Gone with the Wind

Margaret Mitchell's romantic epic, Gone With the Wind, owes its remarkable popularity to the climate of sudden self-destruction the Depression created. The Old South's grandeur coupled with its Civil War-era decadence provided much-needed escapism for readers. In addition, Scarlett O'Hara's feminist role, her devotion to her land, and her indomitable optimism lent hope to those who had lost faith in the American Dream. "Spring had come early that year, with warm quick rains and sudden …

…raised her chin. She could get Rhett back...'Tomorrow, I'll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.'" (1024) With its broad appeal to uprising women, the hopeless, and anyone yearning for a long diversion into a more regal time, as well as its firm beliefs in the American Dream in a time when the premise was widely doubted, GWTW's rank as the most popular American book is undeniable.