Part III "GONE WITH THE WIND"

EVENT READ A LONG “GONE WITH THE WIND” by Margaret Mitchell 

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Judul Asli : GONE WITH THE WIND

By Margareth Mitchell

Copyright © 1936 by The Macmillan Company

Copyright renewed © 1964 by Stephens Mitchell and Trust Company of Georgia as Executors of Margaret Mitchell Marsh

Copyright renewed © 1964 by Stephens Mitchell

Cover illustration © 1939 Turner Entertainment Co.

Penerbit PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Alih Bahasa : Sutanty Lesmana

Sampul dikerjakan kembali oleh David

Cetakan II : Juni 2009 
Total Halaman : 1.124 hlm  

Part III : Chapter XVII – XXX | p. 323 – p. 566

[ Period  : start on May 1864, until September 1865 | beginning at Atlanta, then goes to North Georgia  at Tara's ]

Preview :

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Bulan Januari dan Februari 1864 merupakan masa suram bagi pasukan Selatan. Bukan hanya kekalahan besar  Gettysburg dan Viksburg, namun hampir seluruh Tennessee telah dikuasai oleh pasukan Union. Para pejabat yang dulu dielu-elukan, kini mendapat cemoohan dari penduduk sipil, seperti Presiden Davis yang dianggap tak mampu memimpin kemenangan pihak Konfederasi, apalagi beliau tak mampu mengggerakan jenderal-jenderal terbaiknya melawan para jenderal pasukan Union yang dipujui-puji keberaniannya. Seperti Jenderal Lee, Jenderal Grant, Jenderal Sherridan dan Jenderal Sherman. Dan Atlanta menjadi pusat perhatian kedua belah pihak, karena adanya jalur rel kereta api, pabrik pembuat senjata serta tentu saja pasokan bahan-bahan kebutuhan  sehari-hari, sebagai wilayah lalu-lintas penghubung antar kota-kota lain. 

Situasi Atlanta ini juga menjadi tempat terdekat untuk mengirim prajurit-prajurit yang terluka. Kesibukan tiada henti akan datangnya korban-korban setiap harinya, membuat para sukarelawan harus bekerja mati-matian demi menolong para korban dengan kondisi seadanya. Scarlet benar-benar tak mampu bernafas, melihat korban demi korban silih berganti. Apalagi belum ada kabar tentang Ashley yang tertangkap dan menjadi tawanan pihak Utara. Ditambah dengan kondisi Melanie yang sedang hamil tua, padahal fisiknya sendiri sangat lemah, maka kehamilan pertamanya ini justru semakin menyerap seluruh tenaga dan energinya. Scarlett yang sangat disayanginya, menjadi tumpuan harapan serta kekuatan pada diri Melanie, apalagi ia didera kecemasan akan nasib Ashley. 

Scarlett bagai dihadapkan pada ‘buah simalakama’ – di satu sisi ia sangat tidak menyukai Melanie, bahkan rekasi itu menjadi sebuah kebencian akan ketergantungan Melanie terhadap dirinya. Namun Scarlett tak mapu menolak karena ia merasa ‘terikat-sumpah’ untuk menjaga dan merawat Melanie, sebuah janji yang diminta oleh Ashley sebelum ia kembali ke medan perang saat cuti pertama beberapa bulan sebelumnya. Para tetua di Atlanta masih yakin bahwa pasukan Jenderal Johnston yang menjaga perbatasan akan mampu menahan serangan pasukan Sherman sebagai pendobrak barikade pasukan Selatan. Jika mereka saling berkumpul untuk saling menguatkan, tiada percakapan lain kecuali tentang keyakinan bahwa perang akan segera berakhir dengan kemenangan Selatan. Satu-satunya orang yang berpendapatan sebaliknya hanyalah Rhett Butler, maka ia tetap menjadi ‘musuh dalam selimut’ bagi penduduk Atlanta dan sekitarnya, bahkan beberapa pihak menjulukinya sebagai antek kaum Yankee.  

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Dan pada akhirnya bukti-bukti nyata mulai menunjukkan tanda-tanda yang meresahkan masyarakat. Pasukan Johnston yang meski sangat gigih, kalah dalam segi jumlah dengan pihak Utara yang berkali0kali lipat lebih banyak. Kelelahan, kelaparan, kekurangan obat-obatan untuk yang terluka, semua mulai menunjukkan efeknya. Maka pasukan Johnston harus mundur sedikit demi sedikit dari garis perbatasan yang dijaganya. Pasukan Union yang dipimpin oleh Jenderal Sherman menerapkan taktik penyebaran untuk mencari lubang-lubang pertahanan pasukan Selatan dari samping, selain tetap menyerang dari garis depan. Akibatnya pasukan Johnston seringkali terjebak, terkurung dan tak bisa maju, hanya bisa mundur sembari tetap bertahan. 

