A Vow to Bear: Cold Mountain Prompt

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A Vow to Bear The circumstances and decisions of Inman, within the chapter “A Vow to Bear,” directly parallel what will happen to him in the future. The death of an animal which seems to be necessary is later faced with remorse and regret. His vow to the bear is broken as well as his promise to Ada. This chapter illustrates Inman’s destiny and explains why his existence must come to an end. Frazier adds this chapter as a clue to the resolution of the book as well as a connecting chapter that enforces all of his beliefs on nature, war, and humanity. The title of the chapter, “A Vow to Bear,” has multiple interpretations throughout the journey of Inman within and following this chapter. The most literal meaning is an actual vow Inman makes not to not kill bears, “the decision had come from a series of dreams he had over the period of a week in the muddy trench of Petersburg,” (352) when he is faced with the mother bear and her cub, it seems as though Inman knows death will soon be upon him. He does not want to kill the mother bear, and could easily be killed in order for her to protect her cub. When the mother bear has suddenly fallen off of the cliff which they are both standing on he is still scared. To Inman, bears instilled within them the idea of hope, to kill a bear; some amount of hope is lost. Inman then sees the cub, against his beliefs; he kills it, knowing that it would not be able to survive on its own. Inman then eats the cub, the whole time he can only think of how wrong it is. “It tasted nevertheless like sin. He tried to name which of the deadly seven might apply, and when he failed he decided to append an eighth, regret.”(356) when Inman calls his action a deadly sin, Frazier reveals quite plainly that Inman cannot live. The “vow to bear,” now represents both the literal death of the cub and the regret that Inman now feels. Throughout the rest

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