Cold Mountain

A. General

What is the Sociohistorical Context of Cold Mountain?

Charles Frazier’s epic novel, Cold Mountain, is a book precariously situated in the

American Civil War era that led to many characters’ personal and political destruction,

especially the Southerners. The novel is poised between the 18th century’s enlightenment belief

in rational guidance, God, and modernity aspects driven by insane cruelty, technological warfare,

moral instability, and the fear of social change. In a reflective moment in chapter one, Inman, the

Confederate, claims that “Everyman” is attempting to journey home. Inman concludes, “he had

seen the metal face of the age …and could visualize a world where everything he envisioned and

counted on as essential to be prohibited and had to flee willingly.” Between the 18th-Century

rationalism and modern “metal face of the age,” Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain questions the

contemporary construction of race, gender, and social class. A text that either foregrounds or

backgrounds war – nature of American narrative, Cold Mountain, is a novel concerned with the

hurdles of reading “metal face,” as it portrays the challenges of human relationships’ and their

evolutions according to seasonal changes of the natural world.

The adventure-laden novel about journeying home presents various scenes of the reunion

of two lovers, Inman and Ada, the protagonists. While the author develops romanticism in the

text, it is apparent that the author challenges humankind to embrace and understand the

discourses of nature. A reflection on nature contributes substantially to the theme that healing

after a war comes when humans return to life and attune nature. The author emphasizes that

redemption from war brutality is achievable when humankind retreats from “metal face”

common in the present age and reverts to traditional healing of the agrarian era and its work
ethics. Therefore, Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain reminds readers that the Golden Age can

return and bring an everlasting end to vain strivings, peace instead of war, and moral choices that

create harmony when people live according to nature’s rhythms instead of the pursuit of

destructive purposes.

Who is the author?

Cold Mountain’s author is Charles Frazier, born and raised in Charleston, North Carolina.

Fraizer’s parents journeyed with him to the South during his childhood and gave him memories

of Appalachia, Alabama, and the memories of these landscapes contributed to this fiction. Cold

Mountain won many crucial acclaims when it was published in 1997. As a writer and an author

of many travel stories, Charles Frazier never had challenges writing about landscapes. The

author condensed prose in writing Cold Mountain in both descriptive passages and episodic

structure. These literacy skills and knowledge influenced the development of the novel.

Therefore, Charles was a master in his own right, and the book made him win National Book

Award.

What is an interesting passage? What makes it interesting?

In Cold Mountain, an interesting passage that captured my attention is when Inman got

himself occupied with reading Bartram’s scroll, pleasurably and for a long time until each word

stuck in his head. Instead of reading Bartram’s scroll in prose, Inman would open the narrative at

random and read it to alleviate the darkness in his mind. The passage that describes Inmans

reading acts and the commitment to gain profound knowledge by meditating on each word’s

meaning makes it exciting with a need to apply it practically. Many times, we read to gain

knowledge from a text and not when our souls are troubled. The only book read at random in the

Bible because people open the passages at random and focuses on a specific verse. Besides, the
passage is interesting because Inman has developed a discipline to read and meditate upon the

words and insights, which helped him during the journey to Cold Mountain. Implementing this

reading culture takes much discipline since it leads to profound insights that transform an

individual through meditative reading. Practicing meditations can help relieve the mind and free

the soul from troubling experiences in life.

What do you (not) like? Why (not)?

The final chapter of Cold Mountain ends with Inman’s life on the line after taking a bullet

shot to the neck and reclines on Ada’s lap. At this point, it is undeniable that the romantic

journey between Inman and Ada is going to end. Based on the injury, it is unquestionable that

Inman’s journeying to a Cold Mountain is ending, and their romantic relationships will end.

