Cold Mountain: Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis

Inman and Veasey arrive at a woodcutters’ clearing. There’s a huge tree lying in the middle of the road, and it’s clearly been cut with a sharp saw. Inman finds the saw resting by the tree, and Veasey suggests that they take it and sell it. Veasey clarifies that God is “not too” respectful of property rights—property is only a tiny detail of his plan. Inman reluctantly agrees. Veasey takes the saw, and they continue walking.

A short while later, the duo finds a man standing before a dead bull in a stream. The man cries out for help, and Inman and Veasey walk off the road to help him (Veasey leaves the saw by the side of the road). The man explains that the bull’s carcass is spoiling the potable water in the stream: he wants help pulling the bull away from the water. After some thought, Inman, Veasey, and the man agree to use leverage to move the bull. They spend the afternoon trying to find ways to lift the bull with tree branches, but nothing works. Eventually, they give up in frustration, and use the saw to cut the bull to pieces. After they finish their task, the man invites Inman and Veasey to dine with him. Inman accepts, offering Veasey’s saw as payment.

The trio walks away from the stream, happy to be done with their work. The man introduces himself as Junior, and he “entertains” Inman and Veasey with stories of having had sex with married women years ago. He tells Inman and Veasey about his wife—a horrible person, he claims, who gave birth to a black baby (obviously not Junior’s). The wife refused to name the real father of the child, but Junior was unable to obtain a divorce. Later, Junior’s wife bore two more children—also probably not Junior’s.

Junior takes Inman and Veasey to his house, where he offers them food and coffee. At dinner, Junior’s child walks out, and Junior wonders aloud if she’s an “octoroon” or a “quadroon” (racist terms for someone who’s part black). The girl says that her name is Lula, but Junior angrily yells that her name is Chastity. Later on, a young woman enters the room, and Junior addresses her as Lila, his wife. Lila is wearing almost no clothing—something that surprises and shocks Inman. Inman is more shocked when Junior openly touches Lila’s breasts.

Lila goes outside, and Inman follows her. He sees Lila greeting her sisters, who look almost identical to her. Inman greets the sisters, but they don’t say anything to him. Lila touches Inman’s shoulder and calls him “Big man.” She offers him a strong drink, which Inman accepts, and she tells him about how once Junior killed a man out of anger. She goes on to name other occasions when Junior was violent, even suggesting that Junior murdered his own mother. She offers Inman more food and drink, and Inman—who’s still hungry—accepts, though he notices that the meat is “too big for hog, but too pale for cow.” Inman begins to feel drowsy, and notices shapes that resemble human beings, resting in the fireplace. Before Inman can eat any of the strange meat, Lila slides his plate away and tells her sisters to leave them alone. Then, she lets Inman—who can barely stand or talk—touch her breasts and thighs. Suddenly, the door bursts open and Junior barges in with a gun.

Junior stands over Inman and Lila, pointing a gun right at Inman’s head. He marches Inman outside, where Inman sees Veasey standing. Junior yells out that he’s found some “outliers,” and a group of horsemen approach him—the Home Guard. The horsemen tie up Inman and Veasey and build a fire. Junior yells that the horsemen should “wed” Inman and Lila, using Veasey as the preacher. Veasey reluctantly proceeds to marry Inman to Lila, with Junior hollering songs. Afterwards, the horsemen lead Inman and Veasey down the road, into the dark.

For the next few days, Inman walks with the horsemen, not knowing where he’s headed. Slowly, other prisoners join then—other suspected deserters from the army. They’re given no food and little water. Inman fantasizes, deliriously, about escaping from the Home Guard. After a long time, the Guard orders the prisoners to stop. Some of the Guard members then raise their guns, point them at the prisoners, and fire. Inman feels a bullet hit him in the side of the head. He falls to the ground, dimly conscious, and hears someone shout, “Get them underground.” The group doesn’t exactly bury Inman and the other prisoners—they just throw some dirt over them and ride off. When the Guard is gone, Inman climbs out from the dirt, and then loses all consciousness.

When Inman regains consciousness, he finds himself staring at a huge wild boar. Inman climbs to his feet, noticing that his head is bleeding. He notices that Veasey is lying on the ground, dead, but he feels little sympathy for his companion. Inman begins to walk back to the road.

After hours of walking, Inman comes to a “yellow” slave, who is herding some bulls down the road. The slave calls Inman a “dirt man,” but offers him a melon, which Inman eats eagerly. The slave also advises Inman on how to get back to his home: walk toward the Blue Ridge mountains and then go south. The slave explains that his master taught him how to read, write, and navigate, and Inman is impressed. He reaches for his money to pay the slave for his help, but then realizes that his possessions are back on Junior’s property.

The chapter cuts ahead a few nights: Inman is standing outside Junior’s house, preparing to sneak inside. He throws a bone to a dog to distract in, then rushes toward the house. Outside, he sees the knapsack he left, which contains his gun, and all his money. He finds that the knapsack’s contents are still there, except for Veasey’s gun. Looking up, Inman sees Junior nearby. Junior approaches Inman, seeming not to know who it is. When Junior is close enough, Inman rushes toward him and hits him in the head with the butt of his gun. He beats Junior again and again, until Junior is covered in blood, and doesn’t stir. Then Inman walks into the distance.

The next day, Inman is still walking along the road, away from Junior. He sees a flock of crows flying above him, and notices that they’re circling close to a snake. The snake tries to hiss and defend itself from the birds, but to no avail—the crows attack it. Inman imagines the crows blackening out the sky completely.