Week Three: True Grit

I love a good western. I love the archetype of the get-her-done, loner-for-the-greater good, justice-will-be-served hero. Growing up, we watched John Wayne cross country sides on horseback, fend off rascals and fight outlaws. We’d look outside to our Pacific Northwest home and imagine the action taking place in our woods. As kids, we’d go out and play cops and robbers, until both sides were sought after in play. But what does it mean to be a western film in our culture? Take the story True Grit, the epitome of western melodrama. It has determination and sacrifice, betrayal, perseverance, and good old Western shootouts crossing rugged landscapes. And, of course, horse-back riding.

It was interesting to note that although Mattie was a female narrator through the work, she was fairly masculine in tone, at least in comparison to modern female characters of the time. She was smart, tough, and willing to barter relentlessly for what she wanted. She refused to be left out of the hunt for her father’s killer, and crossed streams on horseback when the men took off without her on the ferry. Mattie had a clear goal and determination to reach it, which was something very relatable to me as the viewer.

Perhaps then, she was not masculine in tone, but tough. And in modern descriptions of the time, being tough meant being masculine. An interesting distinction. She had many opinions, especially as voiced in the book, and came across as much more mature than either of the men.

I found the relationship displayed between Rooster Cogburn and Mattie endearing in the 1969 film version directed by Henry Hathaway, and it was interesting to note the romantic line this drew between them. I was also reminded of my grandfather calling my mom “sis”, as my grandfather loved all things western, and I wondered if this was a source for that tradition.

Even though this work was a strong example of western traditions, it also expanded upon them. Mattie was a smart American Eve, not interested in matrimony. The men, originally trying to keep a male camaraderie, were outdone by Mattie’s perseverance. Rooster and La Boeuf each had aspects of the American Adam, but neither was perfect. Rooster had very little money and demonstrated personality ‘flaws’ like drinking, but Mattie knew he had the experience and grit to get the job done. La Boeuf was, to me, much more unlikable. When he began to spank Mattie in the wilderness, I lost all respect for him. He had a false bravado, and seemed as if he needed to prove his prowess over her utilizing their relatively small 10-year age gap, which belittled Mattie and did not appeal to me as a female viewer.

It was interesting to think of True Grit as a tragedy in mythological terms, with its sacrificial ending, vs a work like Pride and Prejudice, a comedy that ended in marriage. True Grit was tragic, and painful to see the sacrifices such as loss of limb, but interesting to recognize fit into a classic form.

Overall, I thought this an interesting piece in light of today’s emphasis on feminism and female-power. Yes, Mattie was a female narrator, but she was also strong and intelligent, and could keep step with the men. I was reminded of Dove’s #Like A Girl commercials, where Dove shows the distinction between female stereotypes and expectations growing up and the actuality of what women can accomplish when we set our minds to something. I enjoyed this film, and thoroughly enjoyed discussing it.