Gone with the Wind Chapters XII-XVI Summary & Analysis

Summary: Chapter XII

The war drags on. Port blockades make food, clothing, and other necessities increasingly difficult to obtain. Rhett is the most famous Confederate blockade-runner, sneaking boats through the Yankee blockade in order to sell cotton and other Southern products in exchange for necessities. He becomes the most popular man in town despite his reputation for disregarding social customs. He calls on Scarlett frequently, and she quickly abandons any pretense of mourning Charles’s death. She enjoys the informality occasioned by the war and lives an active social life. After months of polite behavior, Rhett starts publicly expressing his contempt for Confederate idealism and declares that he works for personal gain, not for the Southern cause. One night at a party, Rhett scandalizes his audience by exclaiming that the war is about money, not pride, rights, or glory. In the carriage ride home, Melanie defends Rhett, revealing that in his letters Ashley has expressed beliefs similar to Rhett’s. The revelation that her shining idol and a scoundrel have the same opinions about the war confuses Scarlett.

Summary: Chapter XIII

The entire city, with the exception of the Hamilton household, vilifies Rhett. He continues to call on Scarlett, however, and gives her a fancy hat from Paris so she will stop wearing the required black mourning veil. One day Melanie tells Scarlett that a prostitute named Belle Watling gave her a considerable sum of money for the hospital. Belle wrapped the money in a handkerchief, which Melanie now holds, and Scarlett sees that it bears Rhett’s initials. Shocked that Rhett would consort with a prostitute, Scarlett flings the handkerchief into the fire.

Summary: Chapter XIV

The people remain optimistic despite food shortages, death, illness, and poverty. The Confederacy has won important battles, and rumors begin to circulate that the war will be settled at an impending battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. As the battle begins, news of widespread casualties slowly trickles back to Atlanta. A large crowd of women gathers before the newspaper office to wait for casualty lists. Melanie, Scarlett, and Pittypat learn that Ashley has survived, but nearly every family in Atlanta has lost a relative in the fighting. Stuart and Brent Tarleton have died.

Summary: Chapter XV

The Confederacy loses the battle at Gettysburg. At Christmastime, Ashley comes home on a brief leave of absence. Scarlett loves seeing him, but wishes she could speak to him alone. Just before he leaves, she gets a moment with him. Ashley asks Scarlett to look after Melanie if he is killed. Scarlett quickly agrees and then kisses him passionately. Ashley kisses her back but quickly breaks away as Scarlett proclaims her love, and he hurries to the train station looking agonized.

Summary: Chapter XVI

It is early in 1864. The Confederate army has lost ground and Atlanta suffers from cold and hunger. Atlanta openly reviles Rhett as a food speculator and a profiteer. Scarlett receives two devastating pieces of news: Ashley has been captured, and Melanie is pregnant. Rhett has learned of Ashley’s imprisonment and tells Scarlett that Ashley could have won his freedom by betraying the Confederacy. Scarlett asks why Ashley would have refused such an opportunity, and Rhett, who claims he himself would have accepted, replies contemptuously that Ashley is too much of a gentleman.

Analysis: Chapters XII-XVI

Rhett, as a symbol of the New South, forces the people around him to listen to the harsh truths about the war, pointing out the economic problems that Southern leaders refuse to acknowledge. Although he is abrasive and contemptuous, Rhett cuts through the rosy rhetoric of leaders like Dr. Meade and exposes the hypocrisies and weaknesses obscured by the South’s rampant patriotism. Rhett insists on voicing truths that the South would rather not face. He asserts that the war is more about money than people will admit and that those who make grand speeches about states’ rights care for nothing but their own wealth and privilege. Ashley also recognizes the truths that Rhett voices, but, as Scarlett realizes, Ashley nevertheless resigns himself to fighting for a lost cause. Ashley reinforces his position as symbol of the Old South, fighting desperately for a life that has already been lost to the New South that Rhett Butler represents.

Previous section Part Two: Chapters VIII–XI Next page Chapters XII-XVI page 2