Political Science in Novels Jubilee by Margaret Walker and Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - Essay Example

? History and Political Science There are a number of novels written in the past based on the ideas of slavery, Civil War, and reconstruction. Two of such novels are; Jubilee by Margaret Walker and Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Both these novels take place in the same time but they provide a contrasting view of those times. The novels address different issues that affected the everyday lives of their characters. The following paper would discuss the emergence of the following themes in the novels; the transformation of Southern Society, the overcoming of adversity with willpower, the importance of land, and the intelligence and capabilities of women. In the novel Jubilee by Margaret Walker, the transformation of Southern Society has been described comprehensively. The novel defines so many aspects of the life in the South till the time slavery ended. There are a number of factors that influenced the southern life after the Civil War and the resulting reconstruction. One of the most influential factors was the economy. Another factor that caused the transformation of the southern society was the change in social structure and the government. During the Civil War, the economy was very weak and the people in the South were hugely impacted by the shrinking economy. The novel provides an explanation of the damage caused by the war to the society (Walker, 268). After the end of the Civil War when the reconstruction was initiated, the economy of the region recovered at a rapid pace. The agriculture of the region also grew and it also added to the recovery of the economy. Due to the growth in agriculture, the Southern Society was able to deal in the agricultural products with other regions and the inflow of the revenue was at the highest at this point. In the novel Jubilee, the transformation of the Southern Society is explained through its characters when Vyry and her family ultimately acquire a good place to live and a place for carrying out planting and this enables them to earn more money. On the other hand, in Gone with the Wind, the transformation of Southern Society has been explained through the character Scarlett. Before the war, Scarlett is bound to follow all the rules of the high-class Southern society, however during the war Scarlett breaks free from the confines of the rules and uses her instincts to lead her. During the era of reconstruction, Scarlett acquires a factory and ignores the rules that existed in the Old South. The journey of the character of Scarlett reflects the transformation of Southern society through the time span before, during and after the Civil War. After the era of Reconstruction, Scarlett tries to connect to the old culture of South but in a new way and this reflects the regain of the control of the political structure by the society. The novel Jubilee emanates the theme of ‘overcoming of adversity with willpower’ through the character Vyry. The way the character of Vyry develops throughout the novel represents this theme. The novel covers the life of Vyry through three major periods which are; slavery, Civil War and Reconstruction and in each of these periods, Vyry remains strong only because of her willpower. In the period of slavery, despite the overly depressing circumstances, Vyry responds to her surroundings in a strong manner and she does not let her circumstances add to her adversities. During Civil War, the character of Vyry shifts from that of a slave to a protector of the property that is threatened to be damaged due to the war. She remains strong during the war as well and due to her willpower avoids any adversity that comes her way. After the war, she works the crops and waits for her husband to return. Even though she learns that her husband is dead and this news devastates her for a short span of time, she soon recovers and does not let adversity take the most of her. Vyry’s life gets better when she gets married again and gets a new home and a farm to work in. On the other hand, in Gone with the Wind, the theme of ‘overcoming of adversity with willpower’ is represented by the characters of Scarlett, Rhett and Ashley. All these characters dealt with the circumstances of slavery, Civil War and Reconstruction in different ways and each represented willpower and overcame their adversities. However, the character of Scarlett was used as the most prominent representation of the ideology of overcoming of adversity through willpower. The way Scarlett climbed from poverty to wealth throughout the novel it represented significant importance of willpower for overcoming the adverse circumstances. The novels also represent the theme of importance of land throughout their text. The authors have described the importance of land through the feelings of the characters of the novel. In Jubilee, the character Vyry acts as a protector of land during the period of the Civil War. During the Civil War, the property of the South got severely damaged due to the attacks. So many houses were demolished and so much land was rendered infertile. The novel represents the importance of land when the character of Vyry assumes the position of the protector of the land in the absence of the masters of the land during the war. Even after the war, the sole source of income for Vyry is the revenue she earns from plantation. Thus, the land holds significant importance for Vyry and she is sincerely attached to the Southern land. On the other hand, in Gone with the Wind, the importance of land is expressed when Scarlett’s father tells her that land is the only thing in the world that has any value. Due to her father’s teachings, Scarlett develops a perception that the land to which she belongs is the only thing that is important for her. In the story, the importance of land has been developed just as the importance of any character in the story. Scarlett attaches so much value to the land and at the time of the war when she is sick and weak, it is the land that makes her feel at home. Due to her attachment to the land, Scarlett finds herself more motivated to struggle against the adverse circumstances. Scarlett even considers land more precious than love. Thus, it can be said that the theme of importance of land emanates throughout both the novels. The theme of intelligence and capabilities of women is also prominent in both the works. In Jubilee, the character of Vyry remains strong against even the most extreme circumstances. During all the three periods of slavery, Civil War and Reconstruction, Vyry uses her intelligence and capabilities to deal with the circumstances. She remains strong during the period of slavery, she uses her capabilities and willpower to deal with the extreme circumstances during the period of war and she uses her intelligence to survive and grow in the period of Reconstruction. The novel shows that women play an important role in the society and their intelligence and capabilities are vital for the proper growth of the society. On the other hand, in Gone with the Wind, the intelligence and capabilities of women are represented through the character of Scarlett. She is intelligent and capable of manipulating men. She knows how to run business better than most men and ultimately becomes a successful business owner. Another female character in the story that represents intelligence and capabilities is that of Melanie. She provides significant support to Scarlett in her tasks. Thus, it can be said that both the stories represent the theme of intelligence and capabilities of women through their characters. Both the stories show the importance of women in the times of slavery, Civil War and Reconstruction. It can be concluded that both Jubilee and Gone with the wind included the themes of; transformation of Southern society, overcoming of adversity with willpower, importance of land and the intelligence and capabilities of women. Both the stories include these themes prominently and these subjects are reflected through the characters of the stories. Most of these themes are reflected through the character of Vyry in Jubilee and the character of Scarlett in Gone with the Wind. Works Cited Gone with the Wind. Victor Fleming. Metro Goldwyn Mayer, 1939. Walker, Margaret. Jubilee. Reprint. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1999. Print. Read More