Chapter 7
You're almost there. Before you begin this chapter, take a second to compare reading this book to others you've read. How does True Grit stack up to your favorite book of all time?
Let's begin by thinking about Mattie's confrontation with Tom Chaney at the river bottom. Do both characters behave as you would expect them to?
We meet Lucky Ned Pepper in this chapter and his behavior toward Mattie is interesting. He seems to have some sense of honor with regards to her. Do you find this odd? Here is a criminal: a robber of stage coaches and killer of men, but he is true to his word. How is he different from Tom Chaney? Do you think Rooster respects him more?
I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but the scenes involving Rooster, Mattie, LaBoef and Little Blackie at the end of the book are the most famous. How does each character (including the horse) exhibit the "grit" that gives the book its title?
DTD
Talk to your parents about these characters. What does it mean to be "tough" in your family? Rooster possesses some form of physical courage, but Mattie's toughness seems to be different from his. Are they both "tough?"
What do you think about the remainder of Rooster's life? Why do you think he ended up the way he did? Mattie winds up rich and alone, is this fitting for her character? Why do you think so?
Curious students might read Tennyson's Ulysses and compare the experience Odysseus has after coming home to Ithaca to Rooster and Mattie's experiences after their adventure.
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True Grit, by Charles Portis is this year's selection!
One Book, One Mountain is an opportunity for all of our students to begin the year with a common experience. This blog is designed to aid students as they read over the summer. Enjoy the book.
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True Grit
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DTD-Dinner Table Discussion. Have a chat, preferably over food with your family about the questions I have posted for you. No, texting does not count.
Links-I have linked to several pieces of literature to help explain some ideas in the book. Read them, they should illuminate some ideas for you.
Commenting-You'll need to create a google id for yourself in order to post a comment. I will try to respond daily to comments.
Links-I have linked to several pieces of literature to help explain some ideas in the book. Read them, they should illuminate some ideas for you.
Commenting-You'll need to create a google id for yourself in order to post a comment. I will try to respond daily to comments.
Rooster spends the remainder of his life trying live like he used to, with his gun. He is stripped of his Federal badge and leaves to the less tamed parts of the country, doing "sorry business" (220). Ultimately, he joins a Wild West Show where "these old timers had all fought together in the border strife under Quantrill's black standard, and after ward led dangerous lives, and now this was all they were fit for, to show themselves to the public like strange wild beasts of the jungle" (222). His inability to lead a stagnant life causes him to join the show, one of the few remaining places he is suitable for.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Mattie does not change as she grows older. She still posseses the same bravado that allowed her to haggle Colonel Stonehill into accepting her price, despite her age and sex. This is seen in her calling Frank James, a former outlaw, "trash" (222). While this makes her adept in business affairs, it also makes her ill-suited for marriage in a time where woman were expected to be mild-mannered. As she puts it, "A woman with brains and a frank tongue and one sleeve pinned up and an unvalid mother to care for is at some disadvantage" (224). She chooses to remain independent, and alone, than to marry someone after her money, which is fitting with her character.
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