GWTW's Scarlett O'
Downton Abbey's Lady Mary
My current fascination with Masterpiece Classic’s Downton Abbey is not unlike the fascination I have for Gone With The Wind. In fact, Downton Abbey itself is not unlike Gone With The Wind. I often hear Downton compared to Upstairs, Downstairs, but its real predecessor is GWTW.
Start with the over-arching themes: in each, a way of life faces change and potential extinction. Are we talking about the British aristocracy at the dawn of the 20th century or the plantation owners of the Confederate South? Either way, it’s all the same.
The patriarchs of each family, Lord Grantham in Downton and Gerald O’Hara in GWTW, express their love for their way of life and their homes. Each have difficulty adjusting after the war.
Gerald O’Hara says, “Do you mean to tell me, Katie Scarlett O’Hara, that Tara, that land doesn’t mean anything to you? Why, land is the only thing in the world worth workin’ for, worth fightin’ for, worth dyin’ for, because it’s the only thing that lasts.”
Lord Grantham says, “My fortune is the work of others who laboured to build a great dynasty. Do I have the right to destroy their work or impoverish that dynasty? I am a custodian, my dear, not an owner. I must strive to be worthy of the task I’ve been set.”
Between Me and My Sister
Each man has three daughters remarkably similar in character. Scarlett, Suellen, Careen equals Mary, Edith and Sybil.
The eldest is beautiful and headstrong. She disregards her reputation to the horror of her family. The middle girl is less attractive and bitter and can’t get a beau. The youngest is serene and otherworldly. Which set of sisters am I describing? See what I mean?
The second common theme is the portrayal of Have-Nots in relation to the Haves. In Downton Abbey, the household servants are not slaves, but they live vicariously through the family. In the drawing room, the family speaks of “sacking” them, but in private, the family forms friendships—unequal—but friendships nonetheless. The family bestows kind acts on the servants as if the workers are their children.
It is easy to draw comparisons of Mammy’s relationship with Scarlett to the butler Carson’s relationship with Mary. (And Rhett’s last name is even Butler . . . ) Continue reading Gone with the Downton Abbey
