True Grit

Content Warning: This section of the guide features depictions of violence and death.

The next day, Mattie collects Lawyer Daggett’s letter from the post office. The letter finalizes the deal with Stonehill but also contains a message from Daggett, urging Mattie to allow him to handle these kinds of matters in the future. He suggests that she return home and then describes her father’s funeral. Mattie is not pleased to hear that the family picked the wrong preacher for the service. She is certain that if she wants anything to be done right, she must do it herself.

Stonehill is in his office, suffering from his annual bout of malaria. She refuses to accept a check, so he reluctantly agrees to give her cash, though she must wait until the bank opens. In the meantime, Mattie returns to the boarding house, but Mrs. Floyd’s intrusive questions annoy her. Mrs. Floyd reveals Mattie’s dealings with Stonehill to LaBoeuf, even though Mattie would prefer her business to be kept private. As soon as the bank opens, she collects the money from Stonehill. He regrets the current state of Arkansas, which has not turned into the “Chicago of the Southwest” (161), which people once believed it would be, and laments his bad luck.

Mattie finds Rooster asleep on his bunk in the back of Lee’s store. He grumbles about needing to follow laws and regulations. Mattie mentions a story from the newspaper: Odus Wharton will soon be executed by hanging. Though the execution is slated for January, Rooster says, Goudy plans to argue the case in front of the President. Rooster claims that Goudy will lie; he wishes he had shot Wharton dead and bemoans that lawyerly tendency to let money interfere with notions of right and wrong.

Mattie presents the $50 to Rooster; there will be another $50 on completion of the assignment. He reviews their deal and accepts, though he is shocked by Mattie’s plans to join him on the manhunt. This is a non-negotiable part of the deal, Mattie says, as she would not be so foolish as to promise someone $100 with no means of checking that the deal is upheld. Rooster complains that her presence will slow him down. Mattie is insistent, deflecting each of his complaints. She has been out hunting raccoons, she claims, and she fondly remembers telling ghost stories around a campfire. Mattie is adamant that she will join Rooster, goading him by saying she was assured that he possessed true grit. He threatens to slap her, but she calls his bluff, causing him to spill his coffee. Mattie threatens to call the deal off. Lee briefly enters due to the commotion, but Rooster assures him that he and Mattie are simply negotiating.

Mattie fills out Rooster’s expense reports. He is impressed by her thoroughness. She pays Rooster $25, with another to follow when they depart. They set the departure time for the following morning when they will catch the ferry and enter the Cherokee Nation. After, Mattie returns to Stonehill’s office. She purchases a pony and names it Blackie. When she mentions her plans to Stonehill, he refers to Rooster as a “greasy vagabond” (168) who rode with a notoriously brutal group of Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. He warns Mattie not to trust Rooster.

Later, Mattie finds Rooster talking to LaBoeuf. In spite of Mattie’s reluctance, Rooster insists that LaBoeuf will be a good addition to their party. LaBoeuf is shocked that Rooster will allow Mattie to join them. LaBoeuf says Rooster could make more money by helping him take Chaney to Texas and offers to split his reward money with Rooster. Considering the offer, Rooster asks Mattie whether she would accept Chaney being taken to Texas, but she would not. Rooster criticizes her need to “have [her] way in every little particular” (172). LaBoeuf insists that Mattie will not join them, which only riles Rooster. Only the suggestion that Mattie will be in danger is enough to sway Rooster to LaBoeuf’s side. Mattie is infuriated. She demands her $25 from Rooster, who claims to have spent it already. Mattie knows that he is lying. Furiously, she storms out and fetches her belongings from the boarding house. She sleeps in Stonehill’s barn, planning an early start.

The next day, Mattie rises and readies herself and Blackie. Her father’s pistol is secured in the sugar sack and fixed to her saddle. Mattie tries to intercept LaBoeuf and Rooster at the ferry. The two men conspire against her, however, and cross by themselves while she is led away from the water. In a rage, Mattie rides hard to the narrow part of the river and crosses with Blackie in spite of the strong current. The ferry docks, and the two men discuss what to do with Mattie. When they ride away, she chases them. They cannot lose her across many miles. Eventually, they block her path. LaBoeuf grabs her down off the horse and begins to whip Mattie with a switch. Mattie cries, though more due to rage and embarrassment than pain. She asks Rooster whether he will tolerate this. Rooster tells LaBoeuf to put away the switch. Mattie, he says, has “got the best of [them]” (181). LaBoeuf refuses until Rooster draws his pistol. Reluctantly, LaBoeuf lets Mattie go.