People tend to have a strong desire for power, in any way, shape, or form. In the story True Grit, the protagonist, Mattie Ross, strives to gain power and respect from the many people she encounters during the story. As women were being oppressed during this time, Mattie conveys a powerful message that demonstrates the equality of both men and women. Throughout the book True Grit by Charles Portis, and the movie True Grit directed by Ethan and Joel Coen, the story portrays Mattie as a powerful woman figure in order to exhibit the power a woman can uphold. Throughout True Grit, there are many similarities between the book and the movie that demonstrate the adversity women face. Both the movie and the book convey this message of portraying the …show more content…
When they first encounter face to face, Tom Chaney treats the situation very lightly, despite the fact that Mattie had a loaded gun pointed straight at Chaney. In both the book and the movie, Portis and Coen do a great job of demonstrating the lack of respect that Chaney had for 14-year-old Mattie Ross, and both emphasize the importance of the situation. Josh Brolin, who played Tom Chaney, helped demonstrate the disrespect Chaney had towards Mattie, and also helped highlight the importance of this event. As a result of the mockery from Chaney, and in an attempt to gain power and respect, Mattie proceeds to shoot Tom right in the ribs. This is an important part of both works because it is the final time that Mattie shows what she can do, and eventually leads to the climax of the book in Tom Chaney’s death.
In both the book and the movie, True Grit, power is an important element in the story. Throughout, Mattie has a goal of not only getting revenge for her father, but earning respect and gaining power from other characters in the story. Mattie uses her desire for power to achieve her goal of capturing Tom Chaney, and thus fills her role as the powerful woman figure she is displayed to be. In True Grit, Mattie establishes that characteristics of one cannot be defined by the actions of