[Abstract] Gone with the Wind is one of the most popular American novels, which is written by American female writer Margaret Mitchell. When it was published, its sales broke many records among the publishing circles, and it is famous all over the world. The novel mainly describes the life of Scarlett who is the daughter of Tara’s master during the American Civil War. Meanwhile with the hint of a triangular love between Scarlett, Ashley and Rhett, the novel depicts a wide and prosperous picture of the social life of the South in America. Not only the rich content of the novel but also the complex plots and the contradictions between the figures of the novel have an important artistic effect on shaping the characters in the novel. Among all the roles, Scarlett, is the most successful one who is full of conflicting and complicated features. This article analyzes the character of Scarlett from three aspects: the first one is her attitude towards life during the Civil War; the second one is the exterior and internal reasons for the shaping of her character; the last one is her attitude towards her love and marriage. The analysis aims at showing the eternal charm of the image, Scarlett in the novel.
[Key Words] Scarlett’s character; exterior reason; internal reason; Gone with the Wind

[摘 要] 《飘》是美国女作家玛格丽特.米切尔一生中创作的唯一的一部长篇小说，一经面世，其销售量立即打破了美国出版界的多项记录并一直在世界各地畅销不衰。小说以美国南北战争为背景着重描述塔拉农场主的女儿思嘉丽在战前战后的生活，同时通过思嘉丽与艾希礼、瑞德等人的感情纠葛为线索，为我们刻画了一幅壮观而又生动的南方社会的生活画面。小说不仅有丰富多彩的生活内容，而且具有纵横开阖的故事情节，跌宕起伏的矛盾冲突，为刻画人物性格起了重要的艺术作用。在作品塑造的众多富有特色的人物中，最成功的莫过于对女主人公思嘉丽这一集矛盾、复杂、多面于一体的核心人物的塑造。本文拟从三个方面对思嘉丽性格特征进行分析。一是思嘉丽在内战前、内战期间、和内战后所表现出的生活态度；二就是思嘉丽性格形成的外部原因和内部原因；三是思嘉丽对爱情与婚姻的态度，从而展现了这一形象所赋予作品的永恒的魅力。
 [关键词] 思嘉丽的性格；内因；外因；《飘》
1. Introduction
Gone with the Wind has been hailed as a triumph of American literature and film. In1937, Margaret. Mitchell won Pulitzer Prize, for her sweeping portrayal of the crumbling of the Old South. Since then, the novel has sold millions of copies. The film, a production by David O.Selznick, exceeded all expectations, receiving critical and public acclaim that included an unprecedented ten Academy Awards.[1]  Even today, Gone with the Wind, despite its many historical inaccuracies, forms the basis of American popular memory of the Old South in the years since the Civil War, but Margaret Mitchell’s tale is the one that is most deeply embedded in American culture. The novel mainly describes the life of Scarlett who is the daughter of Tara’s master around the American Civil War. Meanwhile with the hint of a triangular love between Scarlett, Ashley and Rhett, the novel depicts a wide and prosperous picture of the social life of the South in America. An important element of the story’s popularity is Scarlett O’Hara, the outstanding heroine who is full of conflicting and complicated features. This article analyzes the character of Scarlett from three aspects: the first one is her attitude towards life around the civil war; the second one is the exterior and internal reasons for the shaping of her character; the last one is Scarlett’s attitude towards love and marriage. The analysis aims at showing the eternal charms of the image, Scarlett in the novel.

2. Scarlett’s Attitude towards Life
Scarlett has the strong courage to face fresh and blood and to overcome difficulties, but this wish of independence is not accepted by the society at that time. But in modern society, Scarlett is definitely an independent female who has strong will. She has the spirit of not admitting failure even it is at present.

2.1 Scarlett’s Rebellion against Social Restrictions
Scarlett is a hybrid, who exhibits more of her Irish father’s hard-headedness than her mother’s refined Southern manners. Although initially she tries to behave prettily, her instincts rise up against social restrictions.[2]

Girls at that time are taught such things as: a hearty appetite would never catch a man. Thus, when going to a party, they would stuff themselves with food at home. Then they would be able to eat only the daintiest morsels at the party. Also, women were taught to act ignorant, to hang on every word a man said as if she knew nothing herself, in order to make him feel superior. They were never to say what they actually thought. Scarlett’s mother Ellen and Mammy also teach her all that a gentlewoman should know, but Scarlett never learns nor does she see any reason for learning it.
Scarlett shows her distain for the artificial manners: “I’m tired of everlastingly being unnatural and never doing anything I want to do. I’m tired of acting like I don’t eat more than a bird, and walking whe

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