My Take on Gone With the Wind

  

My take on one of my favourite novels "Gone With the

Wind". This is the story told as briefly as possible , trying to keep the essence of a thousand page book within a few hundred words , writtern way back in 2004.

Just reading it again showed me how simplistically I see  these books and characters.Initially it was sent as four emails to my husband and some of my friends after I'd just finished reading the novel myself.Here it is with a few minor edits for typos.

 

Part 1:

The book is set in the times of American civil war.Scarlett is the eldest daughter of Gerald O'Hara (who was Irish and made his money in cotton plantations) and Ellen Robillard a really nice lady and and excellent house manager .

She is described as some one who has the power to get things done with out actually raising her voice.Their plantation is called 'Tara'.It has many slaves.There are women slaves who specialise in getting ladies ready and also field hands who work in the field.Almost all the neighbours live in much the similar way.

Scarlett is a very different character.Not what you'd expect of a Heroine.She is attractive with green eyes red hair and all .But she only understands tangible things like money and land.She really does a lot of things that are not quite right just to get her own way and make money.

Scarlett loves Ashley one of the people in her neighbourhood.But he marries his cousin Melanie.On the day of engagement of Ashley and Melanie she confronts ashley and he confesses that he loves her but that they will never be happy together coz they cannot understand each other.she slaps him.

Rhett butler Overhears this conversation.He already has a very bad reputation and every one in the country hates him.Scarlett is mad at him and hates him instantly for seeing her in that shameful sitaution.

Melanie is the other heroine like character in the book.She is full of goodness.She cannot even imagine an evil inention in another person.She loves Ashley dearly.

To spite everyone Scarlett marries Melanie's brother Charles.

Then the civil war happens.................

Part 2

In the war many people were killed and the south was defeated.Among the dead were Charles-scarlett's first husband.She bears a child which she totally ignores.She never really loved Charles and hates the time of widowhood coz she cannott do anything that she likes.The fact that she can never have Ashley gnaws at her.

Then she goes to live with Melanie and Charles ' aunt in Atlanta.Scarlett hates Melanie.But Melanie always misinterprets Scarlett's behavior with something heroic.Rhett Butler makes many cameo appearances and he is the one person who can read what's exactly on Scarlett's mind.He doesn't care about reputation and he has no scruples about making money when the confederate (southern states) are falling.

Then war comes to Atlanta too and everyone flees .But Scarlett and Melanie cannot leave because Melanie is pregnant.Though she curses Melanie a lot in private,she stays with her and helps her.Then they go back to Tara together.There everything is scarce and they have barely enough to live and pay taxes.They try to get money .Very unconventionally scarlett seduces a guy called Frank Kennedy who owns a store and marries him knowing perfectly well that her sister loved him as well.But here she really does give the money to every one in her family which her sister would never have done.
She lives as the wife of Frank kennedy and gives birth to a daughter.But She starts managing the store and also buys mills.She turns out to be an excellent business lady .But as ladies of her time are not supposed to be outside houses.Frank gets ridiculed by every one.He Ashley and many others join the Klu Klux Klan against blacks and Frank gets killed.

Rhett helps Ashley.Even now Scarlett loves Ashley.Rhett loves her.

Part 3

Rhett Butler was unpopular because he was thought to have made a lot of money from war .Also he was known to have funded a prostitute set up her house and he was quite ungallant unlike the usual southerners.


Scarlett is by far the most unpopular female in town and only Melanie really likes her.Rhett confronts her one day and offers to marry her fully knowing alll her faults also telling her that he has virtually no feelings of any kind towards her.But that since they understand each other's character so well , they should get married.

Again a marriage for Scarlett and Rhett gives her everything money can buy and also independence to live as she likes which is a way unnatural to other southern ladies.

Ashley has virtually no money and no job .So scarlett offers him a job at one of her mills.Even now she has Ashley on her mind and wishes that Melanie were dead.Melanie on the other hand adores Scarlett and Rhett and has no suspicions abt her.

Scarlett starts liking Rhett but not loving him.They have a daughter 'Bonnie' whom Rhett adores.Rhett mends his ways and becomes the most caring father that Atlanta has ever seen.All the townspeople start liking Rhett.

