History Literature / ColdMountain

* DeterminedWidow: Sarah [[spoiler:and Ada.]]

A 1997 novel by Charles Frazier (made into a [[TheFilmOfTheBook film]] in 2003 directed by Anthony Minghella and starring Creator/NicoleKidman, Creator/ReneeZellweger, and Creator/JudeLaw) which tells the story of Ada Monroe, who moves from Charleston to rural Cold Mountain with her aging (and ailing) father for his health, and W.P. Inman, a terse but goodhearted young man. Just as Ada and Inman seem to be developing a relationship, Inman leaves to fight for the Confederate Army and, after being wounded in battle, decides to desert and walk through often hostile territory to get back home to Ada. Meanwhile, Ada's father has died and she must learn how to survive on her own.

* KickTheDog: Captain Teague and his gang have too many cases of senseless murder and torture to count, all under the flimsy excuse of punishing deserters and those who aid them. Perhaps the worst instance was their murder of Pangle, a mentally retarded musician who didn't even have the capacity to understand what was happening to him and why.

* PluckyGirl: Ruby is this UpToEleven, having had to fend for herself virtually all her life. [[spoiler: [[CharacterDevelopment Ada becomes one of these]]]].

* ArtisticLincenseHistory: The film depicts the explosion that preceded the Battle of the Crater as occurring in broad daylight. In real life, it happened before 5 am when it was still dark out.

A 1997 novel by Charles Frazier (made into a [[TheFilmOfTheBook film]] in 2003 starring Creator/NicoleKidman, Creator/ReneeZellweger, and Creator/JudeLaw) which tells the story of Ada Monroe, who moves from Charleston to rural Cold Mountain with her aging (and ailing) father for his health, and W.P. Inman, a terse but goodhearted young man. Just as Ada and Inman seem to be developing a relationship, Inman leaves to fight for the Confederate Army and, after being wounded in battle, decides to desert and walk through often hostile territory to get back home to Ada. Meanwhile, Ada's father has died and she must learn how to survive on her own.

* KickTheDog: Captain Teague and his gang have too many cases of senseless murder and torture to count, all under the flimsy excuse of punishing deserters and those who aid them. Perhaps the worst instance was murder of Pangle, a mentally retarded musician who didn't even have the capacity to understand what was happening to him and why.

* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: Ada, more so in the novel than the film. This is gradually subverted over the course of her friendship with Ruby, who is BookDumb, but very observant, and knowledgeable about aspects of the world that mystify Ada.
** Sometimes, this even extends to her relationship with Inman, who is confused and upset when Ada shields herself with upper class manners out of pure habit.

* NamedByTheAdaptation: Acton and Ellis Swanger, the sons of Ada's neighbors. Also AscendedExtra, as they were only mentioned briefly in the book, but have a small subplot in the film [[spoiler: which, given that it ends in DeathByAdaption for them and their father, isn't exactly a good thing for them]].

* FamousLastWords:
** "I'll be damned. He's a hard bastard to kill." [[spoiler: Captain Teague]]
** "The confidence of youth." [[spoiler: Boisie]]

* RaceLift: In the book, Georgia is described as being part Cherokee or Creek Indian.

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Ruby and Ada, respectively.

* TheGreatestStoryNeverTold: When Ada asks Inman about is journey back home, he replies with an uncomfortable, vague description which skips over most of it. [[spoiler: And given his death, he wouldn't have been able to reveal more later]].

* AdaptationalHeroism/AdaptationalNiceGuy: While still a sympathetic character in the book, Georgia is a bit edgier, has a SelfServingMemory, and bargains for food and shelter before [[spoiler: telling Ada and Ruby where to find and bury Stobrod and Pangle, and then refuses to accompany them out of fear]]. However in the film, due to his AdaptationalEarlyAppearance making him a more established acquaintance of the main characters, he tells them what they want to know quicker, [[spoiler: was willing to guide them back but is told to stay behind due to being half-frozen and malnourished and out of fear that another excursion into the snow would kill him]], and in a deleted scene where he meets Inman, lacks the SelfServingMemory. On the flip side, however, [[spoiler: in the book he's never tortured by Teague into revealing where to find Ada and Ruby, although it wasn't really his fault that he cracked]].

* AdaptationalHeroism /AdaptationalNiceGuy: While still a sympathetic character in the book, Georgia is a bit edgier, has a SelfServingMemory, and bargains for food and shelter before [[spoiler: telling Ada and Ruby where to find and bury Stobrod and Pangle, and then refuses to accompany them out of fear]]. However in the film, due to his AdaptationalEarlyAppearance making him a more established acquaintance of the main characters, he tells them what they want to know quicker, [[spoiler: was willing to guide them back but is told to stay behind due to being half-frozen and malnourished and out of fear that another excursion into the snow would kill him]], and in a deleted scene where he meets Inman, lacks the SelfServingMemory. On the flip side, however, [[spoiler: in the book he's never tortured by Teague into revealing where to find Ada and Ruby, although it wasn't really his fault that he cracked]].

