Minor Characters in "Gone With the Wind" Quiz

Answer: Four

The Tarleton brothers were expelled from four: The University of Virginia, The University of Alabama, The University of South Carolina and The University of Georgia. Brent and Stuart Tarleton, who were twins, were both courting Scarlett and were in the first scene with her when the novel begins.

Their mother, Beatrice Tarleton, who disliked Scarlett, once stated if both Stuart and Brent intended to marry Scarlett, they would have to move to Utah and become Mormons.

Answer: Savannah

When Gerald first arrived in America, his brothers James and Andrew lived in Savannah, where they owned a store. Very little is revealed about James' and Andrew's families in Savannah in "Gone With the Wind". Scarlett spends a great deal of time with them (and we get to learn more about them), in the sequel to "Gone With the Wind", "Scarlett".

Answer: Scotch-Irish

The MacIntoshes were Scotch-Irish, and therefore scorned for their "thrifty" ways by the Irish Gerald O'Hara. The MacIntoshes were disliked by the entire neighborhood for being unsociable. After the Civil War, they put in a large claim to the Federal Government, stating they were Union Sympathizers and their house was burned by Federal Troops.

This endeared them to their neighbors even less.

Answer: Her cousin, Philipe Robillard

Ellen was in love with her cousin, Philippe. When he died in a bar room brawl, she agreed to marry Gerald only to avoid having to join a convent. Ellen's father, Pierre Robillard was a staunch Presbyterian (even though the rest of the family were Catholics) and was adamantly opposed to her daughter joining a convent. When Ellen passed away, Philippe's name was on her lips.

Answer: Three

Scarlett had three younger brothers. All three were named Gerald O'Hara, Jr., and all of them died in infancy. As Gerald O'Hara never had a son who lived to maturity, he began talking to his oldest daughter Scarlett as if she was his son, especially his love for land and Tara.

Answer: Emmie has given birth and the baby is dying

Emmie's baby does not survive for long after birth. It is strongly hinted that his father is the O'Hara overseer Jonas Wilkerson. A few pages later, we learn that is indeed the case. Emmie Slattery reappears in the novel after the war is over. She has married Jonas Wilkerson and has a desire to be the mistress of Tara. Mr. Wilkerson has the taxes on Tara raised to $300 with the intent to put Scarlett and her family out.

This causes the famous scene where Scarlett makes a new dress out of drapes to go to Atlanta and get the money from Rhett Butler.

Answer: Charleston

Both Aunts Pauline and Eulalie lived in Charleston. Scarlett visits them after she becomes a widow when her first husband, Charles Hamilton, passes away. Like Uncle James and Andrew, Aunt Pauline and Aunt Eulalie figure much more prominently in "Gone With the Wind"'s sequel, "Scarlett".

Answer: Sarah Jane

Sarah Jane Hamilton had been nicknamed "Pittypat" by her doting father due to her pattering feet, and the name had stuck. Pittypat was on very poor terms with her brother, Henry. Henry thought she hadn't raised their nephew Charles Hamilton (Scarlett's first husband) properly, among other things.

Answer: René Picard

René was from Louisiana. He spoke with a decided Creole accent. René came from an extremely wealthy family. But after the war, he adopted nicely to his family's new circumstances and worked at his mother-in-law's (Mrs. Merriwether) bakery.

Answer: prostitute

Belle was Atlanta's most notorious prostitute. She offered to nurse at the hospital but was rebuked by Mrs. Elsing. Although never explicitly stated, there is circumstantial evidence that she had an illegitimate son by Rhett Butler who was attending school in New Orleans.

Answer: Three

Brent, Stuart and Thomas all perished in the battle. (Boyd had already died in the war two years previously). The Gettysburg casualty lists were heavy with childhood friends and sweethearts of Scarlett. Moreover, Rhett observed that longer lists would be distributed in the days to come.

Answer: Melanie's third cousins

The Burrs were Melanie's third cousins. They lived in Macon. Aside from Aunt Pittypat and Uncle Henry, they were Melanie's closest family. They owned a slave named Lou, who years later joins Rhett's and Scarlett's household, only to be dismissed when she fails to keep a light burning in Bonnie's nursery. (Bonnie was afraid of the dark.)

Answer: Tara's foreman

"Big Sam" was the foreman of Tara. The Confederate Army used him and other slaves to build trenches for defense when the Yankees were approaching Atlanta. A few years later, "Big Sam" would rescue Scarlett when she was attacked at Shantytown, a bad part of town where poor whites and former slaves lived.

