Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara in the film adaptation of Gone with the Wind
Any reader can probably tell you about a character from a favorite book of theirs that they credit with changing or saving their life. My fictional hero? Scarlett O’Hara. Some may not know of this heroine, but she is the main character of the classic novel Gone with the Wind. She has a reputation of being, for lack of a better term, a bitch, but I think otherwise. I stumbled upon the film adaptation during a difficult time in my life; my uncle had just passed away after a very long hard battle with cancer. I don’t remember much of what happened during the months following his death but I remember walking through the aisles of my local Blockbuster and seeing the title GONE WITH THE WIND on the shelf. I’d remembered my mom mentioning the film before, saying how much I’d love it. So, I decided to give it a shot. Even if I didn’t like it, it was a four hour distraction.
The second the movie started I was completely entranced by the film. For being made in the late 1930′s, the film’s scale was huge, something not done at that time and it was in color, another thing rarely done at the time. And the acting made it the classic it is today. I followed Scarlett along her journey from before the Civil War to the reconstruction of the South and through her many marriages. She was a tough woman, taking responsibility for her own family and another, running her household and trying to keep everyone fed. She was a survivor. And that’s how I saw her. Someone who lost so many people (parents, children, husbands and friends), lost her home, and yet she still fought to survive another day. The next day I went out for the book. It was a thick thing and I couldn’t wait to dive into it. I finished it in only a couple of weeks and felt so lost when I turned the last page. I wanted more of the story. I wanted to see how Scarlett ended up.
“I’ll think about that tomorrow,” (IMDb)
A phrase spoken by Scarlett many times throughout the story. It was her coping method, and it is something that helps me sleep at night, something that gets me through an anxiety attack. I just say the words in my head. I found strength in Scarlett during a time where I felt nothing but weakness and fear. She made me realize that even though you may lose people you love, life goes on and it’s worth living for.
Some people may see Scarlett O’Hara as a heartless bitch. But I see the survivor in her and she brought out the survivor in me.
So, who is your fictional hero?