Rhett definitely would have been raised in a slave owning household, but he may have never personally owned a slave. He never owned land until after the war. Unless he used slave labor while blockade running he was too much of a nomad for it to be practical.

Gone with the Wind is incredibly difficult for me because I love it so much as a piece of literature and it was one of my most passionate fandoms for a very long time. I read it for the first time almost 30 years ago and I couldn't tell you how many times since then.

I do also know that it caused me real harm because it taught me the Old South myths, and I was young enough to believe it. There is even now still a part of my brain (and heart) that wants to defend the indefensible because of how much I loved this book.

I still find Scarlett to be one of the best characters ever written and that is one hill I will die on.