For this theme, we will step aside and hand you over to a world-renowned expert on Gone With the Wind: Margaret Mitchell. Here's what she said about the novel and perseverance in 1936:
If the novel has a theme, it is that of survival. What makes some people come through catastrophes and others, apparently just as able, strong and brave, go under? It happens in every upheaval. Some people survive; others don't. What qualities are in those who fight their way through triumphantly that are lacking in those that go under? I only know that survivors used to call that quality "gumption." So I wrote about people who had gumption and people who didn't.
So yeah, insofar as gumption is perseverance, we've definitely got ourselves a theme for this book.
Questions About Perseverance
- Is perseverance a virtue in Gone With the Wind? Is Scarlett seen as better than others because she survives and thrives, or as worse than others?
- Which people other than Scarlett in Gone With the Wind have gumption? Provide evidence of their gumptionfulness. (No, gumptionfulness isn't a word, but we're thinking it should be.)
- Which people other than Ashley in Gone With the Wind lack gumption? Provide evidence of their gumptionlessness.