An Analysis of the Plot of True Grit - Essay Example

III. Maddie begins for her search for Chaney A. Marshall Cogburn tries to discourage her from joining the quest but she refuses to be dissuaded from doing so. B. Marshall Cogburn and Maddie begin looking for clues to Chaney’s wherea\bouts 1. They discover that Chaney used one of Frank’s gold pieces in the Indian territory. 2. They meet Quincey and Moon and encounter the Pepper Gang. IV. Maddie comes face to face with Chaney who tries to kill her. A. Chaney gets killed B. Maddie gets bitten by a snake but Cogburn saves him The movie “True Grit” is the story of a young girl’s determination to seek justice for the death of her father.

The viewer learns this immediately from the girl named Maddie Ross who explains at the beginning of the film how her father was killed by a man named Tom Chaney. The succeeding segment of the film show the steps taken by Maddie as she goes on a quest to find her father’s killer. One of the important things that she does is find a person like Marshall Cogburn to help her in bringing Tom Chaney to justice. At the onset, it appears that it is only Maddie who is on a quest to seek her father’s killer.

The viewer discovers however that a Texas Ranger named Le Bouef is also looking for Tom Chaney who murdered a senator in Texas. . One of the important elements of the film that was significant was the characters themselves. The quest for Tom Chaney brought out the best in Maddie, Marshall Cogburn, and the Texas Ranger LeBouef. Maddie was able to demonstrate that in spite of her age, she acted with great courage and wisdom. She knew where she was going and what she had to do. It is for this reason that Cogburn, who thought of her as a child acting on impulse, could not easily get rid of her.

One must remember that the reason why she bought a horse and went along on the quest was to make sure that she’s going to get her money’s worth. Marshall Cogburn who was portrayed as a drunk showed that he has some decency left in him when he decided to forget all about the reward money and honor the deal he and Maddie made. He also showed his displeasure for cruelty when he stopped LeBouef from spanking Maddie and when he knocked off two Indian boys who were hurting a mule. Above all, he showed true grit when he carried the wounded Maddie for several miles to get her to a doctor.

LeBouef also lived up to his being a Texas Ranger when he came back for Maddie who almost got killed by Tom Chaney. The pattern followed by the film involves an incident that takes place and forces the leading character to go on a quest. Knowing that the quest is difficult, the leading character recruits others to help him or her succeed in achieving his or her goal. In the case of Maddie, she gets help from Cogburn and LeBouef. The characters encounter several challenges that tend to derail them from achieving their goal but they are able to overcome these obstacles.

Maddie for instance failed to be dissuaded by Cogburn and LeBouef,