Charles Portis’s True Grit offers a frontier adventure told by someone who has never surrendered her claim to the last word. Reading it through Mattie Ross’s voice opens a discussion of how memory turns an experience into a moral argument.
About the Book
Fourteen-year-old Mattie sets out to pursue her father’s killer. Her journey from Arkansas into Indian Territory brings her into an uneasy partnership with marshal Rooster Cogburn and Texas Ranger LaBoeuf. Their competing judgments give the pursuit much of its friction and humor.
The Authority of a Remembered Story
Pay attention to the difference between the young person in the action and the older narrator who controls its telling. Mattie’s precision about practical matters can make her account feel authoritative. Her certainty also invites readers to ask what she sees clearly, what she dismisses, and how much room she gives the other people in her story.
The novel’s combination of wit and violence makes the language itself worth discussing. Consider how humor changes your response to danger, and whether Mattie’s determination always serves the justice she seeks.
Questions for Discussion
- Where does Mattie’s older narrative voice change your response to a choice made by her younger self?
- How do Cogburn and LaBoeuf test Mattie’s judgment, and how does she test theirs?
- Which moment most clearly distinguishes a demand for justice from a desire for revenge?
Book Details and Further Reading
Portis’s novel was first published in 1968 and adapted for films released in 1969 and 2010. The reference Overlook paperback was published November 5, 2010. If you know either film, compare how a performance changes the authority of Mattie’s narration.