Throughout Cold Mountain, we see many changes among the way that the characters present themselves and interact with the world around them. Because we follow them over the course of “present day” time and flashbacks, it makes it easier to see how they have in fact transformed. For the most part, Inman, one of the main characters in the novel, is not only a survivor, but a fighter. Ada, his love interest, can be categorized the same way. With what the core protagonists are forced to endure, they make the best of it. The introduction of the novel introduces Inman, a soldier who has been wounded and is spending his days in the hospital ward. He seems to be bored, for he has spent his time attacking flies with his hands before counting them.
