Cold Mountain Project - Inman

Cold Mountain Project - Inman

Chapter 15

A Vow to Bear

Chapter 5

Like any other thing, a gift

Location

Flashbacks in the Chapter

Summary

Chapter 7

Exile and Brute Wandering

There is one flashback in this chapter, where Inman remembers back to his vow that he made. In it, he had dreams where he was a bear. In his final dream, he was caught by hunters and skinned. From then on, he swore to never harm another bear ever again.

Location

This chapter mostly takes place on a mountain ridge near Cold Mountain, but also takes place on a small farm-like place where Inman helps a woman.

A settlement along the Deep River, the wooded areas near by it, and a small camp setup by gypsies. The rest takes part in Inman's memories

Important Characters in the Chapter

The Preacher

Laura

Characters Met in this Chapter

• The woman who had to bury the child

Importance of the Chapter

Chapter Importance

This chapter was important because it showed how Inman isn't the type of person to just standby and let someone get hurt. It also once again showed that Inman is a spiritual type of person.

In this chapter, we are really able to gauge just how far Inman has walked at this point.

Inman is walking along a road when spots a man carrying a white bundle with him on a horse. Inman stops him and finds out he is about to drop a pregnant woman off of a cliff. Inman stops him and after he subdues him, he later ties him up and leaves a note saying what he tried doing. Inman leaves the town and continues his journey back home when he stops at a gypsy settlement. He rests and eats there before leaving.

Summary

In this chapter, Inman first starts it off with building a coffin and burying a child for a woman who almost had to do it herself. He does this and she cooks him an actual meal, which Inman hasn't had in weeks. Later, Inman is walking along a mountain ridge, on top of which, he can see Cold Mountain. He sets up a camp on the mountain ridge and during the night, he is awakened by a bear and her cub. Inman doesn't want to kill her since he made a "vow to bear" in which he would never kill a bear ever again, or it would be sin. He tries to get out of his situation peacfully, without hurting her, but she charges at him and runs off the cliff. Inman then is forced to shoot

the baby cub because it would've

died anyway.

Chapter 1

The Shadow of a Crow

Location

Summary

Inman is walking through wooded areas that, based around the directions he was headed before, are most likely a bit farther North of Asheboro.

Characters Met in the Chapter

• Veasey (Again)
• Odelle

Chapter Importance

This chapter is important because it formally introduces the priest from before who later becomes a very... unique... character. It also really exemplifies how bad the times are with Odelle's story.

Summary

Flashbacks

Inman continues his journey of walking a lot when he is almost out of food. He spies a bunch of women cleaning clothing and such and their lunches. Inman takes one and leaves money for it in it's place. When he gets back on the road, he runs in to the preacher from the previous chapter. We found out his name is Veasey and he is a very immoral person. We also find out he isn't the smartest when he tries wrestling a big catfish in a stream with his bare hands and, for his troubles, just gets thrashed about. Inman then shoots fish in the head and the two men continue on after eating. They check in to a place to stay the night and Veasey stays with a "less-than-reputable"

woman for the night and Inman rents

a room. They set out the next

morning.

In this chapter, there is a flashback when Inman is telling an old blind man a time where he wishes he were blind. The flashback he tells him is of one at the battle of Fredericksburg.

Location

Field Guide

Importance

of the Chapter

Raven

Corvos corax

A small black

bird that is

commonly

associated with

death and sickness.

This chapter is important because it, most importantly, introduces one of our main

protagonists and sets his motive throughout the whole story. It also provides a bit of background on Inman before he sets off.

Deer

Cervidae

A medium to

large sized

creature that

is commonly

hunted for it's

meat or recre-

ationally.

Squirrel

Sciuridae

A small creature,

normally classified

as a roden, with a

bushy tail. For winter,

they store nuts so

they don't need to

scavenge

This chapter takes place in Raleigh

where one of our protagonists,

Inman, is first introduced to us. It takes place in a hospital, the town located

near the hospital, and Fredericksburg.

Important

Characters in the Chapter

Inman was shot during a battle and was shipped to a field

hospital where he was most likely going to die. Against all odds though, Inman survives and is shipped again to a normal hospital.

Inman is depressed at the hospital because he knows that if his condition goes back to normal, he'll just be sent back in to the war, but if he stays, he will just have to go through an agonizing wait until the war is over. He speaks with an old, blind man and goes in to detail about a particularly gruesome battle where Inman wishes he was blind. We find out he's had recurring nightmares about that battle.

The next day he goes in to town, gets new clothes, a pen,

ink, and a paper. He writes a letter to Ada and starts

off on a journey where he heads to Cold Mountain

to get to Ada.

• Old, blind man

Chapter 13

Bride Bed Full of Blood

Chapter 3

The Color of Despair

Chapter 9

To Live Like a Gamecock

Location

This chapter takes place in the wooded areas that are, once again, unidentified but based on his destination and pattern in which he walks, it can be inferred that it is somewhere in this general vicinity or area.

Characters Met in the Chapter

• Potts
• Sarah

Chapter Importance

This chapter is important because it shows how skilled Inman is in killing people but how he doesn't like doing it. It also shows how he is willing to help almost anyone in anyway

he can.

Location

Flashbacks

Summary

In this chapter, Inman is just following a river, not really using anythi guide himself. His wounds have all healed but he is starting to get hungry. While he is walking by a creek, he runs in to a man named Potts. Potts directs him to a woman's home where he could get a warm meal. When Inman arrives, he finds that the woman is only 18 and lives alone with a baby. Inman eats and later on, Federal soldiers appear and want the woman's money. They try and force her to tell by putting her baby on the ground outside and holding her back. In the end,they take her hog and some chickens.Inmankills the 3 men and

returns her things. He slaughters the

hog for her and Inman leaves.