However, the author does not provide a glimpse of the end of Ada’s journey. It creates a

saddening end in the hearts and minds of readers. The ending became sore for me as a reader,

especially with Inman’s absence in the Epilogue and pointed towards death. The plot

development is evocative and moving, but the ending makes you sad and causes you to develop

disaffection of the fiction story. I expected a direct closure to Ada and Inman’s romantic plotline,

the book’s central theme. However, the absence of the male hero symbolizes his death from the

bullet. The Epilogue jumps 10-years into the future, disregarding the reader’s need to know if

Inman died. Not only does the Epilogue jump ten years, but it detracts from the symbolism,

illusion, and obliquity.

Despite the sad ending of the love story, Frazier reminds us the returning to the Golden-

Age and living a simple life would be satisfying than in the “metal age.” The author states that

reverting to the former life before the agrarian revolution that attunes to the rhythms of nature is

essential in helping man to “wage peace and heal the wounds of war into white scars.” Here, the
author rouses the many effects of technological advancement that have wreaked havoc on human

lives. “Metal age” advances evil in our society, as people turn evil and go to war – hence, there is

no justice as people compete for superiority. According to the author, as evidence in Inman’s

meditations, moral order would return to agricultural ways of life –plowing, harvesting, and

planting in season. However, the journey home, love, self-discourage, and morality is fraught

with many challenges and can be mediated only through the transformative power of nature.

Inman’s meditations provide a beautiful revelation about life and the challenges that humankind

faces.

How does what you’ve read relate to you?

Reading the travel fiction book dawned on me that I have not developed and practiced the

meditative reading culture in my life. Inman developed the discipline to read a page, but he

would meditate upon every detail until the experience, the words, and everything produces a

practical insight into his life. When Inman had worries, the only way to turn them off was to turn

the scroll and read a passage that captured his eyes and attention. Frazier describes, “When he

woke sometime long before dawn and could not get back to sleep, he dug in his pack and found a

stub of candle and lit it. He unrolled the Bartram and held it to the yellow light and riffled

through the pages until his eyes fell on a passage that caught his attention” (348-49). The passage

relates to me because whenever I am reading, I would pause and meditate on a specific passage

that captures my attention. I would evaluate the practical implication of the words in my life and

apply the words for personal growth or change the world around me. Inman used the stroll to

soothe his mind and the grueling journey by consulting Bartram’s travel stories and devoted the

passages to his lover, Ada.

B. Fiction
 How does the setting affect the story?

Frazier’s historical novel, Cold Mountain, is set in the southern Appalachian Mountains,

western North Carolina. People in these villages are farmers who depend on animal power to

plow their farms to cultivate crops. The story’s setting is in the 1860s, a crucial period in

American history because it became one of America’s transformative times. People living in this

setting were engulfed in the War and had to fight to defend themselves. Cold Mountain reveals

people’s (Southers) ability to read and survive in a dysfunctional and lawless society and, most

importantly, be at home –a home beyond the intimately familiar land but being part of a larger

natural world.

The historical context of Cold Mountain is the Civil War. In the early 1860s, the

Confederate States (Southern States) determined to declare their independence from the United

States government and Union under Jefferson Davis’s leadership. The Northern States desired to

continue practicing slavery, which led to the Civil War between the States. Therefore, the book

has a historical underpinning, which contributed to the development of the plot. Throughout

Cold Mountain, the author mentions historical backgrounds to enable the reader to situate the

story’s historical context. For instance, in Chapter 1, the author mentions Fredricksburg, Cold

Habor, Petersburg, and “The Shadow of the Crow.” Frazier also uses names such as Longstreet,

General Lee, and Stuart that remind the knowledgeable audience about the Civil War. Civil War

led to the death of many Americans, especially in the South. Hence, the book portrays the

sociohistorical context of the destruction and suffering as an outcome of the Civil War’s effect

on the Southerners.

How has the character developed?

Confederate Army; Ada, who moved from South Carolina to Cold Mountain. Although the

author uses other characters to enhance the development and transition of the two protagonists,

the story expands around Inman and Ada. As Charles Frazier’s narrative alternates between

Inman’s journey towards home and Ada’s maturity to become an independent woman, the love

relationship between them unfolds. Frazier develops these characters as Inman makes the

journey home while Ada journey’s toward self-discovery and enlightenment.

