Innocence isn't doing so well in Cold Mountain. Inman loses his innocence to the war. Ada's naïveté is rapidly being clobbered by the hard work of running a farm and the sorrows of observing a war. And characters like Ruby never had much time for innocence in the first place.
But that cuts both ways. Losing innocence is sad. But it's part of growing up, and growing up is necessary. What would Ada be like if she never learned how to care for the farm, for instance?
Questions About Innocence (Loss of)
- How is Ada different at the end of the book? Do we like her better as an innocent young girl or a seasoned woman?
- What does it mean to lose innocence in Cold Mountain? Is the war the only thing that takes away innocence in the book?
- What would Ruby think of a parent trying to protect a child's innocence well into adulthood, as Monroe tries to do with Ada?
- Is there some way to become whole again once you've lost innocence? Do the characters in Cold Mountain grow to a point where they know how to be whole people even after that loss of innocence?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Ada would stay innocent, but also ignorant, of the harsh realities of survival if it weren't for the war.
Innocence is good, but it isn't enough. Most of the characters in this book need to grow into adulthood before they can find their way home, literally or metaphorically.