True Grit
by Charles Portis
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At a glance:
- Author: Charles Portis
- First Published: 1968
- Type of Plot: Western
- Time of Work: 1878-1903 (narrated in the 1920’s)
- Setting: Arkansas and Choctaw Nation territory in Oklahoma
- Characters: Mattie Ross, Reuben J. “Rooster” Cogburn, Sergeant LaBoeuf, Tom Chaney, Chambers, Theron Chelmsford, Lucky Ned Pepper, Yarnell Poindexter, Colonel G. Stonehill, J. Noble Daggett, Mrs. Floyd
- Genres: Long fiction, Western fiction, Novel
- Subjects: Civil rights, Racism, South or Southerners, Nineteenth century, Slavery or slaves, Native Americans or American Indians, Civil War, Robbery or robbers, Revenge, Cowboys or cowgirls, Outlaws, Women's rights, Vigilantes
- Locales: United States, Arkansas, North America, Indian Territory
The Novel
True Grit is a study of the indomitable spirit of three representative Americans: a hard-living, heavy-drinking lawman, Rooster Cogburn; young Mattie Ross, who hires Cogburn because of his reputation for grit and who proves herself to possess the same quality; and Sergeant LaBoeuf, a disciplined, clean-living lawman who is mercenary enough to contemplate maximum reward money. In varying degrees, all the characters in the novel, including the outlaws, either have “true grit” or show respect for it.
In seven unnumbered chapters, this short novel...
(The entire page is 2405 words.)
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Popular Questions
See all »- Mattie appears to be the true embodiment of "true grit." What specific examples from the book show this trait?
- Comment on the point of view as it relates to the main characters in True Grit.
- In comparing characters Mattie Ross of True Grit and Jo March of Little Women, why did Mattie end up alone and lonely...
