面容憔悴、瘦骨嶙峋的卫希礼从前线回到塔拉的时候,欣喜若狂的媚兰立刻起身奔下台阶扑进他的怀抱;思嘉隔了一秒也反应过来这个几乎认不出的人就是希礼,禁不住也起身向他飞奔而去,而这时,威尔却一把拉住了她。思嘉急的跳脚,威尔却安静的说,别去搅扰他们的相逢。他毕竟是她的丈夫,不是吗?("Don't spoil it. After all, he's her husband, ain't he?")
没有责备的意味。那一刻,在他深邃的眸子里,思嘉看到了理解和怜悯。
这个男人,你不得不为他叫好。他安静、不张扬、有担当,做事力度刚刚好,不偏激,不软弱。
这个温和而坚定的灵魂,在平静的表面之下也惊心动魄的爱过。
他爱上了思嘉的小妹妹,善良单纯的凯伦。在他伤病高烧的时候,虔诚的凯伦一直照顾在侧。当他终于退烧,他对她说,原来你真的不是一个梦啊 (Then you warn't a dream, after all.)
葬礼致辞的时候,威尔第一个走上前去,说,虽然在座比我认识郝老先生时间要长,但是也许我有这个资格第一个上来说几句,因为如果郝老先生在多活一个月左右,我就是他的女婿了("If he had lived a month or so longer, I'd have had the right to call him Pa.")这么一句话,一方面树立了他葬礼上第一个发言的合理性和他一家之主的地位,另一方面也间接公布了他和苏埃伦的婚讯。
他接着褒扬了郝老先生的一生,说他白手起家,从没向任何强大势力低过头,听得所有参加葬礼的人感慨不已。接着他话锋一转,说郝老先生的心早已在妻子死去的时候就跟着去了,而过去几年郝老先生的精神状态已经大不如前("When Mrs. O'Hara died, his heart died too and he was licked. And what we seen walking 'round here warn't him.")暗指郝老先生的死最主要、最直接的原因是他的精神状态,而苏埃伦只是个间接诱因,并不是主要原因,所以大家不管再怎么伤心,也不要把气都撒在她头上。
而这么做还有一层深意,就是不让深爱父亲的思嘉听到入馆落土的声音而伤心。眼聪目明的方丁家老奶奶明白威尔的用意 "He didn't want Scarlett to hear the clods dropping on the coffin. And he's right. Just remember, Scarlett, as long as you don't hear that sound, folds are't actually dead to you."
威尔知道,思嘉是父亲的掌上明珠;父亲去世对思嘉的打击最大。"He knew you were your father's pet and he didn't want to make it worse for you than it already was. He figured it wouldn't be so bad for your sisters. Suellen has her shame to sustain her and Careen her God."