There are two versions of Gone with the Wind in China: Gone with the Wind and Gone with the Wind. I prefer the latter, just like a subtitle at the beginning of the movie: A civilization has been in blowing in the wind. A civilization drifting with the wind will eventually drift away; A person's fate is drifting with the wind, and it will eventually drift away. In fact, it is not just a drift of civilization. With the drift of civilization, there are countless individuals, generations of dreams, generations of lifestyles. Just like facing an ultimate goal-death-whether you choose to live soberly and pessimistically or live blindly and actively, there is no such ultimate goal; After a civilization dies, do you choose to live in memory or abandon the past and start over? In the movie, several choices are given.

Gray fuzzy contour

Ashley is destined to live a rich and peaceful life, otherwise it will be a tragedy. He can't see anything clearly: bright colors sting his eyes and clear lines scratch his skin. On the contrary, the vague images of quiet and monotonous life, quiet and delicate wife, music and literature outlined by imagination have brought him a sense of security. He is so used to them, soft and ethereal. However, a gunshot, the fall of a soldier and the collapse of a building all stimulated his fragile nerves with clear and bloody pictures. He knows very well that the world has changed, which will only deepen his tragedy. It's not that he can't cope with the coming world, but that his attitude of being afraid to face it weakens his ability to survive in the new civilization.

In fact, Ashley is not the best representative of the civilization he misses. If a civilization only appears as a kind of enjoyment without practical work, just like a mirage, such a civilization has no qualification and charm to survive. I think the real representatives of this civilization in this film are Mrs. O 'Hara and Melanie. They are both educated and leisurely, and have the courage to face difficulties. This is the true meaning and charm of this civilization. At best, Ashley only inherited the appearance of civilization and enjoyed the fruits of long-term struggle of this civilization, but did not remember and inherit the brave personality charm of this civilization in its early development stage. He was born weak, and he can still live in a new civilization under the constraint of morality, but there is great fear and disgust hidden in his heart, that is to say, he will never be able to integrate into that civilization. Later, it proved that he could not make his wife and children live a good life and could not survive in that cruel and ugly competition.

Under the pressure of the cruel reality of war, Ashley gradually realized that the civilization he lived in had no possibility of survival: it had no modern facilities to resist other people's attacks, but it was full of ambition to sacrifice for the country and ignorance and arrogance of reality; I only hope that the cotton trade with Europe can help me win, but I don't know that the world is being changed by a new revolution. War is not the most terrible, it just kills your life and personal will; The invasion of post-war values is a subversion of the whole civilization in the past. Ashley has a clear view of history and can see the development of history clearly, but he doesn't have the courage to face up to the law of historical progress. He is not qualified to represent a splendid civilization, but he completely gave himself to that civilization. Once this civilization drifted away, his spirit collapsed, and the life sustained by morality was just a lifeless body.

In reality, there are too many people like Ashley. Seeing the reality clearly can only add tragedy to their lives. Such people are really weak. Ashley's cowardice is the choice after his ideal and asylum disappear. Since you have chosen, you must bear it. In fact, Ashley can completely free herself by committing suicide. However, he classified himself too much into that civilization and was limited by the values, outlook on life, ethics and social customs in civilization. He finally fell into the dilemma of having to support his living body and duty with the will of death. He can't blame that civilization, but he didn't understand it and didn't escape it.

Scarlet thick line

Scarlett's original intention is warm scarlet, but it is matched with green, which symbolizes hope. This one is not contradictory, but the color is too bright and the outline is too clear. Her thick red line is bound to leave her an obvious and profound mark in history. She is the protagonist of the film, and she is the object of praise. She is the answer to the choice given by the film: abandon the past and try hard to survive, even if it is a woman who looks weak and pampered since childhood, because no one really shelters except herself; Courageously assume the responsibility you should bear, because the responsibility will only come to those who can bear it. She is the female image advocated and worshipped after the American Civil War-independence and freedom. Tara (or that red fertile land) is a symbol of "survival", and Scarlett's love and possession of Tara is her desire for "survival". Melanie's death and Rhett's departure symbolize that she has no dependence and will go on alone in the future. In today's world, women in many countries whose economic development level is lower than that of the United States are also following this path, advocating individualism, liberalism and money worship. "Survival" is the most important and basic task of human beings in this world. Only when human beings meet this requirement can they have the energy to make life more meaningful. At the end of the film, Scarlett should have ensured her own survival and lived a good life. However, life is to have money, a house and be free from hunger and cold? Is it really meaningful to blindly follow the rush of livelihood, and the seemingly fulfilling life is worth emulating?

