Abstract
In this study I surveyed the dress and the color symbolism of Scarlett and Melanie in the movie "Gone with the Wind" based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell. In investigating the dress and the color symbolism, I analyzed Scarlett and Melanie's image as described in the novel, and examined how the symbolic imagery is represented through coloration based on the DVD reproduction of the movie "Gone with the Wind" originally produced in 1939. In her novel, the author Margaret Mitchell introduced two women, Scarlett and Melanie, whose respective image sharply contrasts with each other. To express Scarlett's young, vigorous, lusty, and vivacious image, she uses green to depict the character, clothing, and background on the whole. Black, which mainly expresses the death image of the mourning dress. Red symbolizes her fast and lavish image. On the other hand, gray is used to describe Melanie's sedate, shyness, and modest image while alluding to her gloomy atmosphere. Brown symbolizes her sedate and plain image in the novel. In the movie, green symbolizes Scarlett's overwhelming image of youth and liveliness as also depicted in the novel. Melanie, however, seems to appear consistently in gray-blue or purple dresses to reflect her image of modesty, sedation and dignity. Melanie's blue image contrasts with Scarlett's blue image in that the latter is used to hint at the omen to a tragedy to come. Red is used to express Scarlett's passionate and fast image. Black symbolizes death or mourning in the movie.
