MARGARET MITCHELL - THE INTER WAR FEMINIST

ABSTRACT

The present paper studies the only novel of the author Margaete Michelle- the Gone With The Wind as representative of the juxtaposed ideas of prevalent patriarchy and the new fad-feminism in the mind of the protagonist with the backdrop of political turmoil of the American Civil War. The author suggests that the turmoil in the mind of the young women of the times was no less. More often than not, the patriarchal peer pressure was immense. The story is largely autobiographical and psychological in which the protagonist feels the clash of accepted patriarchal norms with the current feminist ideas. The inter-war period saw such clashes in the majority of women as they had been pushed by circumstances to adopt the role of breadwinner and heads of families in the absence of their patriarchal counterparts. But, once World War I was over, they were expected to go back to be the genteel ladies at home. The novel portrays the case when the protagonist chooses to adopt the prevalent feminist ideas, in letter and spirit.

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