Scarlett never understood a truth in her life: once the standard of living is lowered, she will never return to the original. When she faced the war and the chaos after the defeat of the war, she gradually grew from a spoiled young lady to a strong and independent woman, she had abandoned her mother's teaching and religious belief, that is, abandoned the dead civilization and all obstacles (people or things) that she thought hindered her progress: she could run a timber factory as a woman regardless of social customs, or hire prisoners regardless of ethics. Nothing in this world can make her feel afraid, but it is not necessarily a good thing. After that, she didn't really integrate into a new civilization. She doesn't like the Yankees. They are greedy and vulgar for money. Because she feels that she is different from them, she has a sense of superiority, and a lifeless civilization gives her a cultured sense of superiority (but she doesn't know that the civilization that gave her a sense of superiority has been forgotten by her, leaving her with only an inertial body), which makes her have an illusion: as long as she earns enough money, she can tolerate others, especially the weak, and she can be a noble woman who lives comfortably and is respected. Regardless of her own personality, her attitude of "despising the weak and striving for self-improvement" does not allow her to do so; The experience of the war and the fragmentation of the original life made her choose to abandon the past and move forward regardless-she began to become selfish and mercenary, and the mark left by the past life in her present life became weaker and weaker, and her living standard had dropped to the point of barely living. Although she has taken a great responsibility for her relatives, although she also wants love, the desire to survive smoothly haunts her mind and affects her behavior. She became the representative of individual heroism, liberalism and anti-traditionalism. In fact, this is a very natural thing: after the war, the rich and peaceful life is gone forever, and people have become unable to support even food and clothing, so it is reasonable to rely on their own labor to build another home, remember the past and not support themselves; When ladies protected by gentlemen can no longer enjoy their past lives, since memories can't bring them back to life, the only way left is to move on. But Scarlett never thought that she had no other spiritual sustenance except survival: she abandoned her mother's teaching, abandoned the unsustainable civilization, and abandoned the beliefs and religions in civilization; She saw through that she didn't love Ashley, and Ashley had no previous temptation for her; She doesn't necessarily need Rhett's love and help, she loves this land more; She finally realized that Melanie was the link between her past and how important she was to herself, but she died. This is the result that she is not afraid of anything and has no support. Money can't support a person through life.

However, there is a question: can you just work hard all your life? Since the original civilization will dissipate, there is no guarantee that the present civilization that replaced it will not dissipate. Even if we can't predict its end time, the fate of the end is inevitable. Once the desire of "survival" is satisfied and the civilization dominated by "survival" dissipates, Scarlett's choice is undoubtedly a low-level choice, which will be replaced by a new civilization. I think that a new civilization may be one that needs human nature, ethical standards and spiritual satisfaction. But what about the future? What civilization will the future be? I don't know, just like The "A" in "A Civilization Has Gone with the Wind", it can be changed to "The" at any time. There will be more advanced civilizations to replace it in the future. The course of history is driven by civilization.

Perfect symmetry

I think in the movie, Melanie is the real representative of the lost civilization: tolerant, calm, pure and intellectual, but she also bravely faces difficulties and defends her friends. Just like a perfect sculpture, it is both rigid and flexible; Just like a painting, the combination of reason and sensibility. She likes literature and music, and the memory of past lives is a soft line and a vague figure in Ashley's mind. She can pick up a heavy sword for her friend. In order to safeguard justice, she dared to oppose the authoritative representative of civilization. She can work hard to survive. She is a loyal comrade in Scarlett's struggle. It was she who contacted these two civilizations and commemorated the past with her own personality and behavior, which greatly comforted those who missed the past; They use their courage and tolerance to tolerate people who start a new life and give them understanding and support. Facing the disappearance of civilization, she chose to move on, but deeply branded the essence of past civilization in her heart.

However, at the end of the film, she died, which means that civilization has completely dissipated, followed by the rule of new civilization, individualism and money worship. Even if she didn't die in childbirth, she wouldn't live happily. After the war, the disappearance of past civilization is not a matter of certainty, but a matter of time. The soil of our humanity can't support a flower like Melanie who should live in a paradise without selfish desires. Arranging such a role in the film only represents a kind of memory and ideal, which is not only a memory of splendid civilization, but also a hope for the coming civilization.

In the film, Ashley, Scarlett and Melanie make different choices in the face of the disappearance of civilization, which means different fates, but no matter how they choose, they all have one thing in common, that is, they are all submerged under a civilization, and their fate, like that in the long river of history, will eventually drift with the wind, because no civilized individual can last forever. Jumping from one civilization to another cannot avoid such a fate. However, on the bright side, every individual is a small water drop in the long river, and there are countless water drops sharing the same fate in this long river. If you see through it, you may be more open!