True Grit: A Coming-Of-Age Western

When I first heard we were going to read True Grit, all I knew was that it was a Western Movie. My father is a fan of westerns and as a kid I simply found them boring. But I was entertained with True Grit from beginning to end. It wasn’t just another John Wayne movie. The protagonist, a young female immediately had my attention and I related to her. She reminded me almost of Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. Both strong female leads that go against the grain so to speak. Mattie, a fourteen year old girl sets out to avenge her father’s death.

It defied the traditional western in many ways. The biggest being the blurry line between good and evil. In most Westerns there are the good guys, and the bad guys, who is who is obvious, and the good guys win. But what is considered justice is blurred in True Grit. When it comes to Chaney, the only justice for Mattie is to see him killed in her hometown. For Rooster it isn’t about justice as much as the money which brings into question his moral code, which is also questioned earlier in the courts. For LeBoeuf it’s about his honor as a Texas Ranger. He’s a dedicated lawman. That, and the money.

The other thing that caught my attention about this movie used the western backdrop to create a coming-of-age story. There were less scenes of fighting the bad guys than there were the development of Mattie. It’s about her setting out on her own to avenge her father’s death and doing everything in her power to make it happen despite how the adults looked down upon her. She was growing up, becoming independent. She wouldn’t take no for an answer when Rooster and LeBoeuf tried to leave without her. During the long rides we learned of her struggles and how she refused to complain. In the end, what I found to be the climax was Mattie falling into the snake-pit and her struggle to survive. And when she did at the end of the adventure she was an adult. The climax wasn’t about catching the bad guy, but that was rather a way to help move the story of Mattie.

This is why I believe I enjoyed the book so much, because it was a coming-of-age story disguised as a western.