Who Makes My Heart Skip a Beat: A Classic Book and Disc Journey for a White-Collar Woman

Author: Shu Lang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: Reading a book is like harvesting a field of wheat. The pages rustle as they turn, like the sound of scythes cutting wheat. I’ve never harvested wheat, but in my imagination, I compare reading to harvesting, imagining the pleasure of reading as if wielding a scythe. Forgive me, facing the solid and abundant Gone with the Wind, I truly felt as if I were facing an endless wheat field. A golden wheat field cultivated by a woman, a field ripe in 1936. For 70 years, countless readers have been reaping the sweetness of the wheat—I am one of them. Gone with the Wind is set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, telling stories of men and women, love and death. A thick book, even if you can understand just a little, always teaches you something important. Especially for female readers, reading Gone with the Wind means understanding Scarlett; understanding Scarlett means understanding women, understanding yourself. Scarlett is too beautiful—beautiful women are always surrounded by many men. But she needs only one. This untamed flower of a woman, Scarlett, is waiting for "that one" man to gather her. Not all women know what kind of man they need. The clever Scarlett is actually quite adorable in her foolishness. Her possessiveness makes her think she loves Ashley, but the truth is, the one who can hold her, restrain her, and give her happiness is the man who deeply loves her—Rhett, the man with a mischievous smile and boundless power, not the gentle Ashley. Ashley belongs to Melanie, a woman of divine morality. This is the difference between men and women—men seem to know better what kind of woman they need. So Ashley rationally chooses Melanie, who suits him.
All readers of Gone with the Wind remember that scene: in the "empty" library, Scarlett eagerly confesses her love to Ashley, who is about to marry Melanie, only to be rejected. Enraged, the 16-year-old Scarlett slaps him, leaving a red mark on his pale and tired face. Ashley silently walks away. Scarlett is furious—mostly because of the loss of face—and grabs a porcelain bowl, swinging it violently from the sofa and throwing it at the fireplace across the room. A voice comes from behind the sofa: "That’s too much." Such a bold woman! This is the official meeting between Scarlett and Rhett—the most important man in her life—a classic moment that lingers in memory. This beautiful young woman’s rebellious spirit captures Rhett’s heart, as if she is looking at her reflection, igniting his desire to conquer. Scarlett is a wild, full-bloomed flower of a woman, unforgettable at first sight. She flows with untamed blood, her green eyes burning with passion. She is beautiful and vain, strong and willful, loving fiercely and hating fiercely, with a powerful sense of possession and survival. For the sake of her family and her own interests, she boldly steals her younger sister’s boyfriend—hateful. Similarly, to survive, she dresses up in her finest attire to hide her embarrassment and feignly tempts Rhett—lovable. Later, when she cares for the sick Melanie, struggling through war and mud in a carriage, she is also admirable.