Week Three: Reading Mythology

True Grit, a great novel written by Charles Portis in 1968 and later made into two great adapted films, one in 1969 and one in 2010.  The novel takes us on a thriller adventure, seeking justice for a young girl’s father during the time the western parts of America were being discovered and Native American tribes still running strong.  When we meet Mattie, her dad Frank is heading off to Fort Smith, Arkansas. He travels with a hired hand, Chaney, who later decides to gambling his paycheck.  He then after gets drunk and decides to go get his money back. When Frank tries to stop this disaster, Chaney shoots and kills him.  We follow Mattie Ross, the young 14-year-old girl, on her journey to find Chaney.  She first seeks out and tries to persuade Marshell Ruben Cogburn to help track and kill Chaney, to which he agrees to.  Along Mattie’s journey, another man seeks out Chaney, a Texas ranger named Le Boeuf.  Through this roller coaster of emotions and drama, the character goes on to learn valuable lessons such as respect.  And through this, Cogburn sort of becomes a father-figure to Mattie, which was a nice experience.

During this time of the wild west, anyone could get killed and easily get away with it, robberies and gangs were a norm and just a dangrious time to travel or live out west.  What really breaks the myth in this story is Mattie’s strong character.  Cogburn and Le Boeuf had strong important roles but the main focus was Mattie and her quest.  During the time this was first written and time frame its depicted in, women or young girls didn’t really have strong leading roles.  Females would usually play some damsel in distress.  Mattie’s ambition and thrive to achieve her goal is what to me really helps bring this story together leaving me satisfied.

Towards the end of the novel, Mattie confronts her father’s killer.  She gets her justice by shooting him.  Unfortunately matter falls into pit of poisons snakes.  Cogburn comes over for the save like a hero/father-figure but to only further the circumstances of Mattie with the snakes, she comes to lose an arm due to a snake bite to her arm.   True Grit follows the story tone, mythology, ideas during the wild west times when anything can happen.  Seeing a character do what it ever it takes to achieve their goal is an interesting story arch, especially when its breaking the mythology and using a young female as the main lead who is put though tough wild west scenarios.  This story can still find connect to some parts of the world with its mythology, morality and human nature.