True Grit

’True Grit' is a novel written by Charles Portis in 1968. It is about a fourteen year old girl named Mattie Ross who avenges her father’s murder. Mattie’s father is killed by Tom Chaney, while on his way to buy some horses. After killing him, Chaney escaped by running onto Indian territory. Mattie meets Marshal Reuben Coburn and a Texas Ranger called LaBoeuf who are also looking for Chaney. They join together and long story short, they find Chaney. Mattie shoots Chaney in the chest and kills him. After her successful revenge, she is bitten by a snake which results in the loss of her arm.

This book was quite interesting because I was able to learn about several new things, such as American Western culture and cowboys. I noticed some words/terms I am unfamiliar with, such as ‘bunk-house’, ‘marshal’, ‘Henry rifle’ and ‘bottom land’. On the story side, it was interesting (find a better word for this, you’ve used it already) to read about this 14 year old girl who walked 75 miles to avenge her father’s death.  I think the title suggests Mattie’s persistence and her actions reveal the meaning of ‘True Grit’. Mattie never gave up and stayed true to her ethics and moral ideas. She was successful in her execution of her revenge, but in return, she lost her arm. Mattie’s fate reminds me of a quote from the book: “You must pay for everything in this world one way or another. There is nothing free except the Grace of God. You cannot earn that or deserve it.”

I think the author found it appropriate to use a young female to tell the story. In respect of understanding the Mythology of the text, I read an article on our course blog about ‘The Child Savior Myth’, where people identify the image of youth as innocent and incapable of dishonesty. In ’True Grit’, Mattie exemplifies this myth; to the common man, she did not look like a child on a murder mission. In ‘The American Eve Myth’, females use their own beauty as their attribute. However, in ‘True Grit’, Mattie has characteristics such as intelligence and bravery that are not generally talked about in the ‘American Eve Myth’.  I think this what makes ‘True Grit’ interesting in a Mythology perspective.