Chapter XXXV

Summary

After being rejected by Rhett, Scarlett walks home to PittypatÂ’s house and on the way is given a ride by Frank Kennedy, her sister SuellenÂ’s beau. Frank tells her that he owns a store and a sawmill and has been working to make money so he and Suellen can be married in the spring. Scarlett pretends that her sister hasnÂ’t told them of FrankÂ’s store or of their plans to marry in the spring. She quickly begins plotting a way to get Frank for herself; she lies about her sister, telling Frank that Suellen has given up on him and is about to get married to Tony Fontaine. She begs him to be the escort for herself and Pittypat to the wedding they are supposed to be attending that evening.

At the party and dance that follows the wedding, Scarlett observes her former friends and associates. She marvels that they act as if their lives havenÂ’t changed a bit in spite of wearing patched clothes and living in a house with broken chandeliers and scarred floors and walls. She tries to tell herself that one cannot be a lady without money but knows in her heart that gentility is an attitude more than a state of wealth. She avoids the dancing by saying she is still in mourning for her mother, but truthfully, her dress is damp and stained around the edges from her day in town, and she doesnÂ’t want anyone to notice it. She sits in an alcove where it is more convenient to flirt with Frank.

Notes

Earlier foreshadowing comes to fruition as Scarlett uses Frank Kennedy's weakness to accomplish her own purposes. If she would sacrifice herself to save Tara, one could expect that she would have no hesitation in sacrificing the happiness of her sister, especially as she never had any real love for Suellen anyway. If Rhett was immune to her feminine tricks, Frank is not. Her behavior is exactly what he expects of a girl who has an interest in him; the lie about Suellen is all it takes for him to turn to Scarlett in her place. It is little wonder that Scarlett has so little respect for most men when it takes nothing more than a phony tear and a bit of helpless play-acting to get them to fall over her.

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