Then an incident involving Ashley and Melanie occurs at the mills and causes scandal in the town.Every one hates scarlett and the whole town is abuzz with rumours.But melanie refuses to believe any rumour abt scarlett and even stops talking to those who talk ill of her.Neither Ashley nor Scarlett tell her the truth because truth would be unbelievable to Melanie.

Rhett becomes quite cold to scarlett and leaves Atlanta.She starts understanding him .But she is too head strong to admit it to him.

Part 4

The day Rhett comes back ,Scarlett is really happy to see him and wants to tell him that she is going to have a child.But they have an argument at the end of which she falls down the fleet of grand stairs and is very ill.

It is at this point that we understand how much Rhett had loved scarlett.And Scarlett delirious can only think that Rhet hates her and she never once calls his name.Melanie is there full time to care for her as well as console Rhett.

After Scarlett recovers , She pays a visit to Tara and comes back rejuvenated.Bonnie grows very fond of jumping over fences on her pony .Rhett is a very indulgent father and lets her do everything she fancies.
Then one day Bonnie tries to make the pony jump a very large fence and she falls off the horse and dies instantaneously.Scarlett blames Rhett.Rhett is devastated.

Rhett gets drunk everyday and goes back to his old ways .He doesn't even acknowledge Scarlett's existence.Scarlett feels very lonely.Then one day Rhett telegrams her saying that Melanie is seriously ill.

She had not heeded doctor's advice abt not having a baby and now was on her deathbed.

Melanie says she wants to speak to scarlett .She tells scarlett to look after Ashley and her kid.Scarlett suddenly realises how much Melanie meant to her and that her foolish love for Ashley evaporates away in a flash..

As she rushes back to her home thru the mist to tell Rhett that she loves him and that she wants him .But he calmly says that it is too late -his love for her has worn out and that he is abt to go on a long voyage.....

Scarlett is left all alone.But with charecteristic grit she says 'I'll think of some way to get him back'.'After all tomorrow is another day'.

Valentine's Day Cards

Till date , I can say without much regret  that I have never receieved even one V'day card , either in school , college or even after my wedding  except for one or 2 from hopeful suitors of my beautiful best friend ,giving cards to the two of us in-order to avoid getting the taste of her block heeled shoes. This year too , getting cards for myself is not a likely probability , but I did spend a good half an hour yesterday , making V'day cards with my son's name signed in them with stuffed candy all ready for him to give it to his friends in daycare.After I was done, it looked soo cute , that I took a picture of it on my phone.

Anyway, manu can't complain about not having experience in giving v'day cards. He is defiitely starting young..

Here is a cute little love poem I wrote years ago.

Happy Valentine's day.

A different Anniversary

I am almost back to my normal bubbly self after a hugely stressful week . My husband and I have been going through a gruelling work schedule leaving us even no time to really celebrate our sixth anniversary even.And there was this event that happened this week that I feel I need to write about.


It happened on Sunday 30th Jan . It was our sixth anniversary and I had just woken up and was making tea ,resolving to cook something much better than what I'd been doing the past week for breakfast and lunch , when hubby got a phone call from one of his team members. It wasn't unusual, since the whole team had been working day in and day out , and I had helped my husband and him for debugging a java requirement the previous night. Today how ever , he sounded really agitated and on the verge of a breakdown. I heard my husband asking him to come over to our place. I cursed inwardly. Why did this guy have to come over and work at our house on a Sunday morning , that too on our anniversary? But then , when I actually saw what a nervous wreck the guy looked like, my stance softened. I served coffee and also offered my suggestions to their web development problems.


As time dragged on ,and it was apparent that the problem was more psychological than technical. He pointedly refused to have any food and insisted that he was alright , when he looked as far from it as could be. We began to get worried and my husband suggested that they go out and buy lunch. After they bought lunch, I persuaded both of them to come and eat, and then as he tried to get up, fell flat down the carpeted floor unconscious. My husband revived him with water whilst I got our friends to come and help, and made him have food But the guy was a nervous wreck. He kept apologizing for causing us trouble and was on the verge of tears. My husband then took him home to his friend's place and left him there to take rest.