* HonorBeforeReason: Blount, a HopelessSuitor to Ada before she moved to Cold Mountain, died in the battle ofGettysburg, walking backwards during the retreat because he was terrified of the disgrace of being shot InTheBack.

* EvilStoleMyFaith: Hinted at with the girl running the ferry boat, who says that she doesn't belong to a church and "the devil rules the roost around here", likely a reference to the tyranny of the home guard and they're like.

* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: In the book, Georgia only gets taken in by Stobrod and Pangle shortly before the events of the chapter where [[spoiler: the home guard catch them]], making his existence kind of a DeusExMachina. In the film, he's present with them from the beginning.

* HonorBeforeReason: Blount, a HopelessSuitor to Ada before she moved to Cold Mountain, died in the battle ofGettysburg, walking backwards during the retreat because he was terrified of being shot InTheBack.

* NamedByTheAdaptation: Acton and Ellis Swanger. Also AscendedExtra, as they were only mentioned briefly in the book, but have a small subplot in the film [[spoiler: which, given that it ends in DeathByAdaption for them and their father, isn't exactly a good thing for them]].

--> Stobrod: If I had a brother in jail, and a brother in Georgia, I'd bust the one in Georgia out first.

* DemotedToExtra: In the book, the Ferry Girl sticks around for several pages, gets a little speech describing her sense of SmallTownBoredom, and survives the Home Guard firing on her boat. In the film, she is killed after maybe a minute of screen-time.

* UncertainDoom: In the book, although not in the film, when Teague and his men encounter [[spoiler: Stobrod and Pangle]] on their way to hunt down another group of deserters hiding in the nearby caves. When they reappear for the final battle, one of the deserters is accompanying his group, having apparently undergone a FaceHeelTurn. It is unclear if the others were wiped out, but it's likely that at least some fell to the Home Guard's guns.

* DemotedToExtra: In the book, the Ferry Girl stick around for several pages, gets a little speech describing her sense of SmallTownBoredom, and survives the Home Guard firing on her boat. In the film, she is killed after maybe a minute of screen-time.

* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler:At the end of the film.]]

* CallingTheOldManOut: Ruby.
* TheCameo: Jack White as Georgia.

* IWillWaitForYou: Ada.

* PsychoForHire: Teague and all his men.

* ShellShockedVeteran: Inman.

** Monroe, Ada's father, is a hard aversion.

* SouthernBelle: Ada.

* DemotedToExtra: In the book, the Ferry Girl stick around for several pages, gets a little speech describing her sense of SmallTownBoredom, and survives the Home Guard firing on her boat. In the book, she is killed after maybe a minute of screen-time.

* DemotedToExtra: in the book the Ferry Girl stick around for several pages, gets a little speech describing her sense of SmallTownBoredom, and survives the Home Guard firing on her boat. In the book, she doesn't and has maybe a minute of screen-time.

* TheGreatestStoryNeverTold: when Ada asks Inman about is journey back home, he replies with an uncomfortable, vague description which skips over most of it [[spoiler: and given his death, he wouldn't have been able to reveal more later]].

* RaceLift: in the book, Georgia is described as being part Cherokee or Creek Indian.

* SelfServingMemory: in the book, Georgia tells Inman a wildly exaggerated version of [[spoiler: The home guard capturing and shooting Stored and Pangle]]. that makes his survival sound heroic, instead of just lucky. The film averts this, when in a deleted scene, Georgia does give an accurate story about what happened.

* UncertainDoom: In the book, although not in the film, when Teague and his men encounter [[spoiler: Stobrod and Pangle]]. they're on their way to hunt down another group of deserters hiding in the nearby caves. When they reappear for the final battle, one of the deserters is accompanying his group, having apparently undergone a FaceHeelTurn. It is unclear if the others were wiped out, but it's likely that at least some fell to the Home Guard's guns.
* UnrelatedInTheAdaptation: Possibly, in the novel it's briefly mentioned that Pangle might be a relative of the Swanger's, but has been living alone in the woods for most of his life, and can't remember if he's part of the Swanger or Pangle family, with Stobrod deciding he has more of a Pangle look to him. This is cut from the movie, where instead of being a hermit Stobrod encountered, Pangle is apparently a fellow deserter.