Shannon Collins
Professor Paul Ludwig
Composition II 1020-421
2 March 2016
Mattie’s Grit
Within Charles Portis’ novel, True Grit, the story becomes a matter of opinion on which character truly represents the courage, integrity, and confidence of which ‘true grit’ consists of. The process throughout Charles Portis’ novel revealed the turmoil and dangers of the Wild West and the conflict that resided with the time period. By delving into the life of the characters and the characters’ backgrounds, the novel was clear of the underlying perseverance of the characters and the grit that the characters possessed. Yet with Mattie’s character, she becomes the embodiment of what ‘true grit’ truly means throughout her quest to capture her father’s killer
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To most, grit is the trait that everyone must have in order to keep moving on with their life when things get tough and their life feels like everything around them has just fallen apart in a sense of emotional intelligence and well-being, and within Portis’ novel, he expressed the same idea throughout the novel of what he meant to have that trait. According to most, “grit can be defined as "…passion and perseverance for long-term goals…" (Hochanadel) and the mention of the perseverance within the novel placed Mattie’s character under the correct placement. Throughout the time period of the Wild West and the narration of True Grit, the time period was necessary for everyone to have just a bit of grit, if even more. And even within today’s society, “students who persevere when faced with challenges and adversity seem to have what Angela Duckworth calls, grit.” (Hochanadel) Grit was and is something that was necessary for people to continue on through …show more content…
Portis told the story of which her grit shined through above the rest, no matter whom she was beside. The determination within Mattie’s character was able to provide an enticing tale of the true grit behind her words and her actions even when the obstacles within her path became almost unbearable, revealing the grit she possessed through and through. Through a challenging journey of revenge and self-discovery, the young Mattie Ross was given the title of what having ‘grit’ really meant after finding her way through the obstacles thrown in front of her and her perseverance to make things