True Grit Literary Analysis

Imagine that the town is all talking about a man that was just shot dead. No one knows who it was or who shot the man. Your dad left the night before to go get food a few towns over. He is traveling by horse and he will be back in a few hours. You think to yourself, “The man can’t be my dad. He is just getting our surplus of food for the season. Hours pass and he still hasn’t returned. They have identified the body of the victim and it is your dad. This same thing happened to Mattie Ross, the main character in True Grit by Charles Portis. Mattie has taken it upon herself to track down Tom Chaney, the murderer that killed her father. The question is, was it wise for her to seek vengeance on her father’s death? The idea of murdered loved one would most likely spark revenge in the eyes of many people. In Mattie’s time period, it wasn’t that uncommon to go and physically seek revenge. This was also very hard to do. You have to identify the murderer, track them down, capture them, and bring them to a court without them either killing you or escaping. Of all the places on the map, who knows where Tom Chaney is hiding. That’s why there are professionals that are masters in the art of locating another man. Luckily Rooster, a sheriff in town, has agreed to help Mattie. It’s not very smart to go alone in …show more content…
Capturing Chaney and bringing him to court would give Mattie’s family closure and sense of doing what’s right for the good of mankind. Think about it though, how much will this operation cost and how will it be carried out. The one thing about law in this time period is that it is very stringent and wary about its stand on multiple points. If Tom Chaney is brought into a court of law, there really is no telling what the judgment would be. Tom might be sentenced for only a few months or years. He might not even have a case against him. There is definitely a risk of court in the case of his