Previous
Chapter 44
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Gone with the Wind, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Civil War and Reconstruction
Looking Forward vs. Looking Back
Classism and Racism
Practicality, Tenacity, and Selfishness
Women and Power
Summary
Analysis
Later that night, Frank brings Scarlett, the children, and Miss Pitty to Melanie’s and goes to a meeting with Ashley. Scarlett is angry and hurt that Frank is leaving her. Sam told Frank the men hadn’t done more than rip her bodice, and Frank had listened calmly and told Sam he’d take him part way to Tara that night. Frank’s calm angers Scarlett. How could he leave her for a silly meeting after what happened to her? If he really loved her, he’d stay and take care of her.
Scarlett thinks Frank doesn’t care about her because he goes off to a Democrat party meeting. Frank is going to a meeting that hopes to reinstate policies that oppress Black people and aim to prevent incidents like what happened to Scarlett. However, as usual, Scarlett doesn’t believe politics help anything.
Themes
At Melanie’s, the women sit by the fire sewing. The children sleep in the nursery, and Archie sits by the fire chewing tobacco. Melanie chats on about the Lady Harpists’ group. Scarlett wants to talk about her assault and is angry that everyone is acting like nothing is wrong. She’d escaped a terrible fate and can’t stop thinking about the Black hand touching her breasts. She thinks it is odd that Archie is whittling onto the rug and no one tells him to spread out a sheet.
Scarlett is deeply shaken by her assault and can’t stop thinking about it. However, everyone else wants to pretend that nothing happened and talk about meaningless, innocent things. As usual, Scarlett isn’t afraid to talk openly about matters that are considered immodest and make other people uncomfortable.
Themes
Archie spits tobacco juice into the fire and India scolds him. Miss Pitty says she’s glad her father didn’t chew, and Melanie snaps at her for being tactless. Scarlett wonders what’s wrong with the women. India gives Scarlett a hateful look, then looks at Archie anxiously. Scarlett notices how tense everyone is. She can tell they know something she doesn’t and are waiting for something.
Scarlett has been so focused on operating her business and ignoring the rumors about her actions that she is now on the outside looking in. This also creates tension, as Scarlett and readers are now left to wonder what the other women are waiting for.
Themes
Scarlett declares she’s too nervous to sew and says she can’t believe Frank left her after what happened. Then she asks India why she’s staring at her so angrily. India says Scarlett asked for the attack by flaunting herself around town for months, and that she deserved worse. India starts to say something about Frank, but Melanie stops her. India says she hates Scarlett because she has exposed every decent woman by tempting “white trash” and “darkies.” She starts to say that Scarlett has put their men in danger, but Melanie says India promised not to tell. Scarlett demands to know what’s going on.
By asserting that Scarlett brought her assault on herself, India shows how traditional white Southerners feel about independent women. Scarlett, India insists, should be more like her and like Melanie—quiet and domestic—and has no business working, especially not while pregnant. She frames the assault not as a violation of Scarlett’s body autonomy, but as a deserved lesson punishing Scarlett for her “bad” behavior.
Themes
Get the entire Gone with the Wind LitChart as a printable PDF.
Archie silences them and says he hears someone coming. Rhett Butler announces himself and Melanie flings open the door. Rhett demands to know where the men have gone. Scarlett doesn’t understand what’s happening as Rhett and Melanie argue, but Rhett says the Yankees know what’s going on. Melanie finally shares that the men are meeting in the basement of a plantation near Shantytown. Rhett thanks her and leaves swiftly.
Scarlett doesn’t understand what everyone is so serious about. Even Rhett Butler, who usually doesn’t take anything seriously, is acting as though something very bad is happening. Melanie tells him that the men are meeting near Shantytown which confuses Scarlett because she thought the meetings happened at Frank’s store. This highlights a consequence of Scarlett’s independence: she’s totally lost.
Themes
Scarlett shakes Melanie, demanding to know what’s happening. India says it means Scarlett has probably killed Ashley and Frank. Archie tells them to keep sewing because the Yankees might be spying on them. They obey. Scarlett asks what’s happened to Ashley, and India observes that Scarlett isn’t thinking of Frank. Melanie says they should’ve told Scarlett, but Frank didn’t want to upset her. She says that Frank and Ashley are in the KKK, and that’s where they go every night. Scarlett is horrified, but India says she should be proud of them.
Scarlett is usually the one people tell the harsh truth to because she is sensible enough to handle it. However, no one told her that Frank and Ashley were in the KKK because they knew she would disapprove. While India implies that she sees KKK membership as brave, Scarlett just wants everyone to be peaceful so she won’t lose her money or her mills.
Themes
Scarlett asks what Rhett was talking about. Archie says that because of Scarlett’s incident that afternoon, Ashley and Frank and the KKK set out to kill her attackers. If what Rhett said was true, the Yankees know and have set a trap to catch the KKK. If Frank and Ashley aren’t killed, they’ll have to flee. Archie says the blood is on Scarlett’s hands. Melanie defends Scarlett, saying people must do what they must do.
While Scarlett has been running her mills and doing business with Yankees, she hasn’t paid one thought to how her actions endanger others. Now that Frank and Ashley have set out to avenge her attackers, she realizes too late that her actions have consequences.
Themes
They hear horses, and Scarlett panics that she’s killed Ashley. The women all pretend to sew, keeping their faces blank. The visitor is Captain Tom Jaffery, one of Rhett’s friends and a customer of Scarlett’s. He asks Melanie where Mr. Wilkes and Mr. Kennedy are. She says they’re at a meeting at Frank’s store. The captain says they aren’t at the store, and that he and his men will wait outside till they return. The Yankees watch the women through the window. Melanie picks up Les Miserables and reads aloud blandly. Scarlett thinks of Ashley and Frank. If they’re not killed tonight, they’ll have to leave town like Tony Fontaine did. She doesn’t understand why Rhett wants to help when he hates Ashley, and she feels like this is all her fault.
