True Grit Movie Comparison

Samantha Hoppe – True Grit (novel and recent movie) Comparison Journal A cowboy pops up out of the never-ending landscape riding on the back of his trusty steed. The picture that was just described is the opening scene to more than a handful of Western novels and films. These forms of literature tend to emphasize the bond between man and horse more strongly than any other animal. The horse is an integral part every cowboy’s story and can almost be distinguished as an essential character, especially in the novel, True Grit (1968) and the remake of its film interpretation, True Grit (2010). In the novel, written by Charles Portis, the characters take notice of the horses but fail to show how deeply necessary they are. This novel does, however, show that the horse can bring about emotion in its owner. This is one way they act as a character. For, characters have the ability to trigger emotions in other characters. Mattie recalls how unbelievably happy her father’s horse made him: “Nobody loved to gad about on a prancing steed more than my Papa” (Portis 13). In addition, she is overcome with a great sadness when Little Blackie, her horse, passes away.

The ability to see the horse working to its maximum potential is the biggest advantage that the film has over the novel in the case of demonstrating the power of the horse. The audience can see the veins popping out of its neck and its hot breath in the night air, and they can hear the horse wince in pain and grunt in determination. The audience is only then able to realize how critical the horse is to Mattie’s adventure. In addition to the visual significance of the horse, the audience is also shown how deep a connection Mattie has with Little Blackie. It is in the brief moments of her petting him or smiling him that the audience sees this. Of course, the scene where Blackie dies is still very moving as