The American Civil War was an event that changed the future of the United States of America. The outcome of the war determined whether there would be two countries instead of one united nation. Throughout the war the North and the South had completely different aspects of what happened. Many written accounts are based solely on the North's view of the Civil War. Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind discusses the Civil War from the South's perspective, while intertwining a wonderful, page turning story. The adventurous life of Scarlett O"Hara is full of trial and tribulations before, after and during the war. Scarlett's experiences tell how an average southern plantation family was affected by the war. Throughout Margaret Mitchell's compelling story of Scarlet O'Hara's life, is a historical account of the Civil War from the South's perspective shown in the life of plantation owners before the war, city dwellers during the war, and both plantation owners and city residents trying to get life back together after the war ended.
Before the war plantation life in the South was complicated, but enjoyable. Families owned and ran large plantations and had relatively easy lives, but still worked hard for their own plantation. The O'Hara family owned and ran a plantation named Tara. It was a large cotton plantation with many slaves working the fields, in the house and as personal servants, which was typical plantation life of the era. Margaret Mitchell brought the reality of war into the lives of her fictional characters. Among men and boys war was a popular subject, but among the women it was not. When Scarlett was chatting with the Tarleton twins they brought up war excitedly and she exclaimed, "Why there isn't going to be any war!" as though it was certain(7). At a large picnic on a neighboring plantation, Twelve Oaks, the main topic of conversation was the coming war. As the barbecue was getting started and guests were arriving shouts of "Of course we'll fight" and "Yankee thieves" were heard all around(108).