Who has the most grit?

True Grit is a great example of American iconography and mythology for many reasons. But before I get to that, I’d like to talk about a couple reasons why this novel and movie were so new and different for their times. Unlike many other movies, especially westerns, True Grit has a little girl as the main character, and the “gun slinging” men work for her, which was unheard of at the time. This novel is also very matter-of-fact. It gets to the point and questions ideas in society. Which brings me to the question, who holds the power?

Not only in western movies, but also American society in general, it wasn’t too common for women to be looked at as equal. They were supposed to be a wife and a mom, and they didn’t hold much power outside of that. True Grit questions and challenges the ideas of women in America. In most of the novel and film the main character, Mattie Ross, seems to hold most of the power. She is the one who is paying Rooster Cogburn for his assistance in capturing the man who killed her father, and as the story goes on he starts to have more respect for her as he gets to know her and starts to look at her as a woman and not a child. Although she seems to hold most of the power, I believe throughout the story it power in in a constant flux. The power kind of jumps around between Mattie, Rooster, and La Boeuf.

Then we have to break it down and ask ourselves, who has the materialistic power, the gender power, and the lawful or unlawful power? I think all of these are in a constant state of flux, except maybe the gender power. I would say that Mattie holds the gender power because she is getting rid of the stereotypes of women when she shows her dedication to finding the man who killed her father. Out of all of the character I would say that Mattie has the most drive, which makes her hold most of the power.

So, True Grit is a good example of American iconography because the idea of power and heroes or heroines is apparent in everything. We question who has the power. American culture, especially in politics, really thrives on that idea.