Character Relationship Map: Gone with the Wind

Characters

• Scarlett O'Hara (played by Vivien Leigh) — protagonist

  The central protagonist, Scarlett is a determined Georgia plantation owner’s daughter whose ambitions and survival instinct shape the story. She pursues Ashley Wilkes, marries Charles Hamilton and Fra...

• Rhett Butler (played by Clark Gable) — protagonist

  A worldly, self-confident blockade runner and later Scarlett O'Hara’s husband, Rhett repeatedly assists Scarlett and Melanie Hamilton during the war. He marries Scarlett, fathers Bonnie Blue Butler, a...

• Melanie Hamilton (played by Olivia de Havilland) — supporting

  Melanie is Ashley Wilkes’s devoted wife and Charles Hamilton’s sister. Although Scarlett O'Hara initially regards her as a rival, Melanie supports Scarlett through childbirth, war, scandal, and social...

• Ashley Wilkes (played by Leslie Howard) — supporting

  Ashley is the man Scarlett O'Hara loves, but he marries Melanie Hamilton and refuses to abandon her. After returning from the war, he struggles to help restore Tara and becomes involved in a compromis...

• Mammy (played by Hattie McDaniel) — supporting

  Mammy is one of the former slaves at Tara and a longstanding member of Scarlett O'Hara’s household. After the war devastates the plantation, she remains with Scarlett, her sisters, and Pork, helping p...

• Pork (played by Oscar Polk) — minor

  Pork is one of the former slaves who remains at Tara after the plantation is pillaged and abandoned during the war. Alongside Mammy, he is present when Scarlett returns to find her family in crisis, r...

• Frank Kennedy (played by Carroll Nye) — minor

  Frank Kennedy is Suellen O'Hara’s wealthy, middle-aged fiancé and the owner of a general store. Scarlett O'Hara deliberately takes him from Suellen and marries him to obtain money for Tara. After Scar...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Rhett Butler → Scarlett O'Hara (spouse)
• Mammy → Pork (Professional Household Colleague) — They share a continuing role in the surviving Tara household.

  Mammy and Pork are both identified as remaining at Tara after the plantation is pillaged and abandoned by most others.

• Scarlett O'Hara → Mammy (Professional Household Authority) — Mammy is a longstanding household figure within Scarlett's family world.

  After returning to Tara, Scarlett finds Mammy among the few people remaining and relies on the household's surviving support.

• Scarlett O'Hara → Frank Kennedy (Family Wife) — Scarlett enters the marriage primarily to secure Tara's survival.

  Scarlett deceives Frank into marrying her after learning that she cannot pay the taxes imposed on Tara.

• Ashley Wilkes → Melanie Hamilton (Family Husband) — Their marriage is a central emotional obstacle for Scarlett.

  Ashley is to marry Melanie, and later says he cannot leave her when Scarlett asks him to run away.

• Scarlett O'Hara → Ashley Wilkes (Romantic Unrequited Love) — Scarlett's idealized love for Ashley drives several major decisions.

  Scarlett is deeply attracted to Ashley, declares her feelings, and later continues to pine for him despite his marriage to Melanie.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Rhett Butler → Ashley Wilkes (related)
• Scarlett O'Hara → Pork (Alliance Household Ally) — Pork remains part of the household support surrounding Scarlett at Tara.

  When Scarlett returns to the devastated Tara, Pork is one of the few people still there with her family.

• Frank Kennedy → Ashley Wilkes (Alliance Ally) — Frank and Ashley cooperate in a retaliatory action.

  Frank and Ashley join several accomplices in a night raid on a shanty town after Scarlett is attacked.

• Rhett Butler → Melanie Hamilton (Alliance Rescuer) — Rhett provides crucial emergency assistance to Melanie and Scarlett.

  During the Atlanta campaign, Rhett helps Scarlett and Melanie flee the besieged city.

• Scarlett O'Hara → Melanie Hamilton (Conflict Rival) — Scarlett views Melanie as an obstacle to her desire for Ashley.

  Scarlett makes an advance on Ashley after learning of his planned marriage to Melanie and later continues to pine for him.

Story Analysis

Scarlett's struggle to preserve Tara and pursue love unfolds against war, social upheaval, loss, and the collapse of her illusions.

Plot Progression

1. Desire Before the War — Scarlett pursues Ashley at Twelve Oaks but is rejected when he chooses Melanie. The outbreak of war transforms private romance into a wider crisis.
2. Atlanta Under Fire — Scarlett becomes widowed and is sent to Atlanta, where she attracts Rhett's attention. The siege forces her to help Melanie give birth and flee the city.
3. The Ruin of Tara — Scarlett returns to a devastated Tara and discovers that her mother is dead and her father is broken. She responds by making survival her central purpose.
4. Power and Reconstruction — Ashley returns but cannot restore Tara, while Scarlett loses her father and struggles with reconstruction taxes. She marries Frank to protect the plantation and enters increasingly ruthless conflicts.
5. Love Too Late — Scarlett marries Rhett, but her fixation on Ashley damages their relationship. After successive family tragedies, Scarlett recognizes her love for Rhett only when he has decided to leave.