Character Clues

Character Analysis

Actions

Lights! Camera! Actions! Actions matter a lot in Cold Mountain. We know we can't trust Teague because he kills the innocent Pangle. We know Ruby will be the perfect person to help Ada because she gets rid of a pesky rooster and makes a great chicken dinner on the first day that she arrives. We know the Swangers are kind neighbors because they're always sharing food with Ada.

But actions can be complicated, too. For instance, Inman kills three Federals by trickery in order to get back a pig they stole from Sara. We learn a lot about Inman from this action: he wants to keep his obligations to Sara as a host and a vulnerable person, he's clever, and he's brave. But we also wonder: was it really right to kill three men by deception in order to get back a pig?

Speech and Dialogue

Cold Mountain is chock-full of moments when speech or dialogue defines something central to a character.

Take for instance the moment when Inman tells Ada the story about the quest for a better world that the old Cherokee woman told him (get the details in the "Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory" section). This story turns out to be central to Inman's character (not to mention the novel): he's seeking a better world the whole way through the book.

Monroe gives us another example. Ada's always remembering moments when he quoted poetry, or drew a philosophical conclusion from a landscape, or told her a story. Those moments show us a lot about who he is: a kind and philosophical man with a great capacity to love.

We see how kind Monroe is when he talks about his marriage. He says:

"That autumn, your mother and I married, and for two years I was as happy as a man can be. And I think I made her happy as well. Her previous husband, the little Frenchman, had been unsatisfactory in every regard. He blamed her for the lack of children and grew sour and harsh. I made it my business to reimburse her for every slight, every meanness." (8.155)

Monroe was clearly crazy about his wife, and he clearly cared for her really well. It's especially impressive because Ada's mother jilted Monroe to marry the Frenchman in the first place. Lots of men might be a little touchy about having been jilted way back when, even if they did wind up with the girl eventually. But Monroe instead sets out to make his wife as happy as possible, which we know from how he talks about their relationship.

Thoughts and Opinions

A huge amount of what we know about a character is defined by their thoughts and opinions. Ada and Inman have deeply realized inner lives, and Frazier gives us huge insights into their characters by letting us listen in.

When Inman remembers talking about the nature of knowledge and the names of stars with another soldier, we know he's a thoughtful man and one who wants to understand the world outside and inside himself. When Ada reflects on how much she doesn't want to marry for convenience, we see her integrity and thoughtfulness. Much of Cold Mountain takes place inside people's heads, and Frazier lets us see the richness of their interior worlds.