Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Living… in the back of a Chinese dry goods store in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He spends plenty of time on the road, so keeping a tidy room isn’t a priority for Rooster.
Profession… one of the most notorious federal marshals in the state of Arkansas. Regarded by many as a reckless degenerate, he’s killed 23 criminals in the line of duty, claiming them all to be in self-defense. The courts are skeptical of his methods every time he comes to town, but Rooster Cogburn isn’t the type to pay much mind to the courts.
Interests… whiskey. Rooster doesn’t go anywhere without a side flask, a hip flask, and a good idea of where he can refill them both. He deals with hardened criminals and long periods out in the wild, so alcohol is way of coping with the loneliness and boredom.
Relationship Status… single. Usually drunk, in and out of town pursuing criminals, and not particularly interested in the modern facets of personal grooming, Rooster isn’t trying to impress anybody.
Challenge… tracking down his target. Rooster is employed by the young Mattie Ross to find Tom Chaney, the man who murdered her father. Unlike most of his bounty hunts, Rooster’s financier is accompanying him, which means that not only does he have to find a hardened criminal, he has to watch over a 14 year old girl while he does it.
Personality… wild, experienced, and happiest in solitude. Not one for fancy talking or fine things, he gets by on the necessities and doesn’t take kindly to people making a fuss about inconsequential matters. Equal parts gruff and lighthearted, Rooster quickly establishes a bond with Mattie, finding her boldness and gumption impressive. “By God, she reminds me of me!” Though at times too rowdy for his own good, Rooster generally knows when to pull his act together, at which point he becomes a skilled, accurate, and lethal executer of justice.
Get to Know him in...
-
Following the murder of her father by hired hand Tom Chaney, 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross sets out to capture the killer. To aid her, she hires the toughest U.S. Marshal she can find, a man with "true grit," Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn. Mattie insists on accompanying Cogburn, whose drinking, sloth, and generally reprobate character do not augment her faith in him. Against his wishes, she joins him in his trek into the Indian Nations in search of Chaney. They are joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, who wants Chaney for his own purposes. The unlikely trio find danger and adventure on the journey, and each has his or her "grit" tested.
-
True Grit is his most famous novel--first published in 1968, and the basis for the movie of the same name starring John Wayne. It tells the story of Mattie Ross, who is just fourteen years of age when a coward going by the name of Tom Chaney shoots her father down in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and robs him of his life, his horse, and $150 in cash money. Mattie leaves home to avenge her father's blood. With the one-eyed Rooster Cogburn, the meanest available U.S. Marshal, by her side, Mattie pursues the homicide into Indian Territory. True Grit is eccentric, cool, straight, and unflinching, like Mattie herself. From a writer of true cult status, this is an American classic through and through. This new edition, with a smart new package and an afterword by acclaimed author Donna Tartt, will bring this masterpiece to an even broader audience.
