Summary Of Charles Portis 'Novel Black Or White Hat'
513 Words3 Pages
Black or White Hat Charles Portis’ novel, True Grit, was written in 1968. Portis now resides in Arkansas where he was born and raised. The novel True Grit is not the only book he has written, but he also has published four other novels. Portis is not only a writer, but served as a Marine Corps in the Korean War, was a bureau chief of the New York Herald-Tribune, and write for The New Yorker (Portis). This novel tells the story of a young Mattie Ross seeking revenge on Tom Chaney. While the two men were on a journey to Fort Smith, Mattie’s father was murdered. Chaney is the suspect in the murder of Mattie’s father. Mattie sets out on a journey seeking revenge on her father’s killer. On this journey, she hires a tough US Marshall, Rooster Cogburn. Mattie tells Rooster, “The government will pay you two dollars for bringing him in, plus ten cents a mile for each of you. I will pay you a fifty dollar reward” (60). Mattie hires Rooster to find her father’s murderer. Later on in this novel, Tom Chaney is captured and shot in the head by Mattie. The blows to the head do not kill Chaney, but Rooster finishes him off with the rifle stock of his gun. In this novel, Rooster so to speak “saves the day”, but is not a white hat.…show more content… In this novel, Rooster is a typical retired lawman type of character. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Rooster killed twenty-three men over the course of four years (50). This act is a description of the black hat side of him. Rooster agreeing to help Mattie take revenge on her father’s killer is a white hat action. Rooster’s character is hard to determine. His character could be placed in either category. The good things Rooster did do not make the bad things disappear. In the past, Rooster Cogburn was a criminal. He was responsible for the death of twenty-three men over a four-year