Nevertheless,the incident left many disturbing thoughts in my mind. Was IT causing so much pressure that it was causing nervous breakdowns in employees? Where the companies in their greed to meet unreasonable deadlines , making the employees (their golden egg laying geese) to work just too hard?My husband and others in his team had been working into the wee hours of the night to meet their expected goals.


I looked at my husband. He looked as disturbed as I did , and I knew it was more than meeting the project deadline that was causing it. I then decided that I wasn't going to give him any more pressure than he was already having, for not spending time with me. It was an anniversary sans celebrations , but it was not going to be one without love and understanding.

In rememberance of a Friend

A pen with the initials RSM inscribed on it which she used to say she would have inscribed on all the Nokia phones once she became CEO, a box of thoughts(suvisheshams) handed out to any one feeling blue, a big smile for her friends,the asbsolute freedom to say what ever you pleased with out minding the language,and the absolute terrbile way she destroyed the most beautiful songs .That is the Rekha Susan Mani I remember.

I wish I had never seen the mail, never heard the news , never known that she is no more in this world, for I would do anything in the world today to know that the smiling facebook photo is for real and that she is still alive and well.


From a cobweb of memories old,
I can still see your smiling face
Oh thoughts , they come in a flood
flashing scenes in my mind's maze

I remember the smiles , the jokes and fights,
Those rainy nights , when all was dark
I remember the laughter that echoed our room
The clouds too that made our friendships strong

When we parted ways , and you moved away
New friendships came and blocked our way
Time moved on , future beckoned
To distant lands we flew away.

We drifted apart ,as friends would do,
Not keeping in touch as we so promised to
With a pang in my heart , I realise today,
That you are gone for ever ,with angels for friends,

 Now I can see your smiling face,
in my mind ,clearer than ever before,
As I close eyes and let tears fall,
To grieve for a friend forever lost.

Wonders of Social Networking

Well, one of the wonders of social networking as we know it or can I just say Facebook is that gives intelligent suggestions as to who your friends might be ,and today , I found that a class mate from school (4th standard) had invited me on facebook.It was amazing to think that I was adding somebody that I had never seen , may be never even thought of after my primary school.But it brought back memories . I remembered our class being in the auditorium split up with separators. New classrooms were just being built, and the teachers had decided to place one girl between 2 boys on every bench. I was placed between , this guy say N and another guy who used to crack absolutely horrible jokes and N never used to open his mouth. What a pathetic place to be. But ultimately , N and I did become good friends, mostly because we couldn't stand the other guy and also because just before exams , he would come to my home with his mom and get my notes to get his notes corrected. Now I see his FB page and looks like he has become a hotshot mobile platform developer or something. My,how time does fly...I wonder if he remembers any of this himself, or  just add ed me seeing an intelligent suggesion from FB showing "You have many common friends , you come from same school, common sense says you might have come across each other somewhere" . Probably the latter . I would have done the same myself.

Little Hearts-A story from school

It was a day in kodaikanal in 1998.Two bored girls were walking around the kodaikanal wondering what they were doing there. It was the last day of a week long science camp with geeks from all over India. It was finally over and they were giving us the last day off to explore the place. The whole lot of be-spectacled black hole loving set of bujis were making a crowded conversation about bernauli's theorem with respect to the lake or something of that sort..The girls made a quick escape and were soon walking along a different path. They were checking their pockets to see if they had any money to rent bicycles when a young boy who was probably only 5 or 6 approached them trying to sell a packet of little hearts biscuits. Neither of the girls liked the biscuit he was selling , much less the fact that he was trying his best to force them to buy one of the packets. They walked away to another place , but the child was persistant. A good half an hour later the girls found themselves with a packet of little hearts for which they had paid much more than its cost. But they felt good about themselves about helping the young child.

My husband bought little hearts biscuit the other day and that made me remember this story that happened long ago.

New Year at Brainerd- A Travelogue

ഒരു അടിപൊളി യാത്ര കഴിഞ്ഞു തിരിചെത്തിയപ്പോഴാണ് ഇനി ഒരു യാത്രാവിവരണം ആയാലോ എന്ന ആശയം മനസ്സില്‍ ഉദിച്ചത്.

