1.Research background 1.1 Margaret Mitchell Margaret Mitchell (November 8, 1900 #8211; August 16, 1949), the author of Gone With the Wind, is an American author and journalist, a Southerner and a lifelong resident and native of Atlanta, Georgia. She was born in 1900 into a wealthy and politically prominent family. Her father, Eugene Muse Mitchell, was an attorney, and her mother, Mary Isabelle Stephens, also an attorney, was a suffragist. Most of her relatives lived in the South. Gone With the Wind is set around the Civil War period, which deeply influences Margaret#8217;s life. Margaret#8217;s family members, especially her mother, had a great influence on her and her novel-writing. She grew up hearing stories about the American Civil War and the Reconstruction from her tyrannical Irish-American grandmother, who had endured its suffering. Her powerful and intellectual mother, a suffragist, was determined to devote to the voting rights for women. An image of "the South" was fixed in Mitchell's imagination; when she was at six years old her mother took her on a buggy tour through ruined plantations. When she was a little girl, she was inculcated with feministic thinking. From an imagination cultivated in her youth, Margaret Mitchell's defensive weapon would become her writing. Margaret#8217;s first marriage was soon over. After an unsuccessful marriage, she married John Robert Marsh on July 4, 1925. In May 1926, Mitchell left her job at Atlanta Journal and returned home from her ankle injury. Her husband emphatically suggested that she write her own book. For the next three years Mitchell worked exclusively on writing a Civil War-era novel whose heroine was named Scarlett. Remaining one of the bestsellers and the only novel published during Margaret#8217;s lifetime, Gone With the Wind (1936) is such a great success. Scarlett O#8217;Hara is Margaret#8217;s epitome, a rebellious strong-willed girl who grows into a mature woman in the process of struggling for survival and women#8217;s rights. 1.2 Gone With the Wind In the history of American literature, Gone with the Wind, first published in 1936, has played a significant role. The novel becomes popular since its first publication. For more than half a century, the book has published 85 editions, ranking at the forefront of bestsellers and setting the top sales record in the publishing history. In addition, it has been translated into more than 40 languages around the world. In 1937, Margaret Mitchell received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Gone with the Wind and the second annual National Book Award from the American Booksellers Association. In 1939, Gone With the Wind was adapted into a movie, reaching an unprecedented shock to the world. Still, the book is the second favorite by American readers, just behind The Bible despite the fact that it has received much academic criticism for being uneven, flawed, and conventionally written in an age, attacked by some cultural commentators. The story is set in Clayton County and Atlanta, both in Georgia, during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era. It depicts the struggles of young Scarlett O'Hara, a spoiled daughter of a well-to-do plantation owner, who uses every means at her disposal to claw her way out of poverty and pursue her freedom and right. Scarlett is, to some extent, the miniature of Margaret Mitchell, fighting for their inner beliefs. The thesis will focus on the growing consciousness of Scarlett#8217;s feminist thought and the relevant causes. 2.Need for the study As for the need of the study, first, feminism has been a research topic over the past decades. Feminist campaigns and movements are generally considered to be a main force behind major historical societal changes for women's rights, particularly in the West. Feministic consciousness often appears in many masterpieces and has obtained widely attention. Besides, in modern society, gender inequality, women's suffrage, and the right to enter into own property etc, have aroused great social attention. In short, feminism is inseparable from our daily life. Secondly, the female characters in Gone With the Wind have their distinct personalities and different ideas towards life, especially its heroine Scarlett who has a strong personal color. Scarlett O#8217;Hara, a complicated and special woman, intends to subvert the role that the patriarchal society imposes on her and manages to change her destiny by herself. It might be of great help for the readers to learn from her independence, fortitude, and courage. This novel deserves a thorough research especially from the perspective of feministic consciousness. Women have to keep independent personalities in different relationships. Only in this way can they attain equal positions both in the society and the family. To sum up, the study can provide some enlightening thoughts on the feminist theory as well as enhance the readers#8217; reinterpretation of the novel from a feminist critical perspective. 2.Literature review 2.1 Previous studies on Gone With the Wind Gone With the Wind has gained abundance of attention since its publication. Many scholars confirm its contributing significance on the developing progress of literature. Gu Shaoyang (2003) analyzes the inferior social status of South America women during the 19th century and also comments on what women contributed to the society, complimenting not only their individual consciousness and determined will but also their desire to support each other. Their selflessness and spirit of showing resistance display the author#8217;s ideas that women ought to be liberated from families and social oppression. According to Yang Kunlun (2012), Scalett#8217;s final tragedy manifests the predicament she faces between conventional morality and relentless reality by making an analysis of Scarlett#8217;s spiritual journey and mental growth during the American Civil War. Zhang Wenxing (2013) analyzes Scarlett#8217;s transformation from a pure innocent girl to an independent woman, and appraises her rebellion, bravery, and determination. A comparison in Wang Chunchen#8217;s work (2012) analyzes the similarities between Scarlett and Wang Xifeng with a conclusion that these two representative women, imbued with high capacity and competence, spare no effort to accomplish their goals. They are confident enough to master their own life and ultimately have a wishful future. Fan Chufang (2016) emphasizes the importance of feminist translation of Gone With the Wind by Fu Donghua, Jia Wenhao and Li Meihua. Other aspects include Pamela Regis#8217;s (2011) argument that the novel is more appropriately classified as a historical one as it does not contain all of the elements of romance. In addition, Jane Eskridge (2000) focuses on the rapport between Margaret Mitchell and Gone With the Wind. Many of Mitchell#8217;s letters are collected by Julian Granberry, which