History and Political Science in Novels Jubilee by Margaret Walker and Essay

History and Political Science in Novels Jubilee by Margaret Walker and Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - Essay Example In the novel Jubilee by Margaret Walker, the transformation of Southern Society has been described comprehensively. The novel defines so many aspects of the life in the South till the time slavery ended. There are a number of factors that influenced the southern life after the Civil War and the resulting reconstruction. One of the most influential factors was the economy. Another factor that caused the transformation of the southern society was the change in social structure and the government. During the Civil War, the economy was very weak and the people in the South were hugely impacted by the shrinking economy. The novel provides an explanation of the damage caused by the war to the society (Walker, 268). After the end of the Civil War when the reconstruction was initiated, the economy of the region recovered at a rapid pace. The agriculture of the region also grew and it also added to the recovery of the economy. Due to the growth in agriculture, the Southern Society was able to deal in the agricultural products with other regions and the inflow of the revenue was at the highest at this point. In the novel Jubilee, the transformation of the Southern Society is explained through its characters when Vyry and her family ultimately acquire a good place to live and a place for carrying out planting and this enables them to earn more money. On the other hand, in Gone with the Wind, the transformation of Southern Society has been explained through the character Scarlett. Before the war, Scarlett is bound to follow all the rules of the high-class Southern society, however during the war Scarlett breaks free from the confines of the rules and uses her instincts to lead her. During the era of reconstruction, Scarlett acquires a factory and ignores the rules that existed in the Old South. The journey of the character of Scarlett reflects the transformation of Southern society through the time span before, during and after the Civil War. After the era of Reconstructio n, Scarlett tries to connect to the old culture of South but in a new way and this reflects the regain of the control of the political structure by the society. The novel Jubilee emanates the theme of ‘overcoming of adversity with willpower’ through the character Vyry. The way the character of Vyry develops throughout the novel represents this theme. The novel covers the life of Vyry through three major periods which are; slavery, Civil War and Reconstruction and in each of these periods, Vyry remains strong only because of her willpower. In the period of slavery, despite the overly depressing circumstances, Vyry responds to her surroundings in a strong manner and she does not let her circumstances add to her adversities. During Civil War, the character of Vyry shifts from that of a slave to a protector of the property that is threatened to be damaged due to the war. She remains strong during the war as well and due to her willpower avoids any adversity that comes her w ay. After the war, she works the crops and waits for her husband to return. Even though she learns that her husband is dead and this news devastates her for a short span of time, she soon recovers and does not let adversity take the most of her. Vyry’s life gets better when she gets married again and gets a new home and a farm to work in. On the other han