Posts
By Denise Tucker
It has been suggested on numerous occasions that Margaret Mitchell’s second cousin, John Henry “Doc” Holliday was the inspiration for Scarlett’s obsession Ashley Wilkes. Certainly, there are similarities. Doc Holliday was said to have been a fair-haired Southern gentleman; well educated, with impeccable manners and a sophisticated dresser. Certainly, based on this description, coupled with his affection for his own cousin, Martha Ann “Mattie” Holliday – parallels can easily be drawn to Ashley Wilkes.
Margaret Mitchell introduces us to Ashley Wilkes’ appearance in the second chapter of Gone With the Wind, through Scarlett’s own recollections:
“She had been on the front porch and he had ridden up the long avenue, dressed in gray broadcloth with a wide black cravat setting off his frilled shirt to perfection. Even now, she could recall each detail of his dress, how brightly his boots shown, the head of a Medusa in cameo on his cravat pin, the wide Panama hat that was instantly in his hand when he saw her. He had alighted and tossed his bridle reins to a pickaninny and stood looking up at her, his drowsy gray eyes wide with a smile and the sun so bright on his blond hair that it seemed like a cap of shining silver. And he said, “So you’ve grown up, Scarlett.” [1]
Who wouldn’t melt?
One who would argue for the Doc Holliday / Ashley Wilkes connection would have to admit that the similarities are very superficial in nature. A man who physically resembles Ashley’s character, Doc Holliday lacks too many of the personal characteristics associated with Ashley Wilkes. Gerald O’Hara very succinctly closes the chapter on any meaningful similarities a few pages later when he says to Scarlett:
“Ashley can ride with the best and play poker with the best – that’s me, Puss! And I’m not denying that when he sets out to drink he can put even the Tarletons under the table. He can do all those things, but his heart’s not in it.” [2]
Ashley is best known for his love of books and music, beautiful scenery, and as he later states, “the glamour …of the old life I loved.” [3] Ashley was a man very conflicted with the life in which he found himself. By simply going through the motions, he demonstrates his preference to live in quiet shadows, observing rather than participating. Ashley, as we who love Gone With the Wind know, did not adapt well to change. Outward courage on the battlefield did not camouflage the weakness within.
The same could not be said for Doc Holliday who, when told by his uncle that leaving Georgia for the west might prolong his eventual death by tuberculosis by two years[4], led a full and adventurous life, in fact living fourteen years longer than predicted! His life was made notorious in part to his association with the Earp brothers. An active participant in the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral, it is suggested that he was the one who initiated the first shot fired[5]! Hardly the actions of a person content to live on the sidelines!
I just cannot imagine Ashley Wilkes exhibiting the same level of tenacity and gumption, though he does tell Scarlett that “Fighting is like champagne. It goes the heads of cowards as quickly as of heroes.[6]”
Doc Holliday had a healthy enjoyment of all that Gerald identified as perfunctory in nature when he spoke of Ashley Wilkes. A heavy drinker, he all but gave up dentistry in favor of the more financially viable role of professional gambler.[7]
But with all that said, I do not think for a moment that Margaret Mitchell was wholly uninfluenced by her notorious cousin. Writers have a natural tendency to utilize the influences around them in order to create stories and characters. I am certain that Margaret Mitchell was no different. Sally Tippet Rains is currently writing an exciting new book that will chronicle the life of Margaret Mitchell and possible influences on her masterpiece. Her book will certainly touch on the Doc Holliday influence! Upon publication of Ms. Rains’ book, we will learn more about the theories around the cast of Gone With the Wind. In the meantime, indulge me while I share my point of view of Doc Holliday’s impact on the story.
For those familiar with the book, the character of Philippe Robillard has striking similarities to Doc Holliday. We are not given a physical description of Philippe Robillard; in fact, we are given very little information about the character as a whole. But by looking at the situation, piecing together the few bits of information we are given, we learn that Philippe (like Doc) left Georgia and the cousin with whom he was in love (Scarlett’s mother, Ellen Robillard) and headed west according to his family’s wishes.[8] We know that he died in a barroom brawl.