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Satu demi satu, kota-kota di sekeliling Atlanta dikuasai oleh pihak Utara. Para penduduk yang panik berusaha mencari keselamatan dengan mengungsi ke kota-kota lain. Scarlett hendak pulang ke Tara, Georgia, daripada mengungsi mengikuti Miss Pittypat. Namun Melly yang bersikeras mengikuti dirinya, justru mendapat larangan keras dari Dr. Meade, karena fisiknya yang lemah serta kehamilannya yang tinggal beberapa minggu menjelang kelahirannya, sangat riskan bagi Melanie untuk bepergian. Tiada jalan lain, Scarlett tak bisa kemana-mana. Ia harus berjaga dan menemani Melanie di Atlanta hingga kelahiran sang bayi. Scarlett sangat marah dan jengkel dengan situasi yang dihadapinya. Apalagi ia tak sempat mengirim putranya Wade dan Prissy kembali ke Tara agar lebih aman bersama keluarganya di sana. Karena peperangan akhirnya meletus di wilayah Atlanta.

My Random Though :

On this part, the civil war already spread and the South fight really hard to defends their land, their teritory. But like Rhett Butler says, the Union had much more people on his troops. If one soldier from South had to ‘face-to-face’ with at least two or three peolple from North, then you can imagine how long they can resist the war. Specially without proper food, proper clothes or even shoes on the cold winter, and the weapon are old compare to the North’s who had new weapon. Even the animal, likely horses who the most important tools on this war, was so thin and malnutrition just like the rider. The only thing keep them to stay strong on this war, are the pride as the South’s – they believe on the sacred-war or at least that was the first propaganda, and now everybody start to realiaze the truth...but it was to late.

Scarlett usually good on running away from trouble. But this time she had to face it. War are very close and happening on Atlanta.  And she cannot leave Melanie who had to pick the worse day to labor her first baby. Without anybody that can help the procedur, Scarlett trying to help Melanie with so much anger and scare at the same time. At last when the baby finally born after long period and hard process, Scarlet had to plan an excape – she wants coming back on Tara’s, but who can help her if most people of the town already runaway to another safe town ? Oh, there’s someone still left and Scarlett knows he would help her. Scarlett asking the man she hate but yet still need it like this time, she ask Rhett Butler to help her coming back home, on Tara’s. Judging the looks on Melanie’s conditions and the baby that so weak, and Scarett's histeria in front of his, Rhett agree to accompany and help them.  

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So Scarlett with her son, Wade and her little slave Prissy, with the very weak Melanie and her new born baby, ride alang with Rhett Butler, on the way to Tara’s. But on the middle of their journey, Rhett suddenly had ‘vision’ on the purpose of his life. So he leave Scarlett in charges to continou the journey, and he’ s going to join the army to defends their country.  Oh my ... I can understand Scarlett feelings on this one (well, not very often I agree with her), how could a man (or I should say a gentleman) just leave and walk away from people that need his help, especially after he promise to help ... I’ve been agree with Rhett Butler’s opinion even his attitude was less than charming, but why the authors makes sudden change on his mind, and very weird situation too. Just like some phenomenon, or maybe people should say ‘It’s a Miracle’ --- that the opportunities Rhett Butler had a wake-up call on his life. 

So on the brief version, Scarlett and her companion, succed to return Tara’s on very hard and slow journey. If Scarlett hopes to find some relief as soon she enter the house of Tara’s --- it was another nightmare waiting for her. His mother was past-away a day before she arrive, her father was very shock and become very different person, his beloved wife, his plantation, and all the slave was gone. Scarlett had to take offer all the responsibility on Tara’s. No one can help her, but she had so many people depending on her shoulder. Left with her two sister Suellen and Carreen who still very sick for the plague that kill her mother, Melanie and her baby, her son Wade, and Mammy, Pork and Dilcey (just those three person still wanna stay and help in Tara’s), Scarlett dreams of her own future was gone. Now she must fight and bring back Tara’s on the golden era, just before the war hit them like a meteor falling from sky. 

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I know Scarlett character wasn’t very pleaseant or even charming, but on this part of the stories, she show the courage or I can say added with the stubborn and strong willing, that give her motivation beyond everybody on those situation. Sometimes people find the power inside with positive input, but I know sometimes the negative one can also be the source to the power within. And Scarlett main source came from anger and bitterness, she claimmed her self not gonna be living in poverty, hunger and humiliating anymore in the future. So she do anything ( I mean really anything ) to makes that dreams will come true. She even do the hard-work she really hate, just because she refuse to stand still and crying about the past, like her two sister do. She order everyone without any exception, to do the same hard work for the future of Tara’s. 

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I really like her spirit on this stories, because it’s so hard to do and to think a very different ways on difficult situation, people are mostly just follow the common act based on the past, not think outside the box. If  I can compare from the first and second part, on this third part I can relate in Scarlett mind. For her fight, for her head-strong, for her decision to do uncommon thing, breaking the rules,’cause the only rules apply is how to survive and how to ‘come-back from the dead’ going to rising sun.  The only thing I really sorry, that MM still use the sudden changing personality on Scarlet’s character, specially on the topic of Ashley Wilkes. If you read my preview early, you know that I’m not a big fan of Ashley, and on this part of the stories, he proved my theory about him self – man without strong willing, only hold on to the past, doesn’t really wanna moved on to the future. Ashey was a man who living on the dreams, not the reality. And he the type of man Scarlett falling in love ??? What a contradiction and very weird too ... Just wonder if I finished this book quickly, I may had some answers on this subject (^_^)

Best Regards,