One particularly interesting historical event was the stabbing of “The Red” Comyn by Robert the Bruce which changed the course of Scottish history.

Chapter 2 deals with Crime and Punishment and one of the titbits of information disclosed in this chapter is that in sixteenth-century Dumfries, anyone caught stealing his neighbour’s peat was branded on the cheek with the towns clock key, heated in a fire made of the stolen peats. 

Chapter 3: Health, shares facts and information about the history of disease and illness in the town including outbreaks of the plague, famine and cholera.

Chapter 4 entitled Industrial Dumfries tells the stories about the development of industry in Dumfries. One of the industries discussed is the quarrying for sandstone at Locharbriggs Quarry. This sandstone is a lovely pink to red colour and is clearly detectable as the building material for most of the historical buildings in the town.

Chapter 5 deals with Wartime Dumfries and tells of the backgrounds of famous Doonhammers during times of warfare, including Joseph Brown who fought in the Crimea War and the Indian Mutiny.

Chapter 6: Outdoor Art Gallery describes the lovely outdoor artworks found throughout the town including a collection of unusual finials on the railings along the Whitesands beside the Nith. There are thirty-eight of these finials which were created by Natalie Vardey and designed to link to past and present trades in Dumfries.

Chapter 7: Remarable Doonhammers includes details on a number of interesting residents of the town, the most renown being Robert Burns and his wife, Jean Armour. Interestingly enough, the book discloses that Robert Burns body was dug up twice before it was finally laid to rest in its current mausoleum.

Chapter 8 advises visitors to remember to look up and provides information on all the artworks and historical artifacts above eye level including some facts about the fire marks on selected buildings.

Chapter 9: Recreation provides the history of, inter alia, the Dumfries football team, the name of which is Queen of the South. It also tells of the history of the Dumfries cinemas and even the circus.

Chapter 10: Curiosities, Mysteries and a Sad Story ends with a poignant tale about Tinker, or Derek Styles, a promising young man who was psychologically ruined by the horrors he witnessed during the battle for Goose green in May 1982. 

Secret Dumfries is a well written and interesting non-fiction book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Scottish history.

Mary Smith’s Amazon author page

What Amazon says

The titular dead of Winter begin this Journey in a collection of vignettes. The Veil separating the world of the living and the Realm of the Dead has indeed become thin. As feared the dead begin to enter the Realm of the Living. Small outbreaks of chaos are scattered across the world as spirits try to resume their old lives.

My review

Journey 5 starts with some insights by Haldis, the Watcher, into the events that are gradually unfolding. Haldis is aware of the breaks in the veil between this world and the afterlife and that spirits are moving between the two dimensions. She is watching the elusive silvery-haired young man who can move between the worlds without using a break in the veil, but she does not reveal how he is doing this.

In the world of humans, spirits are infiltrating life in numerous places. A Deae Martres, Mairead, is rescued from a near-death situation by a dead king. She finally remembers who he is and his name strikes fear into her heart. Her thoughts reveal a little more of Zasha and Tajin’s backstory.

Emlyn’s group of Deae Martres are forced to split up to avoid a confrontation with the Un’Naf under Elder Pwyll. They are still looking for Emlyn and Osabide. Emlyn’s mettle is tested when she has to ride a horse for miles and trust in Boabhan’s ability to lead their group to safety. A lot more of Boabhan’s back story is revealed in this journey.

Emlyn becomes more and more aware of the evil being, Arawn, who seems to be tracking her and her friends.

A well written and exciting episode that shared interesting information about some of the characters while moving the plot along nicely.

If you prefer, you can listen to my review on YouTube here:

Purchase Dead of Winter, Journey 5 – Llyn Pistyll Falls

Amazon US

The Woman at the Till by Tatamkhulu Afrika

She had a plain, hard face,

A head thrusted forward like a hawk’s.

Impossible brass triangles,

Improbable steel manacles

Cluttered her thin arms.

Clearly, she had little love for the world:

She had learned, though,

That she would not win,

So she did not throw your change at you,

Nor did she press it in your palm,

But placed it, sullenly,

On the counter in between.

She would wrap your purchase languidly,

Yet fast enough to cut off an complaint,

And when she had her punch-up with the till,

It was an exercise in ferocity,

Delicately restrained.

She was what we call “Maboer”,

A low white trash,

AWB most probably,

Slouching barefoot in Boksburg or Mayfair West.

I did not feel any particular hate for her,

Perhaps because I was what

She would call a low black trash,

Which made us quits.

And then I noticed that

She did not look at or thank

Anyone, black or white,

And such indiscriminating unsociability

Won her my respect!

But then one day a brazen clash

Of colours drew my eyes

From their customary casting down,

The ritual bartering of cash for cloth,

The careful I-do-not-see-you stale pretence-

She had bought herself a brand-new blouse,

A rioting of palms and psychedelic birds,

A raw extravagant, revolutionary thing,

As African as I.

I exclaimed in wonderment I could not hold in-

“What?’’ she barked,

Looking at my hands.

“I said your blouse is beautiful.”