Frazier begins the narrative with Inman planning to leave the Confederate hospital and

journey home toward Cold Mountain to have last moments with Ada. Inman’s journey

symbolizes a quest for faith and redemption that ultimately turns into a success. The protagonist

faces many challenges and obstacles during the journey, and Frazier weaves their stories using

symbolism and imagery to enhance their development. The social upheaval and corruption of

mankind put Inman in the hospital and as Inman outbound from this setting – away from the

American Civil War. Inman’s outward journey begins with the decision to move away from the

war and head toward’s Cold Mountain. On the contrary, Ada begins a journey to the Cold

Mountain by going to school and get learned.

At Black Cove, Ada struggled to manage the farm and survive after the father’s death, to

which Ruby joins her. Ruby helps Ada to manage the farm, and it is through their interaction that

she encounters Inman. However, Inman’s journey became incredibly difficult as he had to travel

at night to avoid meeting Home Guards to protect his life. As Ruby helped Ada farm and run it

effectively, Ada flashes back to their brief encounter and intimate moment with Inman before the

beginning of the war. In the novel, a turning moment is when Inman meets Veasey, who
impregnated Ada and wanted to throw her off the cliff. These stories alternate to bring about the

central characters’ outward and inward journey, Ada and Inman.

Frazier develops Ruby as a cast and an abandoned child by her father and is left to self-

sustain and survive in the harsh world. She absorbed her “grandmother’s knowledge,” and at ten,

she had gathered knowledge and skills as she “knew all features of the mountains for twenty-five

miles in any direction as intimately as a gardener would his bean rows” (85). Ruby mastered the

features and the landscape of Cold Mountain like the back of her hand. Her enlightenment and

knowledge about the geographic location enable her to impart it to Ada for survival after

Inman’s death. Although Ada is educated, she does not know much about nature and the

topography; thus, Ruby acts as the bridge for the survival and security of Ada’s state of mind that

is “somehow akin to contentment” (258). Therefore, Ruby becomes a special character in Ada’s

life and guides through the remaining part of her life. Also, Ruby envisioned a future with the

return of Golden-Age where the vision read, “But they would one day see the fields standing

high in summer with crops…Apples heaped in the apple house, jar after jar of vegetables rowed

on shelves in can house. Plenty (339). The peaceful contentment in the Epilogue provides hope

and signals the peace that would return when men end the pursuit of “metal age” but return to

planting, sowing, and harvesting. The peace that Ruby, Ada, and Stobrod have during the harvest

suggests the end of turmoil.

What are the character’s motives?

Inman’s motive and purpose are to return home and attain redemption through love from

his lover, Ada. Inman moves towards redemption and reconciling with Ada, a decision that

began at the hospital before leaving the hospital. The decision and determination to get away

from war and return home to Ada. Although Inman is destroyed beyond repair, the character
believes that he can still get redemption from Ada. On the other hand, Ada makes the journey to

self-discovery by gaining an education and loving Inman. The inward journey is more of a

spiritual walk.

What kinds of relationships does the character have?

Romanticism: The love relationship between Ada and Inman’s actions and character

reflects the nature of the conflict between moral values and the troubling realities of a man’s life.

The novel begins with Inman wounded and psychologically troubled and distraught with the

American Civil War’s memories. The ghosts of many dead soldiers troubled Inman in his

dreams, and thoughts of Ada fill a large part of his days. Despite the troubling days and haunts

from dreams at night, Inman remains a nobleman, and his conscience guides the protagonist’s

actions. The experiencing and witnessing the death of many American soldiers troubled Inman’s

life; however, the man resorted to returning home to Ada and risked everything to be back to her.

Frazier developed the relationship between Inman and Ada throughout the book in a sense that

dictated its plotline. The deserter abandons the war after he was left in the Confederates’

hospital.

