True Grit Literary Analysis

Have you ever wondered whether revenge is misguided or can sometimes be justified? If we take a look back in history to the west in the 1800’s or during World War II you would see that revenge can sometimes be justified. For example, in “True Grit” we see Mattie Ross seek revenge by returning the favor and killing Tom Chaney, the man who murdered her father in cold blood. Another example is the struggle between Prospero and Caliban in “The Tempest,” after Prospero punishes Caliban after he tries to rape Miranda. Depending on the gravity of the situation revenge can be justified and possibly one of the only probable solutions considering the situation. Someone of the opposition might believe that forgiving everything would be the solution to a more positive world.

Revenge can sometimes justify an action. In “True Grit,” little Mattie Ross received news that her father has been shot by a man named Tom Chaney. Local law enforcement would not give chase to Chaney so Mattie had to find some people that had “true grit”. When Mattie Ross kills Tom Chaney she not only honored her father’s death by subduing the murderer but also saved and avenged many lives by ridding this bandit and his gang. Some things do not come without sacrifices as little Mattie Ross lost her arm on her adventure of bringing her father’s murderer to justice. “My hand was swelled and turned black, and then my wrist. On the third day Dr. Medill gave me a sizeable dose of morphine and amputated my arm just above the elbow with a little surgical saw (Portis).” She does not seem as bothered by the loss of her arm and believes that it was the price to pay for justice and she did what was necessary to get the job