Flashback Fridays - True Grit by Charles Portis

Everyone knows Flashback Fridays are the day of nostalgia, spent looking at old pictures of our stupid haircuts and questionable fashion choices. Flashback Fridays for us at W First Edition is a chance to look back at the finest books of yesteryear, from ancient texts to modern classics.

People do not give it credence that a fourteen-year-old girl could leave home and go off in the wintertime to avenge her father's blood but it did not seem so strange then, although I will say it did not happen every day. I was just fourteen years of age when a coward going by the name Tom Chaney shot my father down in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and robbed him of his life and his horse and $150 in cash money plus two California gold pieces that he carried in his trouser band.

The name Rooster Cogburn brings two men to mind. The first, John Wayne, in the original adaptation (and the lacklustre sequel that treads the same waters, Rooster Cogburn and The Lady) and the second, Jeff Bridges in the Coen Brothers remake. If I had to choose between the two, I'd say The Dude manages a closer portrayal of Cogburn, a grizzled drunken marshall, renowned for his ability to catch outlaws, albeit with his pistols generally doing the talking, but at the end of the day it isn't the men that make this novel a favourite, but one strong girl. 

True Grit tells the story of Mattie Ross, a 14 year daughter of a good man, unlawfully killed by the ruthless Tom Chaney, relieving him of a horse and two gold pieces before escaping into Native American territory. In the efforts to hunt the outlaw, Mattie endures the toughest the old west has to offer, in spectacularly headstrong fashion. She fights through grueling weather, encounters with unsavoury characters and the constant opposition of her male counterparts, Cogburn and Texas Ranger, LaBoeuf.

One really striking point about this book is the narration. Mattie Ross is a truly strong female character, confident and full of wit beyond her years. Her dialogue with Rooster and LaBoef is often farcical, with young Mattie often having to play adult to the two lawmen, fighting like brothers in an effort to show their machismo. One passage finds them taking it in turns to try and shoot cornbread thrown into the air to prove superior aim, Rooster's aim hampered by his one eye as much as the alcohol. Throughout, Mattie is the voice of reason, forging her destiny against the odds. Charles Portis' writing is so convincing, upon reading the last line, I closed the book and immediately forgot this was a work of fiction, a character, not the autobiography of Mattie Ross.

'Who is the best marshall they have?'

The sheriff thought on it for a minute. He said, 'I would have to weigh that proposition. There is near about two hundred of them. I reckon William Waters is the best tracker. He is a half-breed Comanche and it is something to see, watching him cut for sign. The meanest one is Rooster Cogburn. He is a pitiless man, double-tough, and fear don't enter into his thinking. He loves to pull a cork. Now L.T. Quinn, he brings his prisoners in alive. He may let one get by now and then but he believes even the worst of men is entitled to a fair shake. Also the court does not pay any fees for dead men. Quinn is a good peace officer and a lay preacher to boot. He will not plant evidence or abuse a prisoner. He is straight as a string. Yes, I will say Quinn is about the best they have.'

I said, 'Where can I find this Rooster?'

By no means unlikable, Rooster is an ornery old antihero through and through. His introduction during a courtroom trial for the shooting of the Wharton family gang is a master class in wit.

MR.GOUDY: I believe you testified that you backed away from Aaron Wharton.
MR.COGBURN: That is right.
MR.GOUDY: You were backing away?
MR.COGBURN: Yes sir. He had that axe raised.
MR.GOUDY: Which direction were you going?
MR.COGBURN: I always go backwards when I am backing up.

For all Marshall Cogburn's belligerence, he shows genuine tenderness when the time calls. In later chapters, he is self-sacrificing, outnumbered and outgunned against Ned Pepper's gang, defending LaBoeuf and Mattie against all odds. His final act of salvation for injured Mattie makes the ending even more bittersweet. At his core, Rooster is a good man, tainted by years of violence, and in the last pages of the book, he shines, revealing previously uncovered depth and heroism.

A stunning piece of literature, True Grit is a must read classic of the western genre, and the only western I've read where the female characters give as much as the men. Narrated with courage and conviction, filled with quick wit, bursts of bloody violence and characters that will stay with you forever, this is Charles Portis' masterpiece, although to me, it will always be the true story of Mattie Ross.

Matt Smith
Chief editor & Book Shop Manager, Camberley

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