True Grit Analysis

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The Ultimate Price of Seeking Justice How would you define true grit? Is it courage, perseverance, or even resilience? It could be all of them, and throughout the novel True Grit we see these characteristics and many more. Although the central theme is justice, to reach justice, you must first have a reason for doing so. There can be many reasons for wanting to do so depending on if it’s for revenge, peace or any number of things. In this adventure story Charles Portis shows us that no matter what, there is a price to pay for those who wishes to seek justice. In the start of the novel the first thing that Mattie says is: "People do not give credence that a fourteen-year-old-girl would leave home and go off in the wintertime to avenge her father's blood but it did not seem so strange then, although I will say it didn't happen every day" (Portis 1). This ties into another big theme of the novel which is gender. Mattie doesn't look up to any female role models, or play a female role in the story at all really, she is more masculine than feminine. But throughout the novel we do see Mattie questioned a great deal because of what she is out doing, instead of living a typical life for that…show more content…
Mattie’s horse blackie dies from exhaustion and she is being bitten by a snake after falling down a pit, where she is lifted out using a rope and she has to have her arm amputated. Matter ends up losing her arm. We see that Mattie calls Chaney’s death a victory, but in reality it is actually a defeat, mostly because of the price it cost her. Mattie as an older women seems she has matured greatly, but still has some stubbornness in her. She is now very successful owning a bank and remains tough, but single throughout her life. When Rooster dies, Mattie has the body transported and placed in her family's plot. This could be for many reasons, but it shows that Mattie has a soft spot on her heart for

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