Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain Essay - 1070 Words

Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain Overcast by the gloom of the Civil War, Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain details the growth of his characters as they cope with uncertain times. The two protagonists, Ada and Inman, traverse parallel paths toward redemption. While Ada adapts to an unfamiliar mountainous existence, Inman braves the risk of desertion to return to her. Both characters, however, seek love, spirituality, and an understanding of their disrupted world, and through their kindred courses, Frazier conveys the theme of questioning life. As the story opens, both Inman and Ada survey their unfamiliar situations. Inman nurses a near-fatal wound in a makeshift hospital where he sits â€Å"brooding and pining for his lost self† (23).†¦show more content†¦This unspoken quality, akin to his misfit manner, forged a bond between the two, though they never formally courted. Despite letters exchanged throughout Inman’s absence, neither know â€Å"how things might stand between [them]† (24). Their uncertainty reflects Frazier’s theme of a quest for knowledge. Unsure what to expect, Inman presses on towards Cold Mountain despite the cost. His encounter with the goatwoman encourages his journey. Although he admires the woman’s ability to live a content, hermetic life, he realizes how deeply he craves Ada’s company. Ada recalls her tentative love for him, but wonders what will remain after the changes imposed by the war. In a brief letter, Inman intimates that he no longer resembles the man that ventured out â€Å"in either form or spirit† (246). The brutality of war and senselessness of death burned his spirit. Instead of an optimistic youth, he more closely embodies â€Å"a sad old heron standing pointless watch in the middle of a pond lacking frogs† (22). Ada, too, is but a remnant of her past self. As her friend Ruby disciplines her on the nature of the land, Ada gradually substitutes manual labor and harvesting crops for idle painting and poetry. Even in the face of their inevitable transformations, h owever, the pair cling to the hope of reuniting and rekindling a love cut short byShow MoreRelatedEssay on Charles Fraziers Cold Mountain1425 Words   |  6 PagesCharles Fraziers Cold Mountain In Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier describes the epic journey home of wounded Confederate soldier Inman from Petersburg to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Inman’s physical voyage home is paralleled by the mental journey made by his sweetheart, Ada, in her transformation from ‘city girl’ into ‘mountain woman’. The story is woven around the experiences of Inman and Ada trying to rebuild their lives from the desperation and disaster of the war, all the while trying toRead More Charles Fraziers Use of Music in Cold Mountain Essay3597 Words   |  15 PagesCharles Fraziers Use of Music in Cold Mountain The American Civil War was a bitter, grief-filled conflict with oddly musical overtones. A Southern soldier, Alexander Hunter, recalled that â€Å"There was music in plenty,† (Lawrence 169) just as Charles Frazier’s character Stobrod in Cold Mountain remarks that â€Å"there was so much music back then† (407). While both the Union and the Confederacy placed great import on music, Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier focuses primarily on the Southern perspectiveRead More Survival and Love in Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain Essay example3119 Words   |  13 PagesSurvival and Love in Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils. (ll. 19-24) Wordsworth’s famous and simple poem, â€Å"I wandered lonely as a cloud,† expresses the Romantic Age’s appreciation for the beauty and truth that can be found in a setting as ordinary as a field of daffodils. With this final stanza, Wordsworth writesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Cold Mountain 1296 Words   |  6 PagesCharles Frazier’s first novel, Cold Mountain, has earned him a great amount of notoriety. From having a film adaptation of his novel in 2003, to receiving a National Book Award in fiction in 1997. Cold Mountain opens with a quotation from a journal entry by Charles Darwin: â€Å"It is difficult to believe in the dreadful but quiet war of organic beings, going on in the peaceful woods and smiling fields.† And indeed, Frazier’s acclaimed novel describes a war of beings built of flesh and blood–of courseRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Cold Mountain 1298 Words   |  6 PagesLiterary Analysis Charles Frazier’s first novel, Cold Mountain, has earned him a great amount of notoriety. From having a film adaptation of his novel in 2003, to receiving a National Book Award in fiction in 1997. Cold Mountain opens with a quotation from a journal entry by Charles Darwin: â€Å"It is difficult to believe in the dreadful but quiet war of organic beings, going on in the peaceful woods and smiling fields.† And indeed, Frazier’s acclaimed novel describes a war of beings built of fleshRead More Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier Essay example2620 Words   |  11 PagesCold Mountain In Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain, the theme of music is one of the novel’s most powerful themes. From symbolizing character growth to the healing of physical wounds, music plays an integral part in this novel. While many critics will point out that music has little effect on the human psyche, Charles Frazier shows his belief that music does indeed have a profound effect on the human mind throughout Cold Mountain. Throughout the novel, Inman, Ada, Ruby, Stobrod, and many otherRead More The American Civil War Essay2428 Words   |  10 Pageswar deprived them of body and soul. In Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier develops this excitement and progression to hardship in both Ada and Inman’s journeys. The progression, corroborated by historical evidence, shows that while the antebellum South held a Romantic ideal of war, war itself negated the romantic opinion and became destructive, monstrous, and deadly. At the onset of civil war, a state of trepidation would be assumed; however, Cold Mountain shows that Southern society did not fearRead MoreEssay Blue Heron577 Words   |  3 Pages In Cold Mountain and A Poem for the Blue Heron, tone is established in a multitude of ways. These two pieces of literature describe the characteristics and actions of a blue heron, both aiming for the same goal. However, Charles Frazier and Mary Oliver approach their slightly differing tones employing organization, metaphoric language, and diction. Organization is a key element in Fraziers and Olivers work, as it works directly to set the tone, as well as acting as a symbol of nature. CharlesRead MoreCharles Frazier’s Novel has Differences in Contrast to Homer’s Epic937 Words   |  4 Pagessupports the hero in their time of need, and motivates the hero to survive. Charles Frazier’s novel Cold Mountain has differences in contrast to Homer’s epic, The Odyssey. The works differ because the main characters have different family situations to go home to. Odysseus has a loving wife and son, while Inman does not know if the girl he loves will marry him. Even though the works can be proven different, Cold Mountain and The Odyssey can be compared. The works show how the main characters useRead MoreThe Cold Mountain, By Charles Frazier1192 Words   |  5 PagesWithin Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain, religion is an ever present component to the novel. This is prevalent within Inman, Ada and Monroe, S wimmer, and the mountain town itself. At times, characters will present aspects of religion that do not coincide with the common Christian beliefs within Cold Mountain, such as Monroe’s teachings or Swimmer’s own religion as opposed to Christianity. Each religious person or reference within the story creates a sense of differentiating views as well as an introduction