The Yankees park outside Melanie’s house and wait for the offenders to return, showing that Georgia is practically under martial law during Reconstruction. Southerners see killing a Black man as an act of justice, but to the Yankees, it is a crime. Scarlett isn’t proud of Ashley or Frank and is only upset that she endangered them. She can’t understand why Rhett is helping when he, like her, dislikes foolish acts of bravery. Rhett is starting to seem less like Scarlett and more like a member of the Old Guard—the group of loyal Confederates.
Themes
Melanie’s voice trails off as she hears horses and singing voices. It’s Rhett, singing a song about Sherman’s march. He is joined by Ashley and Hugh Elsing, both laughing drunkenly. Scarlett knows that Ashley never gets drunk, and that Rhett is somber when he drinks. Melanie flings open the door and calls to Rhett to bring Ashley in. She acts confused when the Yankee says they’re under arrest. Scarlett realizes this is all rehearsed. Ashley and Rhett stumble inside, and Melanie shrieks that they’re too drunk to walk.
Just as when Melanie lied to the children at Tara to cover up that Scarlett shot the Yankee, Melanie is now lying to cover up Ashley and Hugh’s involvement with the KKK. In this moment, Melanie takes charge of a situation that Scarlett can’t even comprehend. Although Scarlett might be more tenacious than Melanie, Melanie certainly isn’t weak.
Themes
Ashley collapses into a chair, and Melanie scolds Rhett for bringing her husband home drunk. Melanie tells Archie to put Ashley to bed, pretending that this happens all the time. The Yankee sergeant says that Ashley and Hugh are under arrest for killing a Black man. Rhett says Hugh and Ashley have been with him all night. The Yankee asks where, and Rhett pretends to be sheepish. Melanie cries that she has the right to know. Rhett says Ashley, Hugh, Frank and Dr. Meade were at Belle Watling’s place. Melanie pretends to faint. Rhett says the Yankees can ask Belle themselves. The hubbub continues as everyone puts Ashley to bed. Tom says he has to arrest them. Rhett says drinking in a sporting house is no crime. Tom says uncertainly that he’ll be back tomorrow to question them. India slams the door behind him.
Belle and Rhett are very unpopular in Atlanta, so most supposedly upstanding men (like Ashley and Hugh) would normally want nothing to do with them. But this story saves their lives, as the implication is that the Yankees probably won’t go talk to Belle. Again, it is mysterious why Rhett helps the Old Guard. He’s not a member of the KKK or the Old Guard, and he dislikes Ashley and others who can’t move on from the past. He is either helping because he is having another sentimental moment as when he joined the war, or because he cares about Scarlett and wants to help her loved ones.
Themes
India lowers the shades. Scarlett notices a bloody spot on the chair Ashley sat on. He’s hurt! Scarlett and India cry that Ashley is dead, but Rhett says he just fainted from blood loss. Rhett explains that Ashley was too weak to flee. He asks India if she’ll fetch a real doctor. India says she’s not afraid, and she’ll go get old Dr. Dean. She says she’s grateful to Rhett but hates him just the same, then grabs her cape and goes.
Scarlett is terrified that Ashley has been mortally wounded, and she doesn’t even seem to notice that Frank is missing. She is still so obsessed with Ashley that she has no room for feelings for anyone else. In fact, her love for Ashley causes her to disregard the feelings of others completely.
Themes
Scarlett watches Melanie sop blood from Ashley’s shoulder with a towel. Scarlett wants to run to him. Noticing her distress, Rhett tells her to brace up; he won’t die. Rhett tells Archie where to find the bodies and instructs him to hide them behind Belle’s so it looks like they died in a gunfight. Archie nods, his eyes gleaming with respect.
Rhett makes it clear that there were casualties at the KKK meeting earlier. Still, Scarlett only thinks of Ashley’s pain and hasn’t realized that Frank didn’t come back with the group. Rhett’s practicality starts to earn him respect in this circle.
Themes
Rhett accidentally calls Melanie by her familiar name “Melly,” but she says she’d love him to call her that. Rhett apologizes for saying they were at Belle’s, but it was the best possible story. Rhett explains that when he found Ashley wounded at the meeting place, he snuck him in the back door of Belle’s. Melanie asks how they got in, and Rhett says he has a key. Melanie looks embarrassed, but thanks Rhett for saving them all. Scarlett realizes that Rhett indeed lives with Belle Watling. Rhett says he gave Belle a list of the men who she was to say were at her house tonight. The Yankees will believe the sex workers because they won’t expect them to have any patriotism.
Rhett is unusually courteous when speaking to Melanie. Even though it comes out that Rhett lives with a sex worker, Melanie feels that he has saved their lives and believes that he’s a good person as she always has. Recall too that Melanie has helped Belle before when Belle wanted to donate money to the war hospitals. Belle, this suggests, is patriotic and supports the Southern cause. Here, her status as a low-class woman protects her and allows her to help men who feel the same way.
Themes
India returns with Dr. Dean, who gets to work on Ashley. Rhett takes Scarlett into the parlor. With unusual gentleness, he says she’s had a horrible day. Scarlett asks if Frank is at Belle’s. Rhett says Archie is carrying Frank to the vacant lot. He was shot through the head.
Rhett’s gentleness towards Scarlett suggests that what he did for the Old Guard earlier was for her. Scarlett finally realizes that Frank is nowhere to be seen. Frank’s death shows how dangerous involvement with the KKK is, even for formerly wealthy white men.
Themes
