Hobby Buku's Classic: Part IV "GONE WITH THE WIND"

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

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Judul Asli : GONE WITH THE WIND

By Margareth Mitchell

Penerbit PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Alih Bahasa : Sutanty Lesmana

Sampul dikerjakan kembali oleh David

Cetakan II : Juni 2009 ; 1.124 hlm

Part IV : Chapter XXXI – XLVII | p. 567 – p. 922

Period : January 1866 | House of Tara on Clayton, North Georgia ; Atlanta City

Preview :

Scarlett berjuang membangun kembali Tara, dengan kondisi seadanya, berbekal tekad serta kerja keras. Kehadiran Will Benteen – pria yang semula sekarat di halaman rumah Tara, kini telah pulih dan tak segan-segan turun tangan membantu berbagai kegiatan di Tara. Scarlett menyukai Will yang pendiam namun memiliki kecerdasan untuk bertukar pikiran dalam mengambil berbagai keputusan. Ia sangat bersyukur Will tidak segera meninggalkan Tara setelah kondisinya membaik.

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Terlepas dari rasa tertarik Will terhadap Carreen, Scarlett hanya berharap adiknya bersedia menerima Will, apalagi gadis itu seakan kehilangan semangat hidup semenjak kematian Brent Tarleton di medan pertempuran. Dan yang lebih membahagiakan hati Scarlett, Ashley masih hidup dan berhasil menempuh perjalanan jauh untuk pulang ke Tara, menemui istri dan putranya, Melanie dan Beau.

Penghuni Tara semakin bertambah, semakin banyak mulut yang harus diberi makan, namun yang bersungguh-sungguh bersedia bekerja keras membanting tulang hanya segelintir. Gerald O’Hara yang menjadi linglung semenjak kematian istrinya, mengandalkan diri pada Scarlett, sebagaimana seluruh penghuni lainnya. Cobaan dan deraan yang dialami Scarlett, juga dialami oleh semua orang, namun hanya satu-dua orang yang bangkit berdiri dan mencari solusi. Dengan kekerasan hatinya, Scarlett berhasil memberikan yang terbaik dari Tara untuk pera penghuninya, melihat situasi di sekeliling mereka.

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Namun malaikat pelindung tak berada di sisi Scarlett, karena justru di saat-saat ia mulai sedikit bernafas lega, datang gangguan baru. Sebuah ancaman yang akan mengambil semua hasil kerja keras, keringat bercampur darah selama berbulan-bulan, pihak Utara yang berada di atas angin, bertekad menekan setiap kekuatan yang muncul dari pihak Selatan. Salah satu cara adalah dengan mengusir serta mengambil alih seluruh lahan dan kekayaan para tuan tanah Selatan yang masih tersisa selama peperangan. Scarlett harus membayar pajak sejumlah 300 dolar, jika dalam batas waktu yang ditentukan pajak tersebut belum terbayarkan, maka seluruh aset Tara akan dilelang kepada umum.

Scarlett berusaha mencari jalan keluar di sana-sini, ia bahkan berharap Ashley mampu memberikan solusi. Tanpa disadari oleh Scarlett, jiwa Ashley telah hilang semasa peperangan, kini fisiknya ada di Tara, tetapi hatinya mengembara entah kemana. Dan ditengah keputus-asaan, pertengkaran sengit antara dirinya dengan Jonas Wilkerson – mantan mandor Tara yang dipecat, dengan istrinya Emmie Slattery, yang dibenci oleh Scarlett karena dianggap penyebab kematian Ellen O’Hara, Scarlett teringat pada seseorang yang pasti memiliki kekayaan tersembunyi. Ia teringat akan Rhett Butler, yang berpisah dalam perjalanan menuju Tara.

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Dengan tekad bulat, Scarlett bersiap-siap berangkat ke Atlanta, mencari tahu tentang Rhett Butler. Tiada yang tahu tentang rencana ini, kecuali Will yang disumpah untuk menutup mulut, dan Ashley meski ia hanya menduga-duga, namun tak memiliki keberanian untuk mencegah Scarlett. Semua hanya tahu bahwa Scarlett hendak meminjam uang di Atlanta, namun tiada yang tahu kepada siapa. Hanya Mammy yang sangat mengenal dirinya, mencurigai adanya muslihat busuk. Dengan keras kepala, Mammy ikut serta menemani Scarlett ke Atlanta.

