The Goal

A detailed Summary of The Goal


Gandhi once said "Traveling along the route, the pilgrim will meet richer experiences from day to day so that he may have a glimpse of the beauty he is destined to become"(qtd, in Attenborough 79, 81). Through the help of a menagerie of characters, Frazier's "pilgrim", Inman of Cold Mountain, reaches his final goal, not just the physical goal of Cold Mountain and Ada, but also the mental goal of recapturing his pre-war self. The most influential of these characters is the Goat Lady, who provides Inman with "richer experiences" along his self-defining pilgrimage and gives him a "glimpse of the beauty" he desires to achieve, a glimpse of his final goal.

Inman first sees the "pinched-off little scrag of a person hunkered down under a big hemlock" (263), and could not tell if he is looking at a man or a woman. With a face pale from lack of food and injuries, Inman, who is extremely trusting for an outlier, approaches this stranger in hopes of receiving food, without which he might not be able to reach his final goal. In this display of trust, he shows a need to believe that people are still relatively good at heart. Here to prove the existence of this compassion, is the stranger, known as the Goat Lady, who provides


Inman's driving force and life's goals while traveling home were simple: find food, don't get shot, and get home to Ada. The Goat Lady came at a crucial time in his journey. He was getting closer to home, but needs reassuring that home is where he desires to be. If it hadn't been for the Goat Lady, Inman's pilgrimage would have ended before he saw the beauty he was destined to embrace, the beauty of a life with Ada at home in Cold Mountain

Inman "found himself talking about Ada"(278), as if by accident. He felt safe in the caravan house, with a full belly. His thoughts seem to constantly be on Ada, but this time his thoughts are not internal; he is telling someone else about her. He told the Goat Lady how he realized that he really did love Ada and wanted to be with her in the bonds of marriage. He mentions Ada's beauty, at which the Goat Lady scoffs and says, "Marrying a women for her beauty makes no more sense than eating a bird for its singing"(279). Her comment is ironic considering her fondness for the yellow-haired boy was based, at least partly, on his looks. Talking about Ada was good medicine for Inman's mind, but the Goat Lady also provided medicine for his body.

him not only food, but also much needed rest and medicine. These actions exceed Inman's expectations, and show tha

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 880
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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