Inman is a self-reflective individual. Despite the challenges and troubling experiences of

forces greater than him, Inman stayed alone and reflected on his past, and speculated about the

future. The protagonist could not control what happened to him but resorted to meditating and

questioning his past. While it may be simplistic to state that Inman found himself in Ada, the

romantic relationship with Ada made Inman identifies in Ada the kind of future he envisioned –a

life of love, peace, and stability. Therefore, Inman transforms from a wounded and disillusioned

individual into a calmer and self-aware person. Indeed, after many troubling experiences and
spiritual turmoils, Inman temporarily receives from love. However, Frazier implies that proper

redemption will only be achieved through death.

Ada’s reunion becomes the beginning of discovery into openness. Initially, Ada felt

estrangement, but the reunion led her to overcome the fear and hope for a fulfilling future. After

establishing herself in Black Cove community, Ada confided in Ruby that she feard a living a

solitary future. Yet, Cold Mountain’s topography offered her a sanctuary from the feeling of

eccentric or marginalized. Therefore, the Cold Mountain landscape provided security and a home

that she could share with her lover. Even after Inman’s death, Ruby continued to provide

emotional solace to Ada. Here, the author attempts to illustrate that Ada never felt isolated but

living in Cold Mountain provided her with the emotional security she needed. Frazier

demonstrates that living close to nature profoundly affects an individual life because the natural

world provides comfort.

How would you compare yourself to a character?

My love for nature is filled with lots of memories and exciting experiences. However, the

story profoundly relates to me because it emphasizes reading and reflecting on books that I read.

However, connecting with nature has been challenging in my life. However, Inman is a person I

can connect with because he uses Bartram’s book as a guide to discovering his inner man and

issues that affect his life. Instead of worrying about life’s challenges, Inman resorted to

meditating about challenges until all the thoughts were expelled from his mind. Like Inman, I

have always reflected on my past and work on issues that shape my future. Therefore, Inman’s

journey and actions challenge me to become a better person.

What symbolism is present? What does it signify?

understanding of the text. The author uses a metaphor that signals burial and resurrection. For

example, Home Guards pursued deserters day and night, and Inman would reiterate that the

captives had nothing to offer the world except “pass from the earth without hardly making any

mark more lasting than plowing. The execution and death carried by the Home Guard during the

Civil War era caused pain and emotional death to many soldiers. The imagery of plow, furrow,

and earth symbolizes death and resurrection and foreshadows the massacre carried out by Home

Guards.

Similarly, Inman held to a rope attached to Veasey to uplift him “from the ground, like a

big hooked bass pull up from a muddy lake” (229). Therefore, plowing, planting, and harvesting

symbolizes death and restoration back to life. However, a deeper understanding of this

symbolism points to the direction characters take in their journey –inward and outward journey.

For example, “Looking on him, Inman could find no great sorrow at his death, but neither could

he find this an example of justice working its way around to show proof that the wrong a man

does flies back at him (229). As the narrator managed to escape from the grave, and the burial,

moral filth, liberty, and rationalism points to an individual’s attempt towards a direction of

inward and outward journeys. It suggests that the evils a man commits reflect their inner self and

personality.

Another important symbolism used in the text is the “metal face of the age” that alludes

to guns, weapons, shrapnel, and the violence as an outcome of the Civil War. Frazier uses “metal

face of the age” to symbolize the American Civil War’s destructive power to Inman and Bali’s

human body. Weapons of war such as guns destroy, and Inman has a deep cut in his kneck that

draws flies, and “the sound of their wings and the touch of their feet are more potent than a
yardful of roosters in rousing a man to wake” (232). Frazier describes Bali and Inman’s

conditions to enable the reader to understand the repercussions of war. For instance, when the

Inman visions a future, “all he could vision was a world from which everything he counted

important had been banished or had willingly fled” (232). The passage indicates that the war has

destroyed Inman’s hope for the future. Later, the author uses plows, planting, and earth to point

to the agrarian age where there was peace and people lived in harmony. Therefore, abandoning

the “metal of the age” and reverting to agrarian age where justice, peace, and no violence

prevailed as people became busy with their work.