Atlanta yang telah banyak berubah selama 4 tahun terakhir. Suasana yang dikenal dan dirindukan oleh Scarlett telah hilang, digantikan dengan pemandangan lain yang tak menyenangkan. Dimulai dengan banyaknya pendatang baru, para tentara dari Utara serta keluarga mereka, dan para budak yang terbebaskan, berkeliaran luntang-lantung di sekitar kota. Scarlett berusaha mengenyahkan rasa sedih dan ketidaksukaannya, dan segera fokus pada tujuan utamanya : mencari dan menemukan Rhett Butler, kemudian berusaha meyakinkan agar ia bersedia memberikan dana 300 dolar untuk membayar pajak kebebasan Tara.

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Ketika akhirnya Scarlett berhasil menemukan Rhett, ternyata dirinya berada dalam tahanan pihak Yankee dengan tuduhan membunuh seorang kulit hitam. Rhett Butler terancam terkena hukuman gantung jika pengadilan menyatakan dirinya bersalah. Pihak Utara mengambil tindakan tegas karena munculnya tindakan main-hakim yang dipelopori oleh Ku Klux Klan, yang para anggotanya memakai jubah putih dengan wajah tertutup, menakut-nakuti dan memberi peringatan terhadap orang-orang Yankee serta kaum kulit hitam. Satu-satunya alasan mengapa Rhett masih ditahan dan belum diadili, karena beredar isu bahwa dirinya menyimpan sejumlah besar emas milik pemerintah Konfederat, yang tersembunyi entah dimana.

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Dengan berbagai cara akhirnya Scarlett bisa bertemu langsung dengan Rhett Butler. Rhett yang berpisah dalam kondisi ‘terluka’ akibat kemarahan Scarlett karena ditinggalkan di tengah perjalanan menuju Tara, menerima kedatangan Scarlett dengan tangan terbuka. Namun bukan Rhett jika tak mampu melihat tipu-muslihat yang dilakukan oleh Scarlett, dan ia menghendaki untuk tahu alasan sebenarnya mengapa Scarlett membutuhkan uang darinya. Scarlett sangat yakin bahwa Rhett akhirnya bersedia menolong dirinya. Bukankah berkali-kali saat ia kesulitan, Rhett selalu muncul sebagai penolong, walau sikapnya tetap tidak mencerminkan tingkah laku seorang ‘gentleman’ – maka betapa terkejutnya Scarlett mendapati Rhett ‘menolak’ memberikan bantuan sepersen pun. Marah serta sakit hati, membawa Scarlett keluar dari rumah tahanan, dan tebak dengan siapa ia hampir ditabrak oleh kereta kudanya ....

My Random Though :

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Being rejected by Rhett Butler on her proposal, attempting to seek for loan or even generous offers to pay-out the debt on tax-payment ... makes Scarlett blind-sided and so desperate to find anybody that can help on her situation. And what a coincidence she tumble-cross with Frank Kennedy – an old bachelor who had feeling with Suellen, Scarlett’s sister. Frank Kennedy now a business man, had his own shop, and looks like already establish quite steady living and good income for the future too. And how unfortunate for him, meeting with Scarlett that already lose hope and would do anything, anyway she can see to gets some money for the safe of Tara’s.

Scarlett’s mind and consience only works one way, whenever its good for her, it was ok to do it, everything else not important. So she create a situation, makes Frank married her instead Suellen, and of course gets the money for tax-payment on Tara’s. Everybody shock and surprise, but Scarlett never looks back if she already makes some decision. And she also had high-hopes to build her own bussiness at Atlanta. After all, Frank’s seems pretty rick and his bussiness is developing. Then Scarlett find-out something that really bother her mind. Frank bussiness is good, but Frank is not a good bussinessman.

Just when Scarlett had headache for all the problems she sees on Frank’s bussiness, quess who show-up in front of her. None the less Mr. Rhett Butler him self, alive and not death being hanging as a prisoner. He laugh at Scarlett decision to married Frank Kennedy, because if only Scarlett had some passion to awaits for a couple weeks, he finally will gets-out from jail and give all the money she wanted. After several arguments (as usually happens when they meet), Rhett who many times can read Scarlett’s mind like seeing through glasses, finally offer her some agreement, to loan some money to start her own business, but with several rules --- rules that cannot be broken otherwise their agreement was terminate.

