Analysis on Reconstruction of Southern Values after the Civil War in Gone with the Wind

Abstract Gone with the Wind，the only novel written by Margaret Mitchell, is one of the greatest bestselling novels in history。 It not only depicts the twisty love story of the heroine Scarlet, but also presents an epic reflecting how southern values towards whether marriage or life change after the American Civil War。 74881

In Gone with the Wind, the old South was gradually tumbling down though the old South belief was still rooted in Southerners’ hearts。 Meanwhile, new values were penetrating people’s life spontaneously, liberating old South’s stubborn minds。 Would the southern traditions change or not and how were they changing? After analyzing the novel, we can tell the southern values reconstructed under the banner of new capitalist values, which made the South take on a new look。 Meanwhile, it was mingled by the southern traditions that had a place in the reconstruction。

To our understanding from the novel, the southern traditions embodied pride, loyalty, responsibility, male-dominance, hierarchy, which were challenged by money-orientation, feminine consciousness, equality and so on in the Reconstruction era。 This thesis will analyze how southern values reconstruct after the Civil War in Gone with the Wind, so that readers will have a better understanding of the New South in America。

Keyword: Gone with the Wind; southern values；reconstruction; change

对《飘》战后南方价值观重建的解读

摘  要美国作家玛格丽特·米歇尔唯一一部长篇小说《飘》是历史上最伟大的畅销书之一。它不仅叙说了男女主人公之前曲折的爱情故事，还反映了美国内战后，旧南方向新南方转折的历史过程中，人们在情感选择、生活态度、思想观念上的变迁。

在小说中，南方传统文明逐步坍塌，但南方传统精神仍然扎根在人们心头，挥之不去。与此同时，新思想，新观念也逐渐渗透入南方人的生活，解放了南方人顽固的思想。南方传统精神传统思想到底会不会有所改变,又会如何变化呢？对文本进行分析之后，我们可以说，内战后，南方价值观在新思想的指引下重建，呈现出一派新气象，而南方传统精神并未退却，而是缠绕其中，占据一席之地。

从小说中可知，南方传统价值观体现在骄傲、忠诚、责任、男权至上、等级森严上，而这些在重建时代却被拜金zhuyi，女性意识，民主平等等思想所挑战。本文将通过《飘》来分析内战后南方价值观是如何重建的，从而使读者对美国新南方有更透彻的理解。

毕业论文关键词：飘； 南方价值观； 重建； 改变

Contents

1。 Introduction 1

1。1 Introduction to Margaret Mitchell and Gone with the Wind 1

1。2 Literature Review 1

2。 Mainstream Values of the South 2

3。 The Penetrating of New Values 3

3。1 The Fading of the Concept of Status 3

3。2 The Rise of the Worship of Money 3

3。3 Feminine Consciousness 4

3。4 The Structure of the Novel 6

4。 The Seeking of Southern Traditions 7

4。1 The Seeking of Scarlet 7

4。2 The Seeking of Rhett 8

5。 Conclusion 8

References 9