How significant are the opening pages of Cold Mountain

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In Charles Frazier’s novel ‘Cold Mountain, the opening pages are very important to the rest of the novel as it establishes the basis of the story in terms of the plot and the setting, the main character and any other characters that affect them and themselves which will be continued and developed throughout the novel. During this essay I will discuss how the first opening pages are significant. The first few pages establish the setting of the main characters storyline. Frazier describes Inman’s daily routine which shows the reader where Inman has been living for the past few days of his life, which allows the reader to build up a picture of the setting. Frazier doesn’t just describe what the hospital looks like; he describes details about the conditions and the look and feel of the hospital he is living in. We are told about the dampness which has the effect of making the reader feel sympathy for Inman, and disbelief that men who were fighting for their country would be allowed to “survive” in such conditions – “so damp it caused fresh sheets to sour under him”. Frazier uses imagery to describe the hospital using “real” objects that we can imagine. For example he describes sheets, and what happens to books, he also describes the dampness as being like “breathing through a dishrag”. This effectively allows the reader to imagine what it would be like. This allows the reader to feel more involved and directly understand how Inman would feel living in the hospital. The hospital is important as it is the place in which Inman’s part of the story begins. The reader sees Inman at his worst, which is very important because we receive a truthful view of Inman. If he was in a pleasant place, we would not see Inman’s real thoughts; he may conceal his horrible thoughts as they would not be triggered by anything. However conversely we may receive a pessimistic view from Inman

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