The “True Grit” Novel by Charles Portis Essay

In his classical novel published in 1968 and titled True Grit, Charles Portis posits that true resolve and valor are critical factors for attaining desired goals. Justice and vengeance remain a dominant theme in the novel. Portis narrates the story of Mattie Ross, a teenage girl, who is determined to avenge Tom Chaney, her father’s murderer (Dirda Para 2). The author uses numerous literary features in order to advance the theme of justice and revenge throughout the book. The writer employs parallelism, humor, and character development in numerous accounts of narration to advance the theme of justice and revenge.

Parallelism

The author uses parallelism of revenge and crime in many instances in the book. Ross, the leading character in the novel, exhibits firm moral conviction and a high spirit for revenge to ensure Chaney is excruciatingly punished for slaying her father. The protagonist wishes to see him hanged or possibly execute the murderer herself. Marshal Cogburn Rooster, who Ross believes has grit and can help her locate Chaney seeks to have the gun. The action prompts Ross to reply, “It belonged to my father. I plan to kill Tom Chaney with it if the law fails to do so” (Portis 37). Her response to this request demonstrates the profound intention to get justice even if it means engaging in criminal act. Ross is a daring lady who is ready to persevere beyond limits and commits crime to do what she believes is right. The struggle between revenge and crime is endless throughout the novel.

Character Development

Ross is a firm-willed teenage girl who applies her determination and intelligence to prosper in society where she is constantly underrated. When Ross negotiates payment for some of her late father’s property from Colonel Stonehill, she informs him of her plan to retaliate against the assassin. Stonehill warns her of the impending difficulty in executing such tactics. Ross quickly reacts by noting that, “The good Christian does not flinch from difficulties. Neither does he rashly court them. The good Christian is not willful or presumptuous” (Portis 59). Conceivably, her action portrays that she understands justice might not come straightforwardly. Perhaps at this stage, Ross lacks the knowledge of the high price she might pay from such actions. After finally shooting Chaney and believing that she killed him, she retreats into a cavernous hole that turns into a hell-like pit where she starts to suffer the consequence. The pony, Blackie, who assists her to safety following her injuries in a ditch is bitten by a snake and later dies when rushing to seek medical attention. Ross describes the incident that “Blackie fell to the ground and died, his brave heart burst and mine broken. There never lived a nobler pony” (Portis 149). Ross did not only lose her treasured friend but also had to individually pay the price by having her arm amputated in attempt to seek justice.

Another instance leading to character growth begins when Rooster acts extraordinarily when him alongside Ross encountered two colleagues of Ned Pepper’s criminal group. He closely interrogated them and Moon, a decent individual who had just accompanied a wrong assembly, is committed to talking. Quincy, the other accomplice in the team, viciously chops Moon’s fingers then proceeds to brutally stab him. Rooster speedily shoots and kills Quincy following the commencement of the attack on Moon. Rooster responds as Moon pleads for help, “I can do nothing for you, son. Your pard killed you and I have done for him” (Portis 90). It is evident that Rooster led a deceitful life and paid the cumbersome price where he even damaged his eye while doing what he believed was right. Despite all these happenings, Rooster later develops into a caring man who upkeeps both Ross and mule.

Humor

True Grit is a serious book full of humor in many instances. Imagine a teenage girl sets out to retaliate the killing of her father, especially in society full of mutilations, shoot-outs, and hangings (Tartt Para 5). In certain cases of pursuing justice and revenge, the wit channels the audience to a period of intense emotion and entertainment. Ross encounters LaBoeuf, a renowned Texas Ranger, who has been assisting her to track Chaney in her journey to pursuing justice. LaBoeuf’s sole mission is to transfer Chaney to Texas alive. While in Texas, he will be arraigned for killing the area senator. LaBoeuf says he will obtain compensation of amounts totaling five hundred U.S. dollars and a further reward of U.S. dollars one thousand five hundred from the deceased family. LaBoeuf offers his help to Ross in capturing Chaney to the promised benefits. Nonetheless, her interest fades when he says his motivations are not aligned with hers. Later, LaBoeuf discloses that the support of Rooster remains critical. He reveals this by saying the need of having, “…someone who knows the ground and can make an arrest out there that will stand up” (Portis 46). While LaBoeuf is inspired by the reward he anticipates obtaining, he remains willing to slash a portion of the money to Rooster to ensure pursuing Chaney does not consume much of his time.

Some individuals view and seek justice as a profession as demonstrated by LaBoeuf while others are inspired more by simply acting rightfully. Rooster represents the latter where he is willing to break the law when it comes to protecting the community and assisting the offended. When Ross initially hears of Rooster, she heads to the courtroom during a cross-examination in a case where he is a witness in the murder trial of Wharton Odus. Roosters promises the jury that executing the three Wharton members was the perfect thing to do in such a scenario. Rooster responds by noting, “Three murdering thieves might have got loose and gone to kill somebody else” (Portis 33). Moreover, he remains cognizant that society is substantially more prosperous without free-roaming criminal elements.

