| In his novel Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier weaves an intricate web of human stories, all converging to make a memorable statement about love, war, life, and death. This study examines these stories and the mythological, literary, and folk models Frazier employs, and in some cases revises, to tell them. The first chapter explores how Frazier recreates Odysseus in Inman, his main male character, to depict the psychological trauma inflicted by war. The second chapter focuses on Ada, Inman's pre-war sweetheart, and Ruby, a girl with whom Ada bonds, as challenges to the male pastoral tradition. Ruby's father Stobrod as trickster, culture hero, and ultimate keeper/creator of songs is the subject of the third chapter. Because Appalachia so strongly influences each of these characters, whether native or outsider, this thesis will also discuss such sense of place and prove that these stories, though universal, could not take place just anywhere. |