പത്തു പേരടങ്ങിയ ഒരു സാമാന്യം വലിയ സംഘമായിരുന്നു ഞങ്ങളുടേത്.

അഞ്ചു കുടുംബങ്ങള്‍ -ഹര്‍ഷ &സുബിത് ,ശ്രീജിത്ത് & ആതിര ,വീണ & സുബ്ബു ,രാധിക,സംയുക്ത & ഭദ്രന്‍ ചേട്ടന്‍ ,പിന്നെ ഞങ്ങളും (സുനിത ,വിജയ്‌ & മനുകുട്ടന്‍ ).തലേ ദിവസം കാലേ കൂടി എല്ലാരും രോസ്വില്ലിലെത്തി.പിറ്റെന്നത്തെക്കുള്ള ഭക്ഷണം എല്ലാരും ചേര്‍ന്ന് പാകം ചെയ്തു . ഞൊടിയിടയില്‍ ഇഡലിയും, ഉപ്പുമാവും പുളിയോഗുരവും റെടിയായി.പിറ്റേന്ന് പത്തു മണിയായപ്പോള്‍ ഞങ്ങള്‍ അവിടെ നിന്ന് തിരിച്ചു.കുറച്ചു ദൂരം ചെന്നപ്പോഴാണ് വിനുഎട്ടന്‍ ക്യാമറ കാറില്‍ വെച്ച് മറന്ന കാര്യം ഓര്‍ത്തത്‌. പിന്നെ തിരിച്ചു പോയി അതെടുക്കാന്‍ ചെന്നപ്പോളാണ്‌ കാര്‍ പൂട്ടാന്‍ മറന്ന കാഴ്ച ഞങ്ങള്‍ കണ്ടത്. കാറും കാറിലെ സാധനങ്ങളും നഷ്ടപെടാത്തത്തിനും തിരിച്ചു വന്നു നോക്കാന്‍ തോന്നിച്ചതിനും ഈശ്വരനോട് നന്ദി പറഞ്ഞുകൊണ്ട് ഞങ്ങള്‍ വീണ്ടും യാത്ര ആരംഭിച്ചു .

വാശി ഏറിയ അന്താക്ഷരി മത്സരത്തിനു ശേഷം സുബ്ബു വളരെ രസകരമായ ഒരു കളി കൊണ്ട് വന്നു.എല്ലാവരും കൂടെ ഓരോ ഓരോ വാക്യങ്ങള്‍ പറഞ്ഞു ഒരു കഥ ഉണ്ടാക്കുക.ശ്രീജിത്താണ് കഥക്ക് തുടക്കമിട്ടത്. ശ്രീജിത് വിജയും കൂടെ സ്കി ചെയ്തതില്‍ നിന്ന് തുടങ്ങിയ ആ കഥ ഒരു കൊലപാതകവും , ആത്മഹത്യ ശ്രമവും പ്രണയവും നിറഞ്ഞ ഒരു ത്രില്ലെര്‍ ആയി മാറി. സഞ്ചാരികള്‍ ‍ എല്ലാരും കഥാപാത്രങ്ങള്‍ ആയി മാറി മറഞ്ഞ ആ കഥ അവസാനിച്ചപ്പോളെക്കും ഞങ്ങള്‍ ഗുല്‍ ലയ്കില്‍ എത്തിയിരുന്നു.

