ruby

out of all the characters that we come across in cold mountain, ruby is, by far, my favorite.  the girl has got gumption.  nothing fancy about her, physically…but her matter-of-fact attitude and strong work ethics make up for all of that.  if there’s a job that needs done, ruby can do it. 

the only redeeming quality of the movie, in my opinion, was ruby.  renee zellweger did an excellent job bringing ruby to life and is still one of my most favorite roles played by her.  she definitely deserved the academy award she received for that role.

“the girl came up to the porch and without asking leave sat in a rocker next to ada and hooked her heels on the chair rungs.  her hair was black and coarse as a horse’s tail.  she went shoeless, but her feet were clean.  the girl’s name, ada soon discovered, was ruby, and though the look of her was not confidence-inspiring, she convincingly depicted herself as capable of any and all farm tasks.  ada’s deep impression was that she had a willing heart.  and though ruby had not spent a day of her life in school and could not read a word nor write even her name, ada thought she saw in her a spark as bright and hard as one struck with steel and flint.”