Old South Women

Overtime women have been depicted in a variety of ways. Films and books have shown women as caregivers, as someone who solely gives birth to children that’s it, rebels, one who caters to their husband and among a variety of other stereotypes. When looking at the progression of women, we can look in the following films and books; Mandingo, God’s Little Acre, Birth of a Nation, Gone with the Wind, The Littlest Rebel, Cat in a Hot Tin Roof, and Jezebel. The books and films mentioned before will certainly help with the picture of women of the south in the past, present and future. African American women and Caucasian women have progressed greatly from roles that today would be unordinary. Women in the Old South were seen primarily as child birthers,

Women in the New South demonstrated independence, self-sufficiency and the ability to survive in conditions that other women would have failed at. These women included Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind, Virgie Cary from The Littlest Rebel, and Darling Jill from God’s Little Acre. Scarlett O’Hara showed leadership and courage that many women did not dare to show during that time. Scarlett took on many roles that showed a new southern woman. For example, Scarlett cared for Melanie when she became ill during her pregnancy when all the men was off to war Scarlett stepped up in a strong way. Scarlett also went and did something that women knew not to do. Scarlett opened up her own sawmill business and began to participate in affairs that was usually solely for men. Virgie Cary exemplified the title of The Littlest Rebel. Virgie was scared of nothing from the Yankees taking over her house to when her father was captured by the Yankees for spying. Virgie at first was worried when her father went off to war, but before long she had the mindset of a rebel. The rebel mindset gave Virgie the power to push through any obstacle in her way. Another character who showed a new southern women was Darling Jill in God’s Little Acre. Darling Jill was totally different from the other women in the film and book because she was a woman with many men. One could not put Darling Jill in one certain category because she was everywhere. Darling Jill did things that women often did not due. If one was to relate her to another character in a different book or movie I would consider her to be similar to Belle Watling because she also was someone who cared little to what people thought of her. Consequences arise when women start to go against the grain and try to shape a new image of the southern woman. Some