     അവിടെ ചെന്ന് ഞങ്ങള്‍ സ്നോ മൊബയില്‍ വാടകയ്ക്കെടുത്തു .രണ്ടു സ്നോ മോബയിലുകളും നാല് സെറ്റ് സ്നോ ഗിയറും ആണ് എടുത്തത്‌. കുട്ടികള്‍ക്ക് ഭക്ഷണം കൊടുക്കനുള്ളവരും പിന്നെ ഗര്‍ഭിണിയായ ഹര്ഷയും കാബിനിലേക്ക്‌ പോയപ്പോള്‍ ശ്രീജിത്ത്‌, ആതിര , സുബ്ബു, വീണ തുടങ്ങിയവര്‍ സ്നോ മൊബയില്‍ ഓടിക്കാന്‍ പോയി. കാബിന്‍ വളരെ വിശാലമായ ഒരു വീട് പോലെ തന്ന ആയിരുന്നു. നാല് ബെട്രൂമുകളും വലിയ ഒരു ഹാളും അടുക്കളയും ,8 പേര്‍ക്കിരിക്കാവുന്ന വലിയ ഒരു തീന്‍ മേശയും അവിടെ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു.അവിടെ ചെന്ന് ഞങ്ങള്‍ ഇഡലിയും ചമ്മന്തിയും ആതിര ഉണ്ടാക്കിയ സ്വാദിഷ്ടമായ സാമ്പാറും കഴിച്ചു.സ്നോ മൊബയില്‍ ചെയ്യാന്‍ പോയവര്‍ തിരിച്ചെത്തി വസ്ത്ര വിധാനങ്ങള്‍ അടുത്ത സെറ്റിനു കൈമാറി.കുട്ടികളെ മറ്റുള്ളവരെ ഏല്പിച്ചു സുനിത, വിജയും , രാധിക ,ഭദ്രനും സ്നൌമോബയില്‍ ഓടിക്കാന്‍ പോയി.അതിനു ശേഷം പല യാത്രകളിലായി എല്ലാവരും വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും സ്നോ മോബിലിംഗ് ആസ്വദിച്ചു. ഒരിക്കല്‍ ആ യന്ത്രം സ്നൌയില്‍ കുടുങ്ങി പോയെങ്കിലും വലിയ പ്രശ്നങ്ങള്‍ ഇല്ലാതെ അധികാരികളെ വിളിച്ചു അത് പരിഹരിക്കാന്‍ കഴിഞ്ഞു. മഞ്ഞു പെയ്യുന്നതൊന്നും വക വെയ്ക്കാതെ 70 ഇലും മറ്റും കുതിച്ചു പാഞ്ഞ ഞങ്ങള്‍ നിശ്ചിതമായ ആറു മണിക്കൂറും ഉപയോഗിച്ച ശേഷം യന്ത്രങ്ങള്‍ തിരിച്ചെല്‍പ്പി ച്ചു . അതിനു മുന്പായി രസകരമായി പോസ്‌ ചെയ്തു ഫോട്ടോ എടുക്കാനും ഞങ്ങള്‍ മറന്നില്ല.ആതിരയെ പൊക്കി എടുത്ത ശ്രീജിത്തും ,മികച്ച യോ പോസുകള്‍ ചെയ്ത വീണ സുബ്ബുവും , മോഡേണ്‍ ശകുന്തലയായിപോസ്‌ ചെയ്ത സുനിതയും എല്ലാവരെയും രസിപ്പിച്ചു.

വൈകുന്നേരം അവിടെ ഉള്ള ന്യൂ ഇയര്‍ പാര്‍ടിക്ക് പോകണോ എന്ന് ആലോചിച്ചെങ്കിലും പിന്നീട് എല്ലാരും കൂടെ കാബിനില്‍ തന്നെ ന്യൂ ഇയര്‍ ആഖോഷിക്കാന്‍ തീരുമാനിച്ചു. രാത്രി വൈകുന്നതു വരെ ബ്ലുഫ്ഫ് കളിക്കുകയും അതിനു ശേഷം കുറച്ചു നേരം സംസാരിച്ചിരിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തു. ഈ സമയമത്രയും പല തമാശകള്‍ പറഞ്ഞു ഭദ്രന്‍ ചേട്ടന്‍ എല്ലാവരെയും രസിപ്പിച്ചു.2011 തുടങ്ങുന്നത് ഗണപതിയെ കണി കണ്ടിട്ടാവണം എന്നാ വീണയുടെ ആഗ്രഹം കേട്ടപ്പോള്‍ എല്ലാവര്ക്കും അത് ഒരു നല്ല ഐഡിയ ആയി തോന്നി. പുതു വര്‍ഷത്തിനു ഇത്രയും നല്ല ഒരു തുടക്കം കിട്ടാനുണ്ടോ ?. 11:59 ഇന് എല്ലാവരും കണ്ണടച്ചു 12:00 മണിക്ക് വിഘ്നേശ്വരനെ കണികണ്ടു എല്ലാവരും പുതു വത്സരം ആരംഭിച്ചു. പിന്നീട് ഗ്രൂപ്പ്‌ ഫോട്ടോ എടുത്ത ശേഷം ഡംബ് ശരടെസു കളിച്ചു.അതിനു ശേഷം ക്ഷീണിതരായി എല്ലാരും ഉറങ്ങാന്‍ കിടന്നു.