Chapter 11

The Doing of It

In this chapter, Inman has a flashback where he remembers looking at Ada during church and how that was the only reason he attended it.

Later on in the flashback, he actually approaches her in a very awkward conversation

This chapter takes place in the woods where Inman has been travelling and Inman's memories with Ada.

Location

Field Guide

Important Characters in the Chapter

Importance of

the chapter

Summary

Cicadas

Cicadidae

Is a form of insect that feeds on plants and tree sap.

Slash Pine

Pinus Elliottii

A pine native to the South Western United States

Red Cedar

Juniperus Virginiana

Is a species of Juniper native to Eastern North America.

• The two men at the crossroads settlement and blacksmith
• Ada (When Inman was reminiscing)
• Swimmer
• Sally Swanger
• The daughter of the Ferryman
• Soldiers of the Home Guard

This chapter was important because it went in to detail as to where Inman exactly was headed when he stepped out of the window in Chapter 1. It also told how he met Ada which will most likely be mentioned by Inman in the future.

And finally, it sj

Characters Met

in This Chapter

As with the last chapter, I couldn't find a definitive location of where this takes place but it's very safe to assume that it takes place very near to Salisbury.

• Junior
• Lola and her sisters

Chapter 18

Inman has been travelling for days

but is still close to the hospital. The Home Guard is now trying to track him down so he has to be careful as to where he treads. Inman stops at a crossroads settlement to get supplies and 3 men attack him. He takes a scythe from one of his attackers and fends them all off. Inman reminisces about Ada while going through pinewoods when he comes to a river. He hails a ferry to go across and when he does, the Home Guard appears and starts firing at Inman and the girl whom the boat belongs to. They jump in the water and float down the river using the ferry as cover.

Importance of the Chapter

This chapter is important because Veasey dies and Inman gets badly wounded after a close call with the Home Guard.

Inman and Veasey are walking along a river when Veasey finds a saw and steals it. They keep walking when they run into a man struggling with a dead bull in a stream that leads to drinking water. Veasey tries using a system of fulcrums and such to lever it out. Inman cuts it to pieces and lifts them out of the stream one by one. The man, Junior, offers them a bed and food for the night. They go to his house and eat and drink. Veasey passes out when later on, Junior reveals that he told the Home Guard of their presence. The Home Guard take the two men along with other captives and shoot them all.

Inman manages to survive with just a graze from a bullet and he escapes.

Footsteps in the Snow

Location

Summary

This chapter mostly takes place on top of a mountain ridge in a large river gorge, where an old woman obsessed with goats lives in a caravan.

Characters Met In this Chapter

• The Old Goat Woman

Importance of this Chapter

Not much happens in this chapter that heavily impact

Inman is following a slave's map through the mountains. He passes through "Happy Valley" which is a place that isn't too happy, and eventually follows a track through a small forest. While in the forest, he meets an old woman who offers him a meal. When he gets to her camp, Inman finds out it's just a caravan surrounded by tons of goats. Inman stays there for several days, resting and healing due to his wound when he was shot by the Home Guard. After a few more days, Inman leaves. Before he does, the goat woman warns him to be careful and gives him a drawing of a carrion flower.

Location

In this chapter, Inman's location is everywhere between the previous mountain ridge, to the mountain in which Ada and Ruby are on

Characters Met in the Chapter

• Ruby
• The Georgia Boy

Importance of the Chapter

This chapter is important for the obvious reason that Inman gets back to Ada

Summary

In this chapter, Inman bathes for the first time in weeks in preparation for meeting Ada again. After he is finished, he continues to her house only to find she isn't there anymore. Inman gets directions from the Georgia boy to where Ada and Ruby went and Inman starts scaling the mountain, disheartened. He eventually gets to Ada, who at the time, was hunting turkeys. Ada at first, didn't recognize him but she does after a moment. They reunite and Inman stays with them up on the mountain for a while.

Chapter 19 & 20

The Far Side of Trouble

The Spirit of Crows, Dancing

Location

Summary

Characters Met in this Chapter

The entirety of both of these chapters takes place on the mountain and mountainside.

• Teague
• Birch
• The rest of the Home Guard

Importance of the Chapter

This chapter doesn't really need this because the obvious reason why it's important is the fact that Inman was shot and died.

The previous chapter was important because Inman and Ada were basically able to actually reunite with each other and bond together.

Ada, Inman, Stobrod, and Ruby are all sitting in one of the huts together. When the men go to sleep, the women go clean up and repair the hut. As they start roasting the turkeys, Ruby tells Ada they don't need Inman, to which Ada replies that she wants him. Inman wakes up and gives Stobrod some water and goes to look for Ada and Ruby. Inman eats some turkey and talks with Ada for a while. The next day, the two of them go hunting for food and find nothing. They do find an old arrowhead and shaft stuck in a tree. When they get back to camp, the men go to sleep again while Ada and Ruby talk about plans for the farm. Ada later goes to sleep with Inman while they talk about whatever happens across their mind. The next day, Ada and Inman discuss what Inman's options are since they can't hide in mountains forever. They decide Inman should cross over the mountains and wait out the war on the Union side and when the war ends, he can return. A couple days later, Stobrod is healed enough to sit up and eat solid food. They decide they will leave to go back to the farm soon and Ada and Ruby start off first with Stobrod and Inman following a little ways back as to not draw harm to them. Inman and Stobrod go down the start going down the mountain when Teague and the rest of the Home Guard appear.Inman ends up killing all of them but one, who appears to be just a boy. When Inman has him at gunpoint, he hesitates. When he

does, Inman gets shot and falls over.

Ada comes rushing up the mountain at the first gunshot

and Inman dies in Ada's arms.