Like Philippe, Doc Holliday was in love with his cousin, previously identified as Mattie Holliday. The family frowned upon their romance. That discouragement coupled with the issue of his health, Holliday left Georgia for the west. However, he never forgot his first love, just as Ellen never forgot Philippe, even on her deathbed.[9] Doc Holliday and Mattie corresponded throughout the rest of his life. It was she who was notified of his death in 1887.[10]
Interestingly, while visiting the Holliday Dorsey Fife House a few years ago, the docent I spoke with shared with me that Doc Holliday’s ghost is said to haunt the house. It was, according to family history, a house that both Doc and Mattie spent considerable time in as children and where it is assumed their love first blossomed.
While we know that Philippe Robillard died a violent death, it is only through luck that Doc Holliday did not meet a similar end. His lifestyle suggests that he was determined to die from any other means rather than tuberculosis. In the end, however, he died in bed with his boots off. It is reported that his last words were, “This is funny.[11]” as he fully expected to go out with gunfire or similar. Those who have studied Doc Holliday’s life would daresay he would have probably preferred to go out in the same manner as Philippe.
The similarities between Doc Holliday and Philippe Robillard seem to have more depth than do the Doc Holliday / Ashley Wilkes arguments. A correlation of characters must be based on more than physical characteristics alone. Meaningful and substantial evidence must be presented in order to associate a historical figure to a fictional character. While we know far less about Philippe than we do Ashley, the smallest details seem to carry more weight than the larger. Doc Holliday, in all ways that truly count, seems to have had more in common with the lesser-known character than the object of Scarlett’s obsession.
So – that’s my opinion. What do you think? Please click the comment button at the top and share your feedback! Remember, if you are the first to offer your comments, you will need to click where it states “No Comment.” I look forward to reading what you have to say!
[1] Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind, 1936 MacMillan Publishing, page 45
[2] Page 54
[3] Page 498
[4] www.theoutlaws.com/outlaws/htm, retrieved 4.14.08
[5] www.spearmanreporter.com/atoughofhistory/docholiday.html, Retrieved 4.14.08
[6] Page 497
[7] http://www.docholliday.info/, Retrieved 4.14.08
[8] Page 70
[9] Page 398
[10] www.theoutlaws.com/outlaws/htm, Retrieved 4.14.08
[11] www.spearmanreporter.com/atoughofhistory/docholiday.html, Retrieved 4.14.08
It has been suggested on numerous occasions that Margaret Mitchell’s second cousin, John Henry “Doc” Holliday was the inspiration for Scarlett’s obsession Ashley Wilkes. Certainly, there are similarities. Doc Holliday was said to have been a fair-haired Southern gentleman; well educated, with impeccable manners and a sophisticated dresser. Certainly, based on this description, coupled with his affection for his own cousin, Martha Ann “Mattie” Holliday – parallels can easily be drawn to Ashley Wilkes.
Margaret Mitchell introduces us to Ashley Wilkes’ appearance in the second chapter of Gone With the Wind, through Scarlett’s own recollections:
“She had been on the front porch and he had ridden up the long avenue, dressed in gray broadcloth with a wide black cravat setting off his frilled shirt to perfection. Even now, she could recall each detail of his dress, how brightly his boots shown, the head of a Medusa in cameo on his cravat pin, the wide Panama hat that was instantly in his hand when he saw her. He had alighted and tossed his bridle reins to a pickaninny and stood looking up at her, his drowsy gray eyes wide with a smile and the sun so bright on his blond hair that it seemed like a cap of shining silver. And he said, “So you’ve grown up, Scarlett.” [1]
Who wouldn’t melt?
One who would argue for the Doc Holliday / Ashley Wilkes connection would have to admit that the similarities are very superficial in nature. A man who physically resembles Ashley’s character, Doc Holliday lacks too many of the personal characteristics associated with Ashley Wilkes. Gerald O’Hara very succinctly closes the chapter on any meaningful similarities a few pages later when he says to Scarlett:
“Ashley can ride with the best and play poker with the best – that’s me, Puss! And I’m not denying that when he sets out to drink he can put even the Tarletons under the table. He can do all those things, but his heart’s not in it.” [2]
Ashley is best known for his love of books and music, beautiful scenery, and as he later states, “the glamour …of the old life I loved.” [3] Ashley was a man very conflicted with the life in which he found himself. By simply going through the motions, he demonstrates his preference to live in quiet shadows, observing rather than participating. Ashley, as we who love Gone With the Wind know, did not adapt well to change. Outward courage on the battlefield did not camouflage the weakness within.