makes the readers understand and experience more about the author and her work. Geraldine Higgins (2011) analyzes from the perspective of the author#8217;s attitude towards slaves their living conditions. On the other hand, commentators give Gone With the Wind a mixed assessment. Gone with the Wind has been criticized for its stereotypical and derogatory portrayal of African Americans in the 19th century (Loewen 2011). In addition, the novel has been criticized for promoting plantation values. But Marianne Walker (1993), the author of Margaret Mitchell and John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone with the Wind, holds the attitude that those who attack the book on these grounds have not read it. She asserts that the popular 1939 film promotes a false notion of the Old South, for Mitchell does not participate in the screenplay or film production. It is therefore concluded that this novel will be studied in six aspects: Scarlett#8217;s independent characteristics, development of feministic consciousness, American historical background, slaves#8217; living conditions, racial discrimination as well as different translation version of the novel. From the perspective of Scarlett#8217;s feministic consciousness, scholars emphasize more on her mental development without exploring the cause of such change. In addition, the analysis of Scalett#8217;s feministic consciousness with a specific feminist theory, for example Simone de Beauvoir#8217;s theory, is of great significance but only receives little research. In short, in Gone With the Wind, the author#8217;s feminism thought is positively appraised through patriarchal oppression over women, and females#8217; strong resistance against the old traditions, which is the focus of this thesis. 2.2 Feminist theory 2.2.1 Definition Feminism is a range of political movements, social movements, and ideologies to determine, form, and accomplish goals including politics, economy, personal development, and social equality of sexes. Feminist theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical, fictional, or philosophical discourse. The idea is to understand the nature of gender inequality. It examines females#8217; and males' social status, experience, interests, and feminist politics in such areas as anthropology and sociology, communication, media studies, psychoanalysis, home economics, literature, education, and philosophy. Feminist theory focuses on analyzing gender inequality, gender politics, power relations, and sexuality. 2.2.2 Historical background The words "feminism" and "feminist" first appeared in France and the Netherlands in 1872, Great Britain in the 1890s, and the United States in 1910, and the Oxford English Dictionary lists 1852 as the year of the first appearance of "feminist" and 1895 for "feminism". According to the historical events, cultures and countries, feminists have had diverse causes and goals all over the world. The history of the modern western feminist movements involves three "waves", each managing to solve different facets of the same feminist issues. The first wave comprises women's suffrage movements of the 19th and early 20th centuries, promoting their right to vote. The second wave, associated with the ideas and actions of the women's liberation movement beginning in the 1960s, campaigns for legal and social equality for women. The third wave is a continuation of and a reaction to the perceived failures of second-wave feminism that began in the 1990s and lasts till now. 2.2.3 Schools of feminist theory It is generally recognized that feminist theory consists of four schools: Liberal Feminism, Marxist Feminism, Socialist Feminism and Radical Feminism. Liberal feminism, an individualistic form of feminist theory, focuses on women's ability to maintain their equality through their own actions and choices. Marxist feminism focuses on investigating and explaining the ways in which women are oppressed through systems of capitalism and private property. Socialist feminism focuses upon the interconnectivity of the patriarchy and capitalism. Radical feminism as a perspective within feminism calls for a radical reordering of society male supremacy is eliminated. Each school has its own value and significance, and has been or is playing an important role in women's liberation. 2.2.4 Simone de Beauvoir#8217;s feminist theory Simone de Beauvoir is a famous representative of liberal feminism, and her masterpiece The Second Sex is regarded as a major work of feminist philosophy and the starting point of second-wave feminism. Simone de Beauvoir, known as one of the most important women in the 20th century, has a significant influence on both feminist existentialism and feminist theory. She was born in a wealthy family in Paris. Her parents were Catholic, but she grew up rejecting her parents' plans for her career and marriage and was fiercely independent. During her whole life, she has been exploring and practicing the theory and outlet of female emancipation, leaving a large number of works with extensive influence and various genres. Ontology- the existence of human life, has always been the primary concern of Beauvoir. As the existentialist feminist, she is deeply concerned about the basic focus of human beings. The question as to what people are, how they live, and how they should survive is always the theme of her novels. Beauvoir#8217;s work The Second Sex rocks the United States and the whole world, and establishes her pioneer status in the study of western feminist movement and feminist research. The Second Sex is divided into two parts. In Volume One, Beauvoir analyzes the situation of the female in aspects of the reflection of biology, psychoanalysis, and female myth in literature development. Beauvoir asks what a woman is and argues whether a man is considered the default and a woman is "the privileged Other". She describes women's subordination to the species in terms of reproduction. Volume Two, from the perspective of philosophic theory of existentialism, focuses on women on all stages, from birth to adolescence, from falling in love to be in marriage, and the real situation of women in various classes, such as peasants, workers, prostitutes, stars or intellectuals, exploring the possible direction for their independence. Beauvoir proposes the necessity for women to achieve economic independence and emphasizes that only promoting women's economic status can bring about spiritual, social, cultural and other consequences. Only when women changes their fundamental consciousness can it be possible to truly achieve gender equality. Beauvoir#8217;s feministic theory has a great influence on the study of feminism, and will offer a theoretical basis for the present study. Works Cited Beasley, Chris. What is Feminism? New York: Sage, 1999. Beauvoir, Simone de. The Second Sex. 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