Week Three: True Grit

For someone who is a proud American, I have had very little exposure to westerns in any medium.  Reading True Grit was the first time, apart from the occasional Twilight Zone western themed episode, that I experience the genre. I really enjoyed this week’s reading a lot. I found the story and world building truly immersive, but in my opinion the most compelling aspect of the novel was the characters. 

Mattie, Rooster and LaBoeuf. Each character was interesting in their own right but I found Mattie very relatable. Maybe it’s because I am a young woman, but I feel like we see a steadiness and self-confidence in this character that is relatable on all fronts. When push comes to shove would we all want to react like Maddie has? She knows what she wants and what she thinks is right and she does it even when a multitude of obstacles get in her way! So sure, so strong in herself. Writing the book from Mattie’s point of view, I think the author WANTED us to relate to Mattie on a deep level. We are her. We are being thrown into a setting, the rough and tumble wild west, unprepared and the underdog, just like Mattie is. We are seeing everything through her eyes, our own. Therefore, we are living it with Mattie. This is what every story teller wants its audience to feel, forcing them, pulling them into the story. This is only possible through the characters and is something I think Charles Portis did really well.