Have you already watched the movie Gone with the Wind (1939) starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh? Or even better, have you read the book written by Margaret Mitchel with the same title? If you have done at least one of those two, then you are not curious about this character called Scarlett O’Harra since you already know all about her. Or not? Let’s check.
Here are some of the lessons we can learn from Scarlett O’Hara.
There is nothing wrong with making a few mistakes here and there
To Scarlett’s mind, making mistakes should not be anything shameful. She makes a fool of herself—she falls and stumbles—but always raises to her feet safe and sound. Probably one of the biggest lessons that Scarlett gave to young girls and women, in general, is that mistakes are natural parts of everyone’s life. No one is immune to making mistakes; as long as you can accept that you are fallible and willing to change, you are going to be okay.
You don’t always have to fit in
When you look at how Scarlett O’Hara behaves throughout the whole book, you come to realize that a person can be quite happy without even trying to fit in. She was first trying to balance between her mother’s Southern ways and her father’s boisterous nature, but later she gave up on that. However, in the end, she realized that she belongs to her Tara, her father’s land, and became its valuable inhabitant.
”You know the passage where Scarlett voices her happiness that her mother is dead so that she can’t see what a bad girl Scarlett has become? Well, that’s me.” – Vivien Leigh
There is nothing perfect about love
We all know about princesses from fairy tales who waited for their perfect prince to come, but that happens only in fairy tales. When we grow up, we continue to have those romantic notions of the dream guy, but we do not really wait for one to come. Rather, we act towards accepting those imperfect ones and make them perfect, at least in our mind. For Scarlett, Ashley was everything she ever wanted, but soon, she realized that she just admired him, nothing more. If you want to follow Scarlett’s steps, you have to always listen to that voice in your gut that tells you ‘what’s right for you.’ No one knows better than your own instinct.
We all have our secrets
Do you remember when Scarlett was poor but wanted to dress to impress Butler, so she got her dress made from the curtains? What an amazing idea! Surprisingly, no one noticed that she was actually wearing a curtain. Well, generally, when you come to think about Facebook and all the other social networks, many people are trying to impress others, but no one actually knows what is in behind. And they can succeed in fooling you if you only let them.
Follow your heart
Scarlett’s heart is the only authority in her life. Only her heart tells her what to do and how to act and react. Therefore, you should never let anyone else rule your life. Even though Scarlett belonged to a society that frowned upon smart women, she didn’t care about it and always did her best. She was never afraid to get things done in her own way.
‘Tomorrow is another day.’
This is Scarlett’s life motto. Although she is not quite aware of it, she repeats it often. She thinks that no matter how bad things seem today, tomorrow will bring some new opportunities to get things right. That is what walked her through the war troubles, broken marriages, and grief for lost loved ones.
Sometimes, you really have to be selfish
Scarlett’s selfishness helped her save her home from being taken away from her after the war. Her love for her family and the desire to keep herself away from hunger, illness, and poverty drove her out to do business—she ended up caring for everyone in her family. Isn’t that amazing—a young, spoiled, selfish girl became the most valuable family member, the one who manages everything and provides for everybody? A bit of selfishness isn’t a bad thing after all.