പിറ്റേന്ന് രാവിലെ ഫോട്ടോ സെഷനുകള്‍ ആയിരുന്നു. എല്ലാരും തണുപ്പെല്ലാം മറന്നു ജാക്കെട്ടുകള്‍ ഊരി വെച്ച് മഞ്ഞില്‍ ഫോട്ടോസെടുത്തു .അതിനു ശേഷം എല്ലാരും ക്രാഗുന്‍സിനോട് വിട പറഞ്ഞു സ്കി ഗുല്‍ രേസോര്ടിലേക്ക് തിരിച്ചു. അവിടെ രണ്ടു സ്കി കിറ്റും നാല് സ്നോ ട്യുബിംഗ് പാസും എടുത്ത ഞങ്ങള്‍ ദിവസം മുഴുവനും അവിടെ ചിലവഴിച്ചു.മഞ്ഞു മൂടിയ ഒരു കൊച്ചു കുന്നിന്‍ മുകളില്‍ നിന്ന് താഴേക്ക്‌ ഒരു ട്യുബില്‍ ഉരസി വരുന്നതാണ് ട്യുബിംഗ്. സ്കിയിംഗ് ആകട്ടെ രണ്ടു വടികളില്‍ കാലു തിരുകി കുന്നിന്‍ മുകളില്‍ നിന്ന് താഴേക്ക്‌ വരുന്നതും. ഹര്‍ഷ ഒഴിച്ചു എല്ലാരും ടുബിങ്ങിലും സ്കിയിങ്ങിലും മുഴുകിയപ്പോള്‍ അവള്‍ സംയുക്ടയെയും മനുവിനെയും നോക്കി .തണുപ്പ് വളരെ കൂടുതല്‍ ആയതിനാല്‍ അവരെ പുറത്തു കൊണ്ട് പോയെങ്കിലും വേഗം തന്നെ അകത്തു കൊണ്ട് വരേണ്ടി വന്നിരുന്നു.ഇതെല്ലം ചെയ്യുകയും ഫോട്ടോ എടുക്കുകയും ചെയ്തു സമയം പോയത് ആരും അറിഞ്ഞില്ല. വിശന്നും ക്ഷീണിച്ചും എല്ലാരും തിരിച്ചെത്തിയപ്പോള്‍ സമയം ആറു മണി ആയിരുന്നു.

പിന്നീട് ടാകോ ബെല്ലില്‍ നിന്ന് ഭക്ഷണം കഴിച്ചപ്പോഴാണ് എല്ലാവര്‍ക്കും ആശ്വാസം ആയതു. അതിനു ശേഷം വണ്ടിയില്‍ ഇരുന്നു അശ്വമേധം കളിച്ചു. എന്നാല്‍ സാധാരണയില്‍ നിന്ന് വിരുദ്ധമായി സിനിമ പേരുകള്‍ വെച്ചാണ്‌ കളിച്ചത്.രസകരമായ ആ കളിയില്‍ ആര്‍ക്കും കണ്ടു പിടിക്കാനാവാത്ത സിനിമ ആലോചിച്ചു രാധിക വിജയി ആയി. കളി തീര്‍ന്നപ്പോളേക്കും വീട് എത്തിയിരുന്നു .അവിസ്മരണീയമായ ഒരു വിനോദയാത്ര തന്നെ ആയിരുന്നു അത് .യാത്രയെ കുറിച്ച് അയവിറക്കികൊണ്ട് കുറച്ചു സമയം വീണയുടെ വീട്ടില്‍ ഇരുന്ന ശേഷം എല്ലാവരും സ്വ ഗൃഹങ്ങളിക്ക് മടങ്ങി പോയി.