Lastly, Cold Mountain symbolizes a safe home for all the characters in Charles Frazier’s

novel. It represents a safe place for Inman and Ada – Cold Mountain is Inman’s ultimate

purpose, and Ada longs to make it her home. Despite the challenges that Inman and Ada undergo

in their journey towards Cold Mountain, the mountain and nature become the pillar they can

count on in their life. Cold Mountain reminds the character that there is hope because certain

aspects of life never change. As Inman approached Cold Mountain, his spirits were lifted and

renewed, while when Ada lifted her head from Black Cove and saw the mountain, she felt safe

even before calling it home. Therefore, Inman’s journey symbolizes a quest for faith and

redemption, while Ada’s journey symbolized a journey to personal discovery.

What themes are present? What are the messages?

The most prominent theme in Frazier’s Cold Mountain is redemption and restoration

from the brutality of the American Civil War that humanity can achieve by abandoning

technologies that cause violence and death in the present society. The contemporary age is

riddled with competition for resources, racism, and causes intricate relationships between people.

In this context, the “metal face” that symbolizes weapons causes injuries such as Inman and Bali
to the point that the only redemption they can receive is death or love. War cause psychological

and physical destruction to an individual, and redeeming them from this state becomes complex.

Therefore, Frazier develops the theme of redemption through weaving Inman and Ada’s story

while backgrounding war as a means to an end to their intimate relationship.

Another critical theme in the novel is spirituality or a journey of faith to self-discovery.

As the fictional story begins, it is apparent that the horrors of the Civil War have ravaged his

spiritual condition and his encounter with Veasey helps us understand the situation. Inman noted,

“there were many preachers the like of Veasey who swore they could save the souls of the

awfulest kinds of sinner…But…those men could not even save their own selves from living bad

lives” (315). Inman no longer trusts man because everything appears to have been destroyed by

human actions. Inman’s journey begins with psychological, physical, and emotional trauma,

where he doubts whether he will “heal up and feel whole” again (18). However, as the story

develops, Inman finds his purpose and redemption by returning to Cold Mountain. Love reunites

them and connects them after many challenges and experiences caused by societal upheavals.

The theme of love is evident throughout the text because it is the central focus of the

book. Frazier develops love relationships between Ada and Inman through their outward and

inward journeys. Both characters overcome their hurdles as Inman escapes from the hospital and

move towards the Cold Mountain. On the other hand, Ada overcame her father’s loss and

underwent personal development that transforms her into the woman she wants to be to Inman.

Therefore, love can provide redemption and rebirth to an individual’s life after experiencing

horror or traumatic events by attuning nature.

Reflection
 War does have a lasting impact on individual life and cripple their future. Cold Mountain

is a novel that provided insight into the effect of violence on an individual’s life. The book

reveals the effect of violence on American antebellum traditions and culture following the

American Civil war. Although Inman and Ada overcame their challenges, the protagonists found

themselves in different locations that limit their interaction. However, with every life challenge

and encounter, Inman’s devotion to his lover , Ada, is impressive that makes him committed to

his quest to return to her. I learned that one should stay focused and devoted to their quest in life

to reap the rewards. A weaker man would never attain anything, and challenges will cause them

to lose faith. Inman’s stories and episodes in the novel have made him strong, resolved,

passionate, and mature. Amid the traumatic and terrifying times of the Civil War, Inman decides

to return home to Ada. Indeed, I can draw a lesson that going back to your identity is a personal

decision. Deciding to take a personal growth in life requires bold decisions because the response

to challenging circumstances defines our character.

From episodic events in Inman’s life, the direction I want to take is the journey of self

discovery. I will begin by examining by past and reflect upon them. Returning home (focused

individual) will enable me wether through the challenges of life. I will take every challenge as a

learing opportunity meant to strengthen me and not to destroy me.

Frazier, Charles. Cold Mountain. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1997. Internet resource.