Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Sweet Home Alabama. Er, North Carolina. What does it mean to go home? Why do we think of a place as home, and why does it matter to get there?
- Cannons. Battlefields. The American Civil War. It may be the stuff of field trips for students now, but for the characters of Cold Mountain, it defines their lives. What's it like for the characters to live through?
- What does the book gain through all its subtle references to Homer? What would we as the readers be missing without them?
- Homer's awesome, but knowing Greek isn't so satisfying if you can't cook dinner. What does it mean to be educated, especially for a woman in this time period? Ada sure knows her classics, but her friend Ruby can run a farm. How do they learn about the world together, and what does it mean for each of them to be educated?
- What does it mean to find redemption after a terrible experience? Is it a spiritual awakening? A glimpse of beauty? A choice to help others? Coming back to a place you love? Finding love? Finally getting out of Carbonite? All of the above?