The same could not be said for Doc Holliday who, when told by his uncle that leaving Georgia for the west might prolong his eventual death by tuberculosis by two years[4], led a full and adventurous life, in fact living fourteen years longer than predicted! His life was made notorious in part to his association with the Earp brothers. An active participant in the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral, it is suggested that he was the one who initiated the first shot fired[5]! Hardly the actions of a person content to live on the sidelines!
I just cannot imagine Ashley Wilkes exhibiting the same level of tenacity and gumption, though he does tell Scarlett that “Fighting is like champagne. It goes the heads of cowards as quickly as of heroes.[6]”
Doc Holliday had a healthy enjoyment of all that Gerald identified as perfunctory in nature when he spoke of Ashley Wilkes. A heavy drinker, he all but gave up dentistry in favor of the more financially viable role of professional gambler.[7]
But with all that said, I do not think for a moment that Margaret Mitchell was wholly uninfluenced by her notorious cousin. Writers have a natural tendency to utilize the influences around them in order to create stories and characters. I am certain that Margaret Mitchell was no different. Sally Tippet Rains is currently writing an exciting new book that will chronicle the life of Margaret Mitchell and possible influences on her masterpiece. Her book will certainly touch on the Doc Holliday influence! Upon publication of Ms. Rains’ book, we will learn more about the theories around the cast of Gone With the Wind. In the meantime, indulge me while I share my point of view of Doc Holliday’s impact on the story.
For those familiar with the book, the character of Philippe Robillard has striking similarities to Doc Holliday. We are not given a physical description of Philippe Robillard; in fact, we are given very little information about the character as a whole. But by looking at the situation, piecing together the few bits of information we are given, we learn that Philippe (like Doc) left Georgia and the cousin with whom he was in love (Scarlett’s mother, Ellen Robillard) and headed west according to his family’s wishes.[8] We know that he died in a barroom brawl.
Like Philippe, Doc Holliday was in love with his cousin, previously identified as Mattie Holliday. The family frowned upon their romance. That discouragement coupled with the issue of his health, Holliday left Georgia for the west. However, he never forgot his first love, just as Ellen never forgot Philippe, even on her deathbed.[9] Doc Holliday and Mattie corresponded throughout the rest of his life. It was she who was notified of his death in 1887.[10]
Interestingly, while visiting the Holliday Dorsey Fife House a few years ago, the docent I spoke with shared with me that Doc Holliday’s ghost is said to haunt the house. It was, according to family history, a house that both Doc and Mattie spent considerable time in as children and where it is assumed their love first blossomed.
While we know that Philippe Robillard died a violent death, it is only through luck that Doc Holliday did not meet a similar end. His lifestyle suggests that he was determined to die from any other means rather than tuberculosis. In the end, however, he died in bed with his boots off. It is reported that his last words were, “This is funny.[11]” as he fully expected to go out with gunfire or similar. Those who have studied Doc Holliday’s life would daresay he would have probably preferred to go out in the same manner as Philippe.
The similarities between Doc Holliday and Philippe Robillard seem to have more depth than do the Doc Holliday / Ashley Wilkes arguments. A correlation of characters must be based on more than physical characteristics alone. Meaningful and substantial evidence must be presented in order to associate a historical figure to a fictional character. While we know far less about Philippe than we do Ashley, the smallest details seem to carry more weight than the larger. Doc Holliday, in all ways that truly count, seems to have had more in common with the lesser-known character than the object of Scarlett’s obsession.
So – that’s my opinion. What do you think? Please click the comment button at the top and share your feedback! Remember, if you are the first to offer your comments, you will need to click where it states “No Comment.” I look forward to reading what you have to say!
[1] Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind, 1936 MacMillan Publishing, page 45
[2] Page 54
[3] Page 498
[4] www.theoutlaws.com/outlaws/htm, retrieved 4.14.08
[5] www.spearmanreporter.com/atoughofhistory/docholiday.html, Retrieved 4.14.08
[6] Page 497
[7] http://www.docholliday.info/, Retrieved 4.14.08
[8] Page 70
[9] Page 398
[10] www.theoutlaws.com/outlaws/htm, Retrieved 4.14.08
[11] www.spearmanreporter.com/atoughofhistory/docholiday.html, Retrieved 4.14.08
4 comments:
I want to give you my thoughts on Margaret Mitchell’s use of Doc Holliday in her characters in GWTW. I have no doubt that she used traits of the famous or infamous Doc (depending on who you talk to) as models for one if not three of her characters. Certainly Ashley as you suggest, and more probably Phillipe. But I also think that she threw a little of the cynical/witty roughish side of Doc into the personna of Rhett Butler. I have read a lot about John Henry “Doc” Holliday and when I am reading about Rhett in the book or see him on the screen I am always reminded of “Doc”. It is the same for Gerald O’Hara and Philip Fitzgerald - it is hard to seperate the two - they seem to be “one and the same”.
