Scarlett and Iris

Hello there! I've been wanting to post something lately but I've refrained, simply because I've been in a horrible mood for the past few weeks and I wanted to avoid a post full of whining. So, instead, tonight I will take a friend's advice and comment on a felicitous film that happened to be on television tonight: The Holiday. It's one of my favorite movies, and tonight I discovered yet another reason to love it. In the film, the sage of the story tries to transform a young woman from a lost soul pining for her ex-boyfriend into a woman of courage and "gumption." She embarks on a journey of classic films and self-discovery, searching for her inner Irene Dunne. I never realized it before, but Iris, the heroine of this film, reminds me a bit of Scarlett O'Hara. In Gone With the Wind, Scarlett begins as a silly, selfish girl who expects everything in her life to go just the way she wants it to. While she never outgrows her selfishness, she does transform from an inane and ignorant girl into a powerful and brazen woman, completely immune to what the rest of the world thinks. She saves the house at Tara, she shoots a Union soldier, she attempts to prostitute herself (unsuccessfully, thanks to Rhett) to save her family from destitution, she takes over a business by herself, etc. Basically, she's a feminist in the time of the Civil War. I have to admit, while Scarlett drives me absolutely mad for most of the book, I really love and admire how strong she becomes. She certainly summons up some gumption and completely takes control of her life. Now whenever I feel like I'm about to be swallowed up by all of my tests, commitments, and personal issues, I think of Scarlett at deserted Tara, unwilling to let her land go to ruin. Okay, I know that's a little corny but, as Iris so sweetly says in The Holiday, "I'm looking for corny in my life!"