Cold Mountain/The Odyssey Comparison - 1237 Words

More than twenty-five hundred years ago a renowned epic of Greek mythology was written. This work, known as The Odyssey, illustrates the journey home made by Odysseus, a Trojan war hero, who seeks his wife Penelope. Similar in plot, though written only four years ago, Cold Mountain is a romantic saga which depicts the travels of Inman, a Confederate soldier, at his attempt to reunite with his love Ada. Homer s The Odyssey and Charles Frazier s Cold Mountain tell of the struggles faced by the man and woman of each novel s relationship. Although these works are written thousands of years apart, both incorporate one man s effort, after fighting war, to return to his love while encountering several obstacles that hinder and assist his†¦show more content†¦Not long after Inman leaves for Cold Mountain, three men by a store attack him. He defeats each of them and continues his trip, but the men follow him for a while later. Afterwards, Inman comes upon a man with whom he helps to pull a dead bull out of the water. This man, Junior, feeds him and is friendly until his wife begins to hit on Inman. When Junior catches them together, he becomes very angry. Inman is captured by guards and taken on a detour from his trip. During the remainder of his journey, Inman comes upon several different people. Many of them feed him and give him a place to sleep for one or more nights. Soon after, Inman meets up with Ada in a cabin on the mountain and spends some time with her. It is not until the final stretch home that Inman meets Teague, a horseman in the woods. Teague and his men cause problems for anyone who confronts them. Inman gets into a brawl with them and kills Teague. He could have easily killed the boy that was following Teague, but wanted to handle matters more civilly. Because Inman chooses not to hurt the boy, the boy shoots him, and he is never again to return to Ada. Though The Odyssey and Cold Mountain are similar in the concept of having one man overcome obstacles throughout his return home from war, these novels also have distinct differences. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is wealthy, well-known, and well-liked. He returns home as a war hero afterShow MoreRelatedThe Flight Of The Nez Perce And The Cheyenne Odyssey1496 Words   |  6 Pages The flight of the Nez Perce and the Cheyenne Odyssey/Exodus were two equally important parts of American Indian history. Nez Perce and the Northern Cheyenne shared a similar passion of wanting to be left alone in their lands but yet were forced off of them. Where they shared similarity they also had some differences in the specifics of their stories. 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