Are there any parallel events in Cold Mountain?

I would want to argue that the biggest parallel in the
plot structure occurs in the way that both Inman and Ada are shown to have to endure a
series of challenges before they can be reunited together. Although it is Inman that has
to perform the archetypal heroic quest of venturing across America to return to his
beloved, both of these central characters have to confront a multitude of different
challenges to reach their reunion. Both characters are radically changed as a result,
showing how they have matured and grown up through their hardships, although clearly the
war has transformed them both from the youthful, innocent and carefree people they once
were. Note how, when they meet again, Inman describes Ada's face as being "firmer,
harder" and she is dressed as a "mannish boy" in trousers. Inman is described in the
following way by Ada:

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He was blasted and ravaged, worn ragged and weary
and thin, but he was nevertheless Inman. Hunger's seal on his brow, like a shadow over
him.

Both then have suffered
greatly through their separate but parallel experiences, and both have endured much to
survive and to be reunited.