For the first time ever she looked into

My eyes, and time stood still:

Her universe turned on an axis thin as a pin.

Then a strange and lovely tenderness touched her mouth,

A faint blush tinged her dead-white skin:

“Thank you,” she said, and smiled.

About Tatamkhulu Afrika

Novelist and prize-winning poet, Tatamkhulu Afrika (Xhosa for Grandfather Africa) was born in Egypt in 1920 and came to South Africa as a young child. He was a veteran of World War 2 and, as a member of Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), was active in the South African freedom struggle.

His first novel, Broken Earth was published when he was seventeen (under his “Methodist name”), but it was over fifty years until his next publication, a collection of verse entitled Nine Lives.

He won numerous literary awards including the gold Molteno Award for lifetime services to South African literature, and in 1996 his works were translated into French. His autobiography, Mr Chameleon, was published posthumously in 2005.

You can read more about Tatamkhulu Afrika here: https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/ismail-tatamkhulu-afrika-joubert

The Zulu Girl by Roy Campbell

When in the sun the hot red acres smoulder,
Down where the sweating gang its labour plies,
A girl flings down her hoe, and from her shoulder
Unslings her child tormented by the flies.

She takes him to a ring of shadow pooled
By thorn-trees: purpled with the blood of ticks,
While her sharp nails, in slow caresses ruled,
Prowl through his hair with sharp electric clicks.

His sleepy mouth plugged by the heavy nipple,
Tugs like a puppy, grunting as he feeds:
Through his frail nerves her own deep languors ripple
Like a broad river sighing through its reeds.

Yet in that drowsy stream his flesh imbibes
An old unquenched unsmotherable heat –
The curbed ferocity of beaten tribes,
The sullen dignity of their defeat.

Her body looms above him like a hill
Within whose shade a village lies at rest,
Or the first cloud so terrible and still
That bears the coming harvest in its breast.

About Roy Campbell

Durban born, South African poet, Roy Campbell was considered by T. S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas and Edith Sitwell to have been one of the best poets of the period between the First and Second World Wars, and is recognized in South Africa today as one of the best poets the country has ever produced. Fellow South African poet Uys Krige described him as “the most poetic of poets” and believed him to be a perfect example of how the true artist could, ignoring all obstacles, dedicate his life to his art. He was a swashbuckling adventurer and a dreamer of dreams, as well as an individualist who attracted controversy. His vocal attacks on Marxism and Freudianism, popular among the British Intelligentsia, and his stance in the Spanish Civil War, along with his satire of colonial life in Natal, isolated him from many would-be supporters of his work at the time.

You can read more about Roy Campbell here: Roy Campbell (poet) – Wikipedia

What did you think of these two poems? Which one did you prefer? Let me know in the comments.

Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

During our 2019 trip to Scotland, we visited Dumfries to meet fellow author and blogger, Mary Smith. Mary kindly showed us around her lovely town and I took a few pictures of some interesting doors.

This is what Wikipedia says about Dumfries:

“Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland, which in turn is part of the United Kingdom. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about 25 miles by road from the Anglo-Scottish border and just 15 miles away from Cumbria by air.”

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Dumfries has a number of interesting museums and is famed for its connection with Scotland’s National Bard, Robert Burns. More about all these places next week. There is no Thursday Doors next week so my post will be a tour of Dumfries with no focus on doors.

One famous person I must mention in this post is Robert the Bruce.

“Robert the Bruce was one of the most famous warriors of his generation and eventually led Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England. He fought successfully during his reign to regain Scotland’s place as an independent country and is now revered in Scotland as a national hero.”

In 1306, Robert was involved in the murder of John Comyn, his chief rival for the throne. This led to him being excommunicated by Pope Clement V (although he received absolution from Robert Wishart, Bishop of Glasgow).

You can read more about Robert the Bruce here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_the_Bruce

You can join Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2021/07/22/hartford-bpoe-hartford-club/

What Amazon says

Since its original publication in 1936, Gone With the Wind—winner of the Pulitzer Prize and one of the bestselling novels of all time—has been heralded by readers everywhere as The Great American Novel.

Widely considered The Great American Novel, and often remembered for its epic film version, Gone With the Wind explores the depth of human passions with an intensity as bold as its setting in the red hills of Georgia. A superb piece of storytelling, it vividly depicts the drama of the Civil War and Reconstruction.

This is the tale of Scarlett O’Hara, the spoiled, manipulative daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, who arrives at young womanhood just in time to see the Civil War forever change her way of life. A sweeping story of tangled passion and courage, in the pages of Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell brings to life the unforgettable characters that have captured readers for over seventy years.

My review

Gone with the Wind is a historical romance set in Georgia in the USA and covers a 12 year period starting in 1861 when the main character, Scarlett O’Hara, is only 16 years old and ends in Atlanta when she is 28.