Answer: Scarlett was "fast"

Mrs. Burr had called Scarlett "fast" after catching her kissing her son Willie at a party. That is why Scarlett preferred to stay in Atlanta and not stay with the Burrs in Macon, when there was an impeding siege.

Answer: The Meades

Old Betsy was the Meades' cook. Dr. Meade sent her over to take care of Scarlett and Melanie after Aunt Pittypat went to Macon. Unfortunately, the day Melanie gave birth to Beau, Betsy was needed to assist Dr. Meade with all the wounded soldiers pouring in from the fighting around Atlanta.

Therefore, Melanie's birth was managed by Scarlett and Prissy. Also, Prissy had lied about having experience as a midwife and was virtually no help at all.

Answer: Scarlett

Scarlett killed him with Charles' pistol. This act was especially troublesome as, since he was a deserter, the army's police was probably looking for him. But luck was with the two ladies, as nobody ever came to Tara questioning his whereabouts.

Answer: Mr. Hilton, her overseer

Cathleen decides to marry her overseer to help her manage her plantation. Her brother, Cade, was dying and Cathleen did not want him worrying about her after he was gone, so she married far below her social status to have a man to run her plantation.

However, this plan would backfire as Mr. Hilton's mismanagement caused them to lose the plantation. When we see Cathleen at Gerald O'Hara's funeral, she appears to have sunk to Mr. Hilton's class herself.

Answer: He was dumped there when he was ill

Will Benteen was left at Tara by another Confederate Soldier. He was ill with pneumonia. When he recovered, he became close with Careen, Scarlett's younger sister. They may have married, if Careen hadn't decided to enter a convent in Charleston due to her grief over her dead fiancé, Brent Tarleton. (They became engaged a couple of years after he lost Scarlett because she married Charles Hamilton.) Instead, Will married Suellen, so he could stay at Tara.

Answer: Renting rooms in her home

Yes, Mrs. Elsing called them "paying guests," but she made money by turning her home into a boarding house. Mrs. Merriwether opened a very profitable bakery. Kells Whiting made money selling a preparation that guaranteed to straighten kinky hair.

Answer: Dallas McLure

Fanny was engaged to Dallas McLure, who was killed at Gettysburg. She eventually marries Tommy Welburn. Mr. Welburn had been injured in the war, and could not walk properly. As Pittypat stated, he sort of "spraddled". But that didn't stop him for managing a construction crew. He was killed on the raid on Shantytown, to avenge the attack on Scarlett there.

Answer: Tony Fontaine

Scarlett told Frank that Suellen was going to marry Tony Fontaine. That way, she could snare him for herself and use his money to pay the taxes on Tara. At the beginning of the novel, Frank owned more land than anyone in Clayton County and was timidly courting Suellen.

It took him several years later to finally officially ask her to marry him, which never came to pass due to Scarlett's deceitful measure to save Tara. Like Tommy Welburn, Mr. Kennedy was killed in the raid on Shantytown after Scarlett was attacked there.

Answer: There is no character by that name in "Gone With the Wind"

When Margaret Mitchell first began writing "Gone With the Wind," in her first draft she gave the leading character the name of Pansy O'Hara. This character's name of course was soon changed to Scarlett. ("GWTW: The Making of Gone With the Wind") The original name of Melanie was Permelia, and after writing the work for about a year Miss Mitchell changed the name of Fontenoy Hall to Tara. I'm glad she did.

Not only does Tara speak to the O'Hara heritage (the hill of Tara was the residence of Irish kings in ancient times) it would appear to be a lot less cumbersome to say than "Fontenoy Hall."

Answer: They both had a wooden peg

They both had a leg missing and it had been replaced with a wooden peg. Archie began to serve Scarlett as a combination driver and bodyguard. He had been in prison for murdering his unfaithful wife (but was released to fight in the Civil War) and ceased to drive Scarlett when she began to use convicts in her mills.

Although he slept in the cellar at Melanie's house, she asked him to leave when he informed her that he saw Ashley and Scarlett in a compromised position.

Answer: Bullock

The Yankees occupied Georgia after the Civil War. This ensured that the former slaves could vote in the election for Governor, which of course caused the Republican candidate named Bullock to win. Bullock and Rhett Butler were friends--which was another reason why the citizens of Atlanta disliked Butler so intensely. Bullock was such an unethical governor that soon some members of his own party (Republican) turned against him.

Answer: Melanie's Husband

Gotcha! ;-)


Ashley's full name is "George Ashley Wilkes." When he writes a note to Melanie, he addresses it to "Mrs. George Ashley Wilkes." Scarlett also used her middle name as well--her full name was "Katie Scarlett O'Hara." (Katie Scarlett was her grandmother, and we meet her in "Scarlett" as well.)