ipl-logo

Literary Techniques In True Grit

1753 Words8 Pages

True Grit by Charles Portis is a novel that describes a quest seen through the eyes of woman named Mattie Ross, who recounts the journey for the retribution of her father’s death when she was a fourteen-year-old girl. Alongside her companions Marshall Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn and Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, Mattie describes the wild pursuit of the outlaw, Tom Chaney, through the Indian Territory in 1875. A Formalist approach could be taken to analyze the content of True Grit. Within the text of the novel, through the use of language and tone of the narrator, as well as through the writing style, Charles Portis defines the central theme of revenge as a “matter of honor and personal responsibility” according to Mattie Ross, and details her strict interpretation of justice and judgement (Shmoop). Combined with the symbolism and irony that is embedded into the story, Charles Portis allows the reader to grasp a better understanding of the central theme in the novel, as well as a better understanding of Mattie Ross. From the beginning of the novel, the reader is informed that Mattie seeks …show more content…

Since True Grit is written from Mattie Ross’ point of view, the reader is forced to see the situation as she does, therefore allowing the reader to side with her more often. The reader finds sympathy for Mattie Ross, as well as admiration for her bravery and dedication. First person is therefore the strongest style of writing because the reader interprets the world through the eyes of the narrator. By siding with Mattie throughout the novel, the underlying theme of revenge could be interpreted easily. Had the novel been written in a third person point of view, it would be more difficult to identify the theme of revenge because it would not have been as powerful (Hurahaw). The reader would be able to develop standpoints that are very contrasting from

Show More
Related

Chapter Summary Of Double Victory By Ronald Takaki

994 Words | 4 Pages

They help the reader understand the thoughts and feelings of the

Read More

Feast Of Snakes: Literary Analysis

1677 Words | 7 Pages

One of the most important aspects of “grit lit” is the violence that occurs in almost every novel. The violence that reoccurs throughout all of the “grit lit” novels allows for a more exciting plot and character conflict throughout the novel. One of the most influential and famous southern writers is Harry Crews. Crews is responsible for many different novels, short stories, and autobiographies, and almost all of his works include some type of violence. The main reason for violence in southern literature is due to the unordinary, low-life characters that the author includes to allow for a violent plot.

Read More

The Day The Cowboys Quit Analysis

1186 Words | 5 Pages

The novel, The Day the Cowboys Quit, by Elmer Kelton is not a typical cowboy story filled with waving guns and violent fights. Instead, this story shows what the real life of a cowboy would have been like through the story of Hugh Hitchcock. The Day the Cowboys Quit is based on a cowboy strike that occurred in Tascosa, Texas in 1883. Kelton based his fictional story on the causes of the strike and what became as a result of the strike. This paper will explain historical events concerning the cowboys and depict their true lifestyle which contrasts the stereotypes normally associated with being a cowboy, as well as summarize the novel The Day the Cowboys Quit.

Read More

Grant Wiggins's Struggle In A Lesson Before Dying

590 Words | 3 Pages

Since the beginning of time there’s always been some form of struggle to break away from the grasp of someone powerful and someone who strives for power between those of mankind. This is evident all throughout history in society, even during the 1940s when this novel, A Lesson Before Dying takes place. Grant Wiggins and Sheriff Sam Guidry are prime examples of two characters that struggle to separate themselves from power and strive for power and are determined to keep themselves in power respectively. Grant is the main character of the novel with quite the cynical and depressing outlook on the South, which is the place he was born and raised. He gained this attitude of cynicism from his mentor Matthew Antoine, who felt very intense feelings

Read More

Violence In True Grit

453 Words | 2 Pages

In the movie True Grit (1969), Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne) depicts the negative effects of violence when he fails to notice blood on his corn cakes or when he kills a young boy whose name he can’t remember without any emotion. This shows Roosters lack of concern for violence since he has seen and caused so much bloodshed. Violence is shown as a normal part of life in this film and Rooster seems to be used to this fact. When Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) notices the blood on the corn cakes and Rooster continues to eat them, Ignoring the blood, it is made clear that he has become indifferent to violence and bloodshed. As the two prepare a fire on their first night seeking to avenge the death of Mattie's father, Rooster hands her a corn cakes and she takes one bite and notices that they are covered in blood.

Read More

The Red Kayak Analysis

495 Words | 2 Pages

Your parents are always telling you to do do the right thing, aren't they? Priscilla Cummings did not miss the opportunity to convey the same message. In The Red Kayak, Priscilla Cummings is trying to show that doing the right thing, no matter the consequences is always the correct path to take. In this paper, I will give a few examples of why I think the theme in the story is to always do the right thing. These examples are that Brady had the choice to call out to the kayak, the scene with Digger and J.T. in court, and I will show you this in a more philosophical way.