Scarlett never skip on opportunity, and she takes Frank’s idea to make her own bussiness.

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No one ever see a woman, a married woman, own her bussiness and works like a man. Peoples on Atlanta talking about it. And yes, half of them disagre with her doing. Everyone else think she disgrace her own status and her family too. Even Frank feels ashamed on his own wife. Frank idea about wife was the quite, pretty, always stay at home so he can provide and bought anything she want. Instead he find Scarlett so independent, had her own mind and need, and looks more happier to gets something on her self than from his husband. The situation gets more ugly when Scarlett makes some bussiness with the Yankee, because a lots of them need what Scarlett’s offer to sell. All the Atlanta community said Scarlett acts like a traitor, not only doing bussiness with the enemy, but being friendly with them too.

On the otherside, Scarlett wondering why people can act so stupid and not realize to gets some profit, she must work smart and do anything, even makes friend with their enemy is acceptable, as long is gained a lots income and profit for hers. The only person seems understanding her doing, is her donatur, Mr. Rhett Butler, who occasionally show-up to talk and be with her, accompany her travelling on the works. But this thing makes even worse, ‘cause people of Atlanta still brand Rhett Butler as an opportunist, that even worse than a traitor.

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This part of the stories taking a very long journey, starting with Scarlett seek some helps about money, end-up with her second marriage with her sister’s boyfriend, struggling on their marriage, having a baby girl (who finally neglected by her mother, no love only provide with things), gets Ashley (with his family who came along) living in Atlanta, stay close with Scarlett because she makes him as an employee in her factory, and as always, becoming trouble-maker that finally killed someone, killed her loyal-devoted husband for defending her honor.

As much I ‘like’ to talk about Scarlett all the time, this time I would also takes some perspective on another subject : Slavery. This novel was build on the historis facts about American Civil War, but do you know the main reason why this war stays so long among the same peoples ?? When I read GWTW, I see two different point of view. First, as common knowledge, slavery is bad, ugly, horoable, need to be erase on the earth ‘cause treat others like things, sometimes worse than a animals. Slavery was a disgrace among human beings. And for the perfect example, in this book also mention the stories ‘Uncle’s Tom Cabin’ by Harriet Beecher Stowe (its a sad stories, and when you finished reading it, you will want to help every single slave you meet) ... but the second part also mention through dialoque on Scarlett’s mind.

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Slavery is bad, but not all slave threated as bad as the discribetion on UTC, that’s why when many of them runaway to their freedom, some of them also choose to stay with their owner, ‘cause their be threated much more generous than other slave. That’s doesn’t mean I agree with the term of slavery yet, but regarding this author, MM also mention how the Union use some propaganda to influence all those slave, so they can rebel from their owner and takes what supposed to be their right. Unfortunately, most of this slave was not educated enough, as simply as reading or writing term. Their mind was ‘brain-wash’ since who knows when, that path of their life is to become slave, own by higher peoples. What happens when non-prepaired and uneducated peoples let it lose to taste the freedom they never know, and what came along with freedom is You Choose Your Own Way, Your Own Decision, Your Own Act, Your Own Responsibility ...

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I just read another book ‘March’ by Geraldine Brooks (this book win Putlizer Prize for Fiction in 2006), is based on character Captain March from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, the period of time is the same time when American Civil War happening, and the slavery topic also come-across but yet another opinion was written. If on UTC the stories means to wipe-out slavery on the earth, GWTW just between agree and disagree (at least asking for audience to see from different point of view, that war also hurt the white people too), and in ‘March’ on the opening chapter, being said ‘slavery’ not to use them as a servant for life, but to teach them how to handle way of living in the future, ‘cause The African people can be identify as a baby – who knows nothing, learn nothing yet, and cannot thinking for themself. White people (in this case discribe as an Christian People) already appointed as the foster-parents, who had obligation to raise and teach African Peoples. Are the punishement neccesary to discipline them ? It was neccessary if it meants to teach, don’t ever give some punishment when its angry.

Well so many topic and different agenda, I think I will stop for a while ... for now, to digest some of those insight. And what do you think about this topics ? Let me know if you had another insight (^_^)

Best Regards,