I want to tell you some history. Back in 1937, the women’s club of Fayetteville put on a play and seized upon the popularity of the recent best selling book, GWTW as the background for the play. They couldn’t call it a “Gone With the Wind” play so they named it “A Romance of the 60’s”, but it was obvious that it was based on the great novel. The play was held in the school auditorium, and many people attended. Local family members played the parts of their ancestors, who were portrayed in the story (the play) that was written up mostly by the county historian and UDC members. Most of it was based on real events that took place in Fayette County during the war. It was such a big deal that the Atlanta papers carried it complete with pictures. Well, Margaret Mitchell saw the write-up in the Atlanta papers and was in Fayetteville the next day or two. She was not upset about the possible plaguerism, but was here to find out about “some of the people and the location of the homes mentioned in the play”. The Holliday house and the Hollidays were mentioned many times in the play. We know that she did visit the Holliday house at least once during her visits to Fayetteville (1937) and questioned Mr. and Mrs. Fife about it. She probably knew that her grandmother, Annie boarded here during the war, but she also knew that Mattie Holliday was born in Fayetteville, and had talked to her many times about the family. There is no doubt in my mind that Mattie mentioned “Doc” to M.M. in their little chats. I can’t help but believe that the mention of the Holliday house brought her here that day in 1937. She knew also that she was a relative of the Holliday’s by marriage and I am sure that she was aware of Doc’s history. (At that point in time many people in the family did not want to be identified as being kin to Doc because of the “gunfighter” reputation that he had earned while out West.) Does this remind you a little of Rhett’s having to leave Charleston and being an outcast of the Butler family? Anyway I think you are right on track with your theory of “Doc” as a model for at least one character in the book.
It seems plausible that the specific characteristics of Doc Holliday were not written into one character. Perhaps Margaret did her familial research and discovered a man who was larger than life–both famous and infamous. She doubtless heard tales of his growing into a southern gentleman who was at first glance a pastiche of honorable intentions and shameful activity,even before he traversed to the west. Margaret had to have heard those “stories” that are whispered behind the doors of a family’s skeleton closet of a “remittance man” that would bring a mother to tears as she pleaded with God to kindly inform her of “where she went wrong with my boy.” She had to have been moved by reports of ignominy that would cause a mayoral father to disown his own son and a family to swear an oath to remain silent on the “subject.” Perhaps Margaret took all of this information back to her little apartment and wove the contradictory characteristics of saint and sinner into two characters–Rhett? Ashley? Maybe some even appeared in the personality traits that expressed themselves in the person of Scarlett O’Hara. Just a thought…
I know this is an old thread, but I'll post just the same. I agree with the above - parts of both Rhett and Ashley are based on Doc Holliday. But the reason I wanted to post is because the photo you use isn't of Doc. I'm not trying to be mean - the photo was incorrectly identified as his for quite a while. I'm not sure who it is, but I'm sure who it is not. Here's a website with a verified photo, as well as a comparison of others including the one you posted. No matter what anyone thinks of Doc Holliday, he was cute!
http://marydoriarussell.net/novels/doc/historical-figures/2/
I totally agree with you that the character of Scarlett's mother is based on Mattie Hamilton and her cousin Philippe is based on Doc Holliday. The comparison to Melanie Hamilton because of the same initials and Mattie being called Sister Melanie are superficial. Ashley also does not fit the wild, snapping eyed character of Philippe. Ashley is portrayed by Mitchell as a docile, weak dreamer. Rhett also doesn't fit; he is an older man, mature, experienced, more in control.The facts are that the story of Mattie and Doc closely parallel that of Ellen and Philippe: young cousins in love, disapproving families, an unexplained breakup, the young man's sudden departure for the west, the girl retreating to a convent, (in Ellen's case Mitchell alludes to a pregnancy and hastily arranged marriage to a avoid such a fate and in Mattie's case a pregnancy is also a possibility hidden by the secrecy of families and the convent) and finally the young man's death and final letters sent.
Post a Comment