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True Grit By Charles Portis

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If you were fourteen and your father was murdered in cold blood, would you want revenge? In the novel “True Grit” by Charles Portis there are characters who have grit but there are also characters who lack grit this novel takes place in the 1870’s post-civil war in Arkansas. According to Shmoop, Wikipedia, and Google True Grit is having passion, courage, and determination. Mattie Ross is a fourteen year old girl who will not listen to anyone and still goes on a long journey into Indian territory and is determined to avenge her father’s death. Throughout the book Mattie shows she has true grit. Tom Chaney on the other hand is the man who killed her father in cold blood and shows he lacks grit throughout the book. Rooster Cogbern is a U.S marshal …show more content…

Mattie Ross shows she has passion when Laboeuf and Rooster tell Mattie she cannot go with them on the man hurt for Tom Chaney. Mattie ignores their wishes and crosses the River anyways. Mattie says, “I aimed for the place, going blazes across the sandbar…we came out a little way down the river…we had beaten them across” (Charles Portis 105). Even though she was told by Laboeuf and Rooster she could not go she still risks hers and Blackie life crossing the Icey river. This shows Mattie is passionate about going on the manhunt. Later on in the book during the long horse ride Mattie got sore and hungry but did not want to tell Laboeuf or Rooster because she did not want them to think less of her. Mattie says, “I was hungry and aching but I kept my peace for I was determined not to give them anything to chaf me about” (Portis 108). At the end of the book Mattie falls into a hole with bats and a skeleton filled with snakes from the power from the recoil of her gun. Mattie says, “I set my teeth… I studied the arm… with some twisting I managed to separate it… and secured it under my armpit to serve as a cross member” (Portis 209). This shows Mattie has courage because with all the odds against her she puts aside her emotions just to survive. As you can see Mattie has …show more content…

Tom Chaney that’s who throughout this novel he proves he lacks grit is many different ways. In the begging on the book Tom Chaney killed an unarmed name Frank Ross, and stole his horse. Mattie claims, “My father was not armed at the time. Tom Chaney raised his rifle and shot his in the head…He out a saddle on papas horse Judy and rode bareback. Darkness swallowed him up” (Portis 16-17). This shows Tom Chaney is a heartless coward, that runs away from his problems. Towards the end of the book Tom Chaney starts to feel sorry for himself, and instead of taking responsibility he blames the world for his problems. Tom Chaney says, “Everything is against me” (Portis 199). Tom Chaney swears nothing is his fault. As you see Tom Chaney is clearly a Gritless

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