Quote 1
Land
is the only thing in the world that amounts to anything, for ’tis
the only thing in this world that lasts.
Gerald O’Hara expresses this philosophy
to Scarlett in Chapter II in an effort to comfort her in her disappointment
about Ashley Wilkes’s engagement to Melanie Hamilton. Gerald emphasizes
the importance of land, and of Tara in particular, foreshadowing
the end of the novel. Scarlett initially rejects the idea that land
can be more important than getting Ashley, the man she loves. However, love
of Tara increasingly motivates Scarlett’s actions. Years later, Ashley
hands Scarlett a clump of Tara’s dirt and tells her that she loves
Tara more than she loves him. Scarlett realizes that Ashley is right.
By the end of the novel, Scarlett has been abandoned by her true
love, and only the thought of Tara gives her hope and comfort. Gerald’s
speech precisely predicts the end of the novel: Scarlett loses her
love for Ashley, her relationship with Melanie, and her marriage with
Rhett, and only Tara “lasts.”
