Вестник ТГПУ им Л.Н. Толстого №3 2005

СОТРУДНИЧЕСТВО № 3, 2005 The past is an ever-lasting presence, waiting to resurface. One should not detain himself from its horrors but try to understand, accept it and achieve "the join" together with the whole community, when he no longer refuses the deepest knowledge of the meanings of his individual and historical pasts. This is a way to achieve the psychic wholeness. Anna Mokhova A fascinating and unforgettable character! A heroine that will never be forgotten. Chicago Tribune I have read many wonderful books that have made a big impression on me. It’s hard to say which character has had the most significant influence on my way of life and my worldview. 1 often take my favourite books and begin to turn over the pages lovingly that are so precious to my heart. Here is “The Gadfly” by Ethel Lillian Voynich, “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the favorite book of my childhood “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain and so on and so forth - there are too many of them. It is really difficult for me to choose my favorite character because they are all close to me in their own way. Maybe it is Felice Rivares, the fearless and courageous champion of truth in “The Gadfly”? Well, he has really made an influence on me and, to tell the truth, this book remains the only one that makes me cry every time I read it. But its main character is a man (and I am not) which means that sometimes we are not in the same camp. Another character to be considered is Sherlock Holmes. He is undoubtedly clever, and his personality is very magnetic. I admire Holmes but he doesn’t have any influence. The same could be said about Tom Sawyer. I read the book when I was nine. Tom seemed very brave, honest and romantic to me. Now that I’m fifteen, I recall my attitude to this character with a smile. But who, then? Suddenly I understand that I’ve forgotten something very important. I go to the bookshelf, take a book in the pastel-colored cover and read: “Margaret Mitchell - Gone with the Wind”. How could I forget about it? I re-read favorite chapters and I understand that Scarlett is the character I like most of all and she has made an unforgettable impression on me. Why do I want to write about Scarlett?What have I found in her that attracts me somuch? The novel “Gone with theWind” was first published in 1936 and became the talking point of all America. Everyone liked a high-spirited and beautiful heroine - Scarlett O’Hara. Everyone...except the critics. She ran the gauntlet of the reviewers and, I think, suffered many indignities. Even the author said about her heroine: ”1 tried to describe a woman who is anything but admirable... I find it absurd and funny that Miss O’Hara has become a sort of national heroine; and I think that it is very bad for the moral and mental state of the nation - if the nation can applaud and admire the woman who behaved like this”.With time the author got warm to her character and wrote to one of her fans: “I’m glad that you like Scarlett and consider her a”resolute girl, worthy of admiration”... Many people also say something like that about my heroine. They say that, no matter how selfish Scarlett was, she had the unconquerable courage. They like Scarlett because of her determination and being able to see the crux of the matter in difficult situations - a feature which is always rare”.The critics also accused Scarlett of being a cynical, shameless and heartless woman who had no rights to be called a lady, who thought only about her own interests. They failed to understand that a character that had conquered the whole country just couldn’t be so negative. It is not in vain that the readers adored the fearless Miss O’Hara. Everyone who has ever taken “Gone with theWind” in their hands begins sympathize with this wonderful, little American woman. Now let’s have a closer look at Scarlett and try to find out what attracts me in this character. Scarlett could stand up for herself, she, like an abandoned cat, was able to rise to her feet and keep on struggling. She was full of contradictions; the name given by the author to her heroine