Opposing Argument

On the contrary, the struggles Ross undergoes in the story is represented from the perceptive of battling the corrupt societal systems rather than justice and revenge. First robbed of her father then later a family property, Ross remains dedicated to ensure the law takes its course and bring the perpetrators to justice. However, she rapidly learns that the authorities cannot fully help her to attain that mission and quickly changes tact to do whatever it takes to execute her plan to the end. The author notes, “Mattie takes on all manner of authority to right wrongs wrought by corruption and apathy” (Mathews 371). The argument symbolises the resolve that became identical with the extremism in America

In conclusion, the essay demonstrates a price to pay, especially for individuals determined to obtain justice irrespective of the level of motivation for retribution and the manner of its execution. While Ross was inspired by vengeance and later obtained the desired victory, it needed perpetual bravery, making her to suffer the consequence by losing an arm, her virtue, and honorable pony. LaBoeuf, the Texas Ranger, pursued justice as a job although he was not emotionally attached, his plans to transfer Chaney to Texas alive never mattered when it was clear Ross’s life was in danger. Rooster had a prolonged history of searching for justice and acting rightfully was his underlying principle. He paid the price of losing his eye while engaging the gang. The novel successfully uses the three literary features to paint the theme of justice and revenge.

Works Cited

Dirda, Michael. “True Grit Is A Modern Classic, But It’s Not The Only Great Work By Charles Portis” The Washington Post, Web.

Matthews, Kristin L. “True Grit: A Radical Tale.” The Journal of American Culture, Vol. 41, no. 4, 2018, pp. 370-384.

Portis, Charles. True Grit. A&C Black, 1968. BooksVooks E-book, Web.

Tartt, Donna. “Donna Tartt On The Singular Voice, And Pungent Humor, Of Charles Portis” The New York Times, Web.

Annotated Bibliography

Chen, Jiye, et al. “A Reflection of American Spirit: The Analysis of Cowboy Images in American Movie True Grit.” 2021 International Conference on Social Development and Media Communication (SDMC 2021). Atlantis Press, 2022.

In an article published in 2022 titled “A Reflection of American Spirit: The Analysis of Cowboy Images in American Movie True Grit”, Chen et al. imply that True Grit best reflects the general American culture. The authors appreciate the value of True Grit as a material worth viewing, especially for its Oscar honor coupled with its immersive depiction of a female character. The authors analyze cowboy spirits, which have been deeply impacted by American culture and history in order to give a clear depiction of values such as fearlessness, courage, and independence. Through the character’s escapade, the authors’ review not only results in a deeper comprehension of cowboys in the movie but also shows the American spirit linked to cowboys.

Dirda, Michael. “True Grit Is A Modern Classic, But It’s Not The Only Great Work By Charles Portis” The Washington Post, Web.

Dirda in his thought-proving article published in 2021 titled “True Grit Is A Modern Classic, But It’s Not The Only Great Work By Charles Portis” states that True Grit is one of Portis’s celebrated works. Dirda’s excerpt provides a comprehensive review of the novel while comparing it with his previous texts. The author mentions Mattie Ross, a 14-year-old woman, who enlists a grizzled Marshal called Rooster Cogburn to assist her to pursue her father’s killer. Dirda highlights Portis’s work in order to demonstrate his great writings that attracted many admirers ranging from great writers like George Pelecanos and Donna Tartt to Roy Blount Jr. Dirda provides a sincere review of Portis’s capability and influence in the literary world.

Gwynne, Edward. “Review: True Grit By Charles Portis” Grim Dark Magazine, 2020, Web.

In his fascinating article titled “Review: True Grit By Charles Portis”, published in 2020, Gwynne asserts that True Grit is a remarkable work branded by sincerely delightful characters that immediately connect with readers. Gwynne gives a brief account of True Grit where he mentions that a teenage girl with ‘grit’, embarks on a mission to revenge her father’s killer. Mattie Ross, the protagonist in the novel, is hunting Tom Chaney, the person who shot her father. Gwynne presents a detailed review in the article in order to give the lyrical and poetic style used in the novel, especially the dialogue that he considers close to genius. Gwynne shows that True Grit is feel-good to read novel written in the compelling language.

Matthews, Kristin L. “True Grit: A Radical Tale.” The Journal of American Culture, Vol. 41, no. 4, 2018, pp. 370-384.

In his article titled “True Grit: A Radical Tale”, published in 2018, Mathews asserts that Portis’s novel wears a costume of a typical conservative Western tale that investigates the fight of marginalized against authority. Such a situation has always characterized America’s sweeping politics and literature since the country’s revolutionary beginning. The novel resonates with numerous anti-establishment notions circulating during the times of its composition and setting. Matthews’s work is provided in order to help explain why the book has yet to be incorporated into either the new or old Western Studies. It also assists in locating the work within the larger American radicalism tradition and moment, thereby expanding the understandings of western literature. The book exposes significant sociopolitical-related work, revealing the pervasive to any establishment and policies cementing dominant power structures. The novel resonates with the political situations across America and beyond.

Tartt, Donna. “Donna Tartt On The Singular Voice, And Pungent Humor, Of Charles Portis” The New York Times, Web.

In her detailed article published in 2020 titled “Donna Tartt On The Singular Voice, And Pungent Humor, Of Charles Portis”, Tartt argues that it is highly likely to find that readers who love Portis’s work are also delighted about him as an individual. Tartt proceeds to show that the amazement if anything, relates carefully to how his personality matched his effort. The article describes Portis as unpretentious and blunt, entirely without conceit. Nearly everything from Portis’s mouth and artwork was pungently funny. Tartt gives this comprehensive review in order to show that comedy is a critical ephemeral of the arts. True Grit is one of the few comic books that do not wane with time. The article depicts that Portis’s work is a serious novel by any measure. It is a book that can reliably switch on an individual when sad or sick.