The Odyssey is a thrilling adventure that turns out to have more in common with Cold Mountain than you would think, considering The Odyssey was written centuries before Cold Mountain was ever thought of. The similarities are drenched throughout the novels, overlapping in plot formation, main events, and in character interactions.
The plot in both novels are nearly identical when you look at how each of the main characters are on a journey, both books are stuffed with obstacles, and each have their own hero and some form of a secondary hero. They could even be considered epics, and they would be if it was not for the fact that Cold Mountain didn't have unworldly forces acting on the plot, and simply because the fact that it was not written …show more content…
Actually, nearly every character in The Odyssey has a corresponding character in Cold Mountain. Obviously Inman takes the place of Odysseus and Ada takes the place of Penelope, but the relationships, are nearly identical throughout each and every one of the remaining characters. Take the girls for example; Penelope gets left at home when Odysseus joins the war while Ada is abandoned when Inman is forced to fight his own war against the “Federalists.” That leaves each of the girls with only one male figure in their houses, for Ada it is her dad, and for Penelope it is her son Telemachus. Unfortunately, both Telemachus and Monroe (Ada’s dad) are forced to leave their female relatives whether they want to or not. Telemachus is sent on a journey to find his father, and Ada's dad sadly passes away. This leaves both girls at home waiting desperately, yet loyally for their men to return home. Also, each of the women are hosts to guests while their lovers are on their quest home. Penelope hosts suitors, although she does this unwillingly, and Ada houses a group of pilgrims that are currently on the run from the Federalists. Having all these men in their houses proves the loyalty of both the women because, although they could have each had hundreds of chances to seek out another husband, they withheld their love in hope that their Men would eventually come home so they could be reunited once again. Ada also could be easily compared to Telemachus because they are both on their own journeys to become independent, self sufficient, and more mature. In order to do this they required a form of guidance to help lead them in the right direction. They needed mentors. Ada could not even cook for herself until Ruby Thewes came along, and Telemachus could never have found his father and became a man without Athena, which means he never could have helped defeat the suitors. In addition to this, their
The plot in both novels are nearly identical when you look at how each of the main characters are on a journey, both books are stuffed with obstacles, and each have their own hero and some form of a secondary hero. They could even be considered epics, and they would be if it was not for the fact that Cold Mountain didn't have unworldly forces acting on the plot, and simply because the fact that it was not written …show more content…
Actually, nearly every character in The Odyssey has a corresponding character in Cold Mountain. Obviously Inman takes the place of Odysseus and Ada takes the place of Penelope, but the relationships, are nearly identical throughout each and every one of the remaining characters. Take the girls for example; Penelope gets left at home when Odysseus joins the war while Ada is abandoned when Inman is forced to fight his own war against the “Federalists.” That leaves each of the girls with only one male figure in their houses, for Ada it is her dad, and for Penelope it is her son Telemachus. Unfortunately, both Telemachus and Monroe (Ada’s dad) are forced to leave their female relatives whether they want to or not. Telemachus is sent on a journey to find his father, and Ada's dad sadly passes away. This leaves both girls at home waiting desperately, yet loyally for their men to return home. Also, each of the women are hosts to guests while their lovers are on their quest home. Penelope hosts suitors, although she does this unwillingly, and Ada houses a group of pilgrims that are currently on the run from the Federalists. Having all these men in their houses proves the loyalty of both the women because, although they could have each had hundreds of chances to seek out another husband, they withheld their love in hope that their Men would eventually come home so they could be reunited once again. Ada also could be easily compared to Telemachus because they are both on their own journeys to become independent, self sufficient, and more mature. In order to do this they required a form of guidance to help lead them in the right direction. They needed mentors. Ada could not even cook for herself until Ruby Thewes came along, and Telemachus could never have found his father and became a man without Athena, which means he never could have helped defeat the suitors. In addition to this, their