Gone with the Wind novel ( my criticism of the lack of "manliness" accusation)

Here's is my criticism of Wikipedia's analysis of the alleged effeminate male characters in Margaret Mitchell's novel " Gone With the Wind":














Beau ideal[edit]


Somebody's darling! so young and so brave!
 Wearing still on his pale, sweet face—
Soon to be hid by the dust of the grave—
The lingering light of his boyhood's grace!
Somebody's Darling by Marie La Coste, of Georgia.[18][64]
Ashley Wilkes is the beau ideal of Southern manhood. A planter by inheritance, Ashley knew the Confederate cause had died at the conclusion of the American Civil War.[65] Ashley's name signifies paleness. His "pallid skin literalizes the idea of Confederate death".[66]
He contemplates leaving Georgia for New York City, and had he gone north, he would have been a typical Confederate carpetbagger.[65] Ashley, embittered by war, tells Scarlett he has been "in a state of suspended animation"[67] since the surrender. He feels he is not "shouldering a man's burden" at Tara and views himself as "much less than a man—much less, indeed, than a woman".[67]
A "young girl's dream of the Perfect Knight",[68] Ashley is like a young girl himself.[69] With his "poet's eye",[70] Ashley has a "feminine sensitivity".[71] Scarlett is angered by the "slur of effeminacy flung at Ashley" when her father tells her the Wilkes family was "born queer".[72] (Mitchell's use of the word queer is for its sexual connotation because queer, in the 1930s, was associated with homosexuality.)[73] Ashley's effeminacy is associated with his appearance, his lack of force and sexual impotency.[74] He rides, plays poker and drinks like "proper men", but his heart is not in it, Gerald claims.[72][75] The embodiment of castration, Ashley wears the head of Medusa on his cravat pin.[72][73]
Not only is Scarlett's love interest, Ashley Wilkes, lacking manliness, her husbands, the "calf-like"[13] Charles Hamilton, and the "old-maid in britches",[13] Frank Kennedy, are unmanly as well. Mitchell is critiquing masculinity in southern society since Reconstruction.[76] Even Rhett Butler, the well groomed dandy,[77] is effeminate or "gay-coded".[78] Charles, Frank and Ashley represent the impotence of the post-war white South.[66] Its power and influence has been diminished.










































Ashley Wilkes is portrayed and thinks of himself as " much less than a man- much less indeed, than
a woman" and is like a young girl with a poet's eye and has "female sensitivity".
Scarlett disliked the slur of effeminacy being flung at Ashley after her father
tells her that the Wilkes family was " born queer". Margaret Mitchell's use of the
word "queer" is ( stands) for it's sexual connotation because in the 1930's, the word
" queer" was associated with homosexuality and is quite wrong in my opinion.  Ashley's
effeminacy is associated with his appearance and his lack of force and
his sexual impotency. He rides horses, plays poker and drinks like the proper
men but his heart is not in any of it as Scarlett's father, Gerald claims and Ashley
in Mitchell's novel is the embodiment of castration because of the head of Medusa
that Ashley wears on his cravat pin. I disagree with these views of Ashley's
character. He wasn't gay. Scarlett's love interest Ashley Wilkes "lacks manliness" and so do
her husbands such as Charles Hamilton who is " calf-like" and the " old maid in
britches" and Frank Kennedy is also portrayed as " unmanly" as well.
Margaret is critiquing masculinity in American Southern society since the
Reconstruction took place. Rhett Butler , the "well-groomed dandy" is portrayed
as "effeminate" or " gay-coded". Charles, Frank and Ashley represent the alleged
" impotence" of the post-war white South and it's power and influence has
been greatly diminished and in my eyes rightfully so.




I don't believe the Wilkes family was " born queer". I don't agree with the "word queer" being associated with homosexuality even if this is what people referred to in the 1930's. I don't believe the word " queer" has a sexual connotation and to me such a " sexual connotation" with the use of this word is nothing more than hateful bigotry. It's still prejudice and bigotry. I don't agree with the sexual connotation of the word " queer" that Mitchell used for her novel. Margaret Mitchell was to me, the example Southern homophobic bigot. Not that all Southerners were or are bigots but the free exchange of prejudice in the South that goes unchecked and without criticism is appalling. Just because Ashley rode horses, played poker and drank like the " proper gentlemen" and his heart is not in it, this just shows that he is different, an individual, not a bad person.  Gerald O'Hara is an appalling bigoted character even if he is a loving father. Hardly the kind of model that a young woman should look up to. I don't view Ashley as the " embodiment of castration" just because he wears Medusa's head on his cravat pin. Ashley Wilkes doesn't lack " manliness". He just portrays his manhood differently. Charles Hamilton isn't " calf-like" or an " old maid in britches" to me and I don't see Frank Kennedy as " unmanly" either. Rhett Butler is " effeminate" or " gay-coded" to me. Charles, Frank and Ashley don't represent the " impotence" of the post-war South to me nor the diminishment of it's power or influence. To me, they are men who have been broken down by their war experiences and repressive Southern culture.  Ashley feels that he is not " shouldering a man's burden" at Tara but why should war be a man's burden to shoulder? Isn't war something that all humans, regardless of gender should feel responsible for.