In Mitchell's novel, Gone with the Wind, Gerald O'Hara was a strong, if a little unwise, man who won the land where Tara stands in a card game and teaches his eldest daughter to treasure the land above all else. In this novel, Planter is a drunk who was manipulated by his valet into first winning the valet and then the land where Tara stands. Planter is also a man with loose morals who has an affair with his wife's mammy when his frightened wife is too drunk or drugged to provide him with sexual satisfaction. Later, Planter will father four daughters, one with Mammy and three with his wife, and three sons. Planter will become sexually attracted to his child with Mammy and send her away in order to protect her from his own and other men's attractions. Planter is a dark, cruel man in this novel who cares more for the next drink than for the people in his life.