Read More

The Other Wes Moore Character Analysis

764 Words | 4 Pages

The upbringing of a child contains many factors, many of which correlate to where a child grows up. The people, culture, and experiences of someone’s childhood are the greatest determining factor for what kind of person they will become. So how does the nature and nurture of one’s upbringing impact the decisions that they make, and their life in general? Author Wes Moore explores this question in his memoir, The Other Wes Moore, as it relates to two lives in particular. Moore main purpose in this book is to explore the overarching impact that a collection of expectations and decisions, not always one’s own, can have on someone’s life.

Read More

Essay On True Grit

1604 Words | 7 Pages

“Grit is staring down the barrel of the difficult and the unknown, rejecting the voices that say I’m not enough, and pushing through anyway,” (Josh Collins thejoshcollins.com). True grit is defined as having perseverance, courage, endurance, and bravery through a difficult trial or hardship that may seem daunting. In the novel True Grit by Charles Portis, the characters Rooster Cogburn, Frank and Mattie Ross are portrayed as having the presence or the lack of grit. This book mainly describes Mattie Ross’ story in her own words. Frank Ross, Mattie’s father is killed in cold blood at the beginning of the book by a man named Tom Chaney, who then stole from the man’s dead body and ran away like a coward.

Read More

The Lone Ranger And Tonto Fistfight In Heaven Essay

1020 Words | 5 Pages

Sherman Alexie’s Survival Equation and the Resilience of Native American Culture Sherman Alexie’s The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven portrays the hardships faced by Native Americans at the hands of the overpowering force of mainstream American culture. Alexie uses multiple perspectives in his book to convey the complexity of the situation on the reservation. However, his recurring themes such as survival, tradition, and underlying cultural ties connect the stories together as does the overarching message about the resilience of Native American people and their culture. With these consistent themes, the multiple perspectives found in his stories prove the validity of his cultural points due to their repetition. In his composite novel, Alexie reveals the resilience of Native American culture by breaking it down into a mathematical equation

Read More

Critical Lens In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

1247 Words | 5 Pages

To the untrained eye, a story could be viewed one-dimensionally; a tale might only appeal to emotion while logic is left out in the cold. Equally, logic may be forgotten while emotion is heavily focused on. However, through the use of Critical Lenses, readers can begin to see greater depth in literature. As readers find connections through Critical Lenses, they become more educated on various topics, more aware of social, political, and even logical abstractions. Instead of failing to retain the intent and content of the material, they even can remember details of stories more vividly when truly examining literature rather than reading it once for entertainment (or chore).

Read More

The Sociological Analysis Of Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption

1632 Words | 7 Pages

Beside the terrifying horrors, written by Stephen King, the realistic and deeply psychological novel “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank redemption” seems very unusual. It lacks horrific clowns or extremely dangerous viruses, but still attracts the reader’s attention. Despite the powerful psychological background, the social motives in the story-line prevail. Through the images of Andy Dufresne, description of in-prison social reality and lesser characters, the author depicts the entire American society with the wide range of its internal problems, values and concerns.

Read More

Examples Of Suspense In A Rose For Emily

710 Words | 3 Pages

“A Rose for Emily” is a unique short story that keeps the reader guessing even though its first sentence already reveals the majority of the content. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is the epitome of a work that follows an unconventional plot structure and a non-linear timeline, but this method of organization is intentional, as it creates suspense throughout the story. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” follows an unusual plot structure, which creates an eccentric application of suspense to a short story. Throughout the story, there are no clear indications of standard plot structure in each section, such as intro, climax, and denouement. Instead, there are sections, which are not in chronological order, that describe a particular conflict or event, which in turn creates suspense, as each conflict builds upon each other to make the reader question the overall context and organization of the story.

Read More

Courage In Mark Twain's Jasper Jones

629 Words | 3 Pages

According to Mark Twain, "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear-not absence of fear.” Courage is what Charlie displays over and over in the book Jasper Jones. In the book Jasper Jones, Jasper and Charlie Bucktin find a dead girl in the forest and if anyone finds the body they will think it was Jasper. That is because Jasper is the town trouble maker. So now Charlie and Jasper must find the killer.

Read More

Assess The Use Of Vivacity In Faulkner's

1779 Words | 8 Pages

By looking closely at Faulkner’s use of diction and through his description of the characters helps answer aspects of the story that first seem ambiguous and unclear. Through the direct events of the story and the way McLendon acts, it is evident that Will Mayes manages to escape and run away. The barber, who is on Will Mayes’s side, began to tug furiously at the door of the car and is able to kick the door open and swing onto the running board, the little step outside of the car door. There are a couple events that proceed after this that prove that Mayes is able to escape.

Read More

An Analysis Of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night

2294 Words | 10 Pages

Also, there can be several opinions to one aspect. Thus, when reading and analysing a novel, students should have the opportunity to develop ideas and concepts of their own. Aside from that, a novel makes the reader aware of the aspect of subjectivity. The characters in a novel have their own subjective way of looking at the world surrounding them. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, in particular, shows the view of a disabled person and his aims in life, which makes students think of their own

Read More

More about Literary Techniques In True Grit

Related Topics

Open Document