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There were many different issues that helped the North and South move towards Civil War. Different social, political and economic views all compounded to make war between the two inevitable. Slavery and the secession of the States were the final emotional issues that boiled over into all out war. America was transforming itself into a national power, with national markets, a national economy and an emphasis on industrialization. This transformation would result in a unified country that had the stability to move forward to become a world leader and experience phenomenal economic, political and social success. However, the creation of this unification did not come without the birthing pains of war, nor the destruction forever of a way of life in the South. Margaret Mitchell’s novel Gone With The Wind and the film produced from it by David O. Selznick of the same title, offer an accurate portrayal of the historical background and roles of women, blacks and soldiers during this momentous era in American history.

The role of women is very accurately portrayed in the novel and film. Mitchell was a young girl who heard first-hand many accounts of life during the Civil War, from relatives, friends, blacks and soldiers who had lived through the period. Her portrayals of women are accurate and in depth in detail. White women were the “candy” of the South, in the sense that they existed as identities in their relati

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situations working for decent white folks. The novel and film are very good at portraying the condition of Confederate soldiers during the war. Many Southerners were desperate for news during the battles of the war. News came slowly and was largely unreliable. One reason was the lack of sophistication of the press and the resistance of Southern leaders to disclose information, “Unfortunately from the standpoint of news, special correspondence from the Shenandoah Valley during May and the early part of June was exceedingly sparse. Jackson was not on intimate terms with Confederate newspapermen; both the rapidity of his movements and the remoteness of his sphere of operation from centers of population made for spotty news coverage” (Andrews, 1970: 182). We see this in the film as Rhett Butler often brings word-of-mouth news with him not known by Southerners, such as when he informs Scarlett of the battle at Gettysburg. The portrayal of social life and the relationship of women and those who left for battle is accurately portrayed in the film. One journalist of the time reports the waiting throngs of people desperate for news of their loved ones, “There was still a vast crowd around the hotel the next morning. Their enth
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Approximate Word count = 2071
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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