|
|
Helena Libis August 18, 2003 Lang AP Nature’s Trap Nature plays a major role and has a profound impact on the lives of all organisms; it can be a friend or a foe. From the time a being comes into existence, it almost immediately, becomes aware of the necessary connection with the outside world. The creature begins by exploring all parts of the new surrounding, deciding how it maybe able to cope with the environment, making all the essential adaptations. As the life form grows, it becomes more and more dependant on nature, realizing how important the trees, grass, and even the sky really are. This dependency is also spiritual, one that comes from within, easily determining moods, emotions, actions, and sometimes proving to be an unlikely escape from reality or serving with unthinkable hardships. This intermingling bond, between being and nature, is almost inevitable in all beings. This union is the source of many struggles and conflicts that prove to be a test to the soul. This reliance, provided by nature, is nowhere else more evident then in writing. Authors take advantage of the daily struggles that are offered by setting to develop magnificent plots and create stunning suspense. This is especially so in the ageless love story, Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, which describes the adversities that an outlaw soldier faces on his journey home to the unreachable mountain, where he hopes his love will be waiting. The fictional setting of the ferocious forest calls for developed characters that have courage, endurance, and a deep down sense of fright. The characters conflict and ally with natural forces in their daily struggles with life. Inman, one of the main characters in the novel, has a unique bond with nature, as he battles with it and then uses it as an internal remedy. He grows dependant on it, as both a mental getaway and a source of survival. In the beginning of the novel, Inman, from the confines of the hospital, looks out the window of his room and drifts into a mental ecstasy. For him, nature is an escape from the hospital environment and the pain of his wounds. He flashes back to his childhood. Inman remembers an incident that occurred when he was a schoolboy, and he threw his hat out of the window of the classroom. He went to retrieve it, running away from the school, and fleeing from all his troubles. In his mind, Inman longs to run away from the cruel world full of blood, killing, and misery. He fantasies about Cold Mountain and his life before the beginning of the war. Mentally, Inman establishes his own survival mechanism, a way to drift away from the images of death that are instilled in his mind. These visions cause him to have a great desire to break away, even at the cost of becoming a fugitive and, ultimately this drives him to find his way home. Inman’s fantasies could not have prepared him for the grueling journey that he encounters; he has immense struggles with nature. Numerous times, he finds himself at death’s door, but because of his mental will, he perseveres. He stumbles upon nature’s cruelty, with harsh weather, dangerous animals, and poisonous plants. Proving to be a major set back to his expedition, Inman overcomes treacherous rainstorms and bitter blizzards. He has no choice but to continue through whatever nature throws at him. While walking miles upon miles under the nightly sky, Inman is greeted the mysterious hoot of owls and crows that fly over his head. Even though these gloomy animals do not pose an immediate danger, they do create an eerie effect that depresses the deserter. Inman must learn to protect himself from the much more threatening animals that roam the landscape. On one occasion, Inman, for his own safety, is forced to drive an attacking mother bear off a cliff, and, with much discontent, shoot her orphaned cub, which would otherwise not survive. To add to Inman’s own wounds, the run away soldier travels through unknown paths that are infested with poison ivy. The ivy injects more throbbing pain into its already injured victim. In terms of survival, nature is fighting against Inman. He must fend for himself, not only against the Home Guards, but also against the brutality of daily life in his surroundings. This leaves him weary and warn out, which, in turn, brings down his conviction. As nature wages war on Inman, it also supplies him with many necessities. The lush forest offers protection from enemies, provides him with shelter, and many times furnishes him food. Because of the large territory of the woodlands, Inman can, easily, keep himself hidden by taking unknown paths and hiding the bushes. The forest proves to be the safest place that Inman could be in; every time he travels into town to gather more supplies, he finds himself in danger. Inman has many close encounters with the town folk who try to kill him or capture him. He is also able to find caves and rest under the trees, which give him much needed shelter and a limited opportunity to rest from a countless days of walking.
|