The novel opens on the porch of Tara, a cotton plantation owned by Scarlett’s father, Gerald, who owns 100 slaves and is a wealthy man. Scarlett is entertaining the handsome Tarleton twins, Stuart and Brett, who have just been expelled from their latest University and have returned home to face the wrath of their mother. The twins are irresponsible and carefree and don’t care about their recent disgrace at all. They do fear their mother’s anger and are hiding out at Tara hoping to return home after she has retired to bed. The twins are full of mixture of small talk about their expectations of a war with the Yankees, their friends and acquaintances and a barbacue that is being held the following day at the neighbouring Wilkes plantation.

The first chapters of the novel highlight the relaxed and comfortable life led by the plantation owners and their complete lack of understanding as to what a war means. The attitudes of the Southern gentlemen towards the impending war is almost childlike in its simple idealism.

During the barbeque, Scarlett’s favourite boyfriend and the man she is angling to marry, Ashley Wilkes, announces his engagement to his cousin, the meek and delicate, Melanie Hamilton. Scarlett makes a bit of a fool out of herself by declaring her love to Ashley while the other ladies are resting. Ashley confesses that he returns her love but that he is better suited to Melanie as “she is like him.” The conversation is overhead by the disgraced social outcaste, Rhett Butler, who is at the party as the guest of one of the other gentleman. Scarlett is devastated and in a fit of spite she becomes engaged to Melanie’s brother, Charles.

During the afternoon, notice that war has been declared arrives at the Wilkes’ plantation and all the young men rush off in a spirit of enthusiasm to join the war effort. Within a 6 week period Scarlett is married, widowed and discovers she is pregnant.

After Scarlett’s son, Wade Hampton, is born, she moves to Atlanta to live with Charles’ aunt and Melanie. Ashely is away fighting in the war. The novel goes into great detail about life for civilians in Atlanta during the war and how the living circumstances of people quickly degenerated due to the Yankees blockading the port. This part of the story is very sad and dramatic as many of the young men Scarlett grew up with are killed on the battlefields including the fun loving Tarleton twins and their two brothers. Rhett does not volunteer to fight and becomes a blockade runner, bringing much needed food and other goods into Atlanta and profiteering hugely for this trouble. He pops up continuously in Scarlett’s life bringing her small gifts and making life more pleasant and bearable.

After the war ends, the story follows the path of Scarlett’s life as she struggles to survive in a state devastated by war and Sherman’s burned earth policy. Scarlett and her family suffer starvation, cold, illness, and also unfairness at the hands of the Yankee victors who demand unreasonable taxes on the land.

While the blighted romances between Scarlett and Ashely, who both spend years imagining they are in love with each other when they are both really clinging to memories of the past, and Scarlett and Rhett, who are well suited but unable to communicate, are central to the story, it is Scarlett’s strength of character and ability to overcome adversity by willpower alone that make this book such a good read. Scarlett turns her back on all the old fashioned ideas about women of her conservative and cossetted childhood and strikes out on her own to make money and support her family and friends. Her decision to place making money above everything else and her preparedness to tolerate the Yankees in order to gain their business, makes her the town pariah, along with Rhett Butler who has long occupied this unenviable position.

Although Scarlett shows some undesirable characteristics due to her complete lack of understanding of other people, their feelings and emotions, I found her to be an admirable and formidable lady. She has an excellent head for business and maths and is also a leader. Despite her faults, she shows remarkable loyalty and stays with the heavily pregnant Melanie when Atlanta falls to the Yankees despite her own fear. She delivers Melanie’s baby and manages to transport them all home to Tara.

Scarlett is very conflicted because she wants to be a great lady like her mother, but she must do unladylike things to obtain security and wealth. She is a peculiar mixture of the Old pre-war South and the New post-war South. Scarlett holds on to her love for Ashley as he embodies the spirit of the Old South for her and her girlhood memories are pleasant and he features at their centre. At the same time she lets go of virtues like honour and kindness in order to achieve wealth and success. She is unable to see that her love for Ashley is merely a teenage dream and doesn’t have any solid foundation. She is totally unsuited to Ashley and is perfectly suited to Rhett, who is a scoundrel just like her. Her stubborn inability to see the truth about the men in her life ends up ruining her relationship with Rhett.

Gone with the Wind has three main themes as follows:

The transformation of Southern culture

A relevant extract: “Throughout the South for fifty years there would be bitter-eyed women who looked backwards, to dead times, to dead men, evoking memories that hurt and were futile, bearing poverty with bitter pride because they had those memories. But Scarlett was never to look back.”

Overcoming adversity with willpower

“Hunger gnawed at her empty stomach again and she said aloud: “As God is my witness, as God is my witness, the Yankees aren’t going to lick me. I’m going to live through this, and when it’s over, I’m never going to be hungry again. No, nor any of my folks. If I have to steal or kill – as God is my witness, I’m never going to be hungry again.”

The importance of land

“The clay was cold in her hand and she looked at it again.

“Yes,” she said, “I’ve still got this.”

At first, the words meant nothing and the clay was only red clay. Bud unbidden came the thought of the sea of read dirt which surrounded Tara and how very dear it was and how hard she had fought to keep it – how hard she was going to have to fight if she wished to keep it hereafter.”

Have you read Gone with the Wind? Did you enjoy it?

Purchase Gone with the Wind

Amazon US