Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Summary
True
Grit
is
about
the
satisfactions
of
revenge.
Revenge
is
sweeter
than
sex.
This
review
analyzes
the
violence
of
the
movie.
The
main
characters,
Rooster
Cockburn
and
14
year-old
Mattie
Ross,
have
it
both
ways,
with
a
twist.
Mattie
is
hurt
and
outraged
by
her
father’s
murder.
Rooster
is
an
avenging,
imperfect
angel.
They
have
their
revenge,
all
right,
but
both
pay
a
huge
price.
The
only
character
in
the
movie
who
has
true
true
grit
is
Mattie’s
horse,
Blackie,
who
in
the
end,
sacrifices
himself
to
save
Mattie.
About
the
Author
Jane
F.
Gilgun,
Ph.D.,
LICSW,
is
a
University
professor
and
researcher
who
has
interviewed
violent
men
for
more
than
25
years.
She
plans
to
spend
much
of
the
next
25
years
talking
about
violence
and
its
savage
contradictions.
Professor
Gilgun
has
many
publications
on
violence
available
on
scribd.com,
Amazon
Kindle,
iBooks,
and
other
on-‐line
booksellers.
She
also
writes
children’s
stories,
articles,
and
books
on
a
variety
of
other
topics,
such
as
resilience,
child
development,
and
qualitative
research.
Revenge
is
Sweeter
than
Sex:
A
Review
of
the
Coen
Brothers’
Movie,
True
Grit
W
deserve
it.
e
want
it
both
ways.
We
love
violence.
The
thrills
and
chills
of
righting
a
wrong
and
of
seeing
justice
reign
are
gratifying.
Snuff
the
bad
guys
out.
Tear
them
limb
from
limb.
Throw
them
to
the
lions
and
jackals.
It’s
only
right.
Some
people
We
hate
violence.
We
hurt
when
we
are
targets
of
violence,
when
people
we
care
about
are
targets,
and
when
our
enemies
use
violence
in
political
causes.
Kill
those
who
use
violence
against
us.
It’s
only
right.
Some
people
deserve
it.
Individuals
and
the
societies
they
create
believe
so
deeply
in
violence
that
violence
will
never
change.
A
case
in
point
is
True
Grit,
the
Coen
brothers’
movie
where
the
main
characters
have
it
both
ways,
with
a
final
twist.
True
Grit
is
a
2010
remake
of
an
old
movie,
remade,
I
suppose
because
of
its
timeless
message.
The
message
is
revenge.
The
twist
to
the
movie
is
the
punishment
that
visits
itself
upon
the
avengers.
.
Plot
Summary
After
a
hard
chase
through
rough
Western
country
in
the
winter,
Mattie
Ross
finally
finds
and
shoots
her
father’s
murderer.
The
murder
is
particularly
heinous
because
the
father
was
trying
to
help
the
murderer.
Mattie’s
shot
to
the
chest
is
so
powerful
that
the
man
is
propelled
off
a
cliff.
His
name
is
Cheney.
Not
only
does
a
14
year-‐old
girl
kill
the
murderer
of
the
good
father,
but
he
falls
to
the
earth
in
a
heap
of
broken
bones.
How
satisfying.
In
the
meantime,
her
sidekick,
Rooster
Cockburn
kills
the
other
murderers
who
were
Cheney’s
companion.
More
satisfaction.
The
world
is
in
balance
once
again.
But
wait,
there’s
more.
The
kick
of
the
carbine
that
Mattie
uses
to
kill
Cheney
is
so
powerful
that
Mattie
is
propelled
backwards,
right
into
a
pit
full
of
rattlesnakes.
A
snake
bites
her
left
hand.
Rooster
comes
to
the
rescue,
shoots
the
snakes,
and
carries
Mattie
to
safety.
Mattie
loses
her
left
arm
up
to
her
elbow
because
of
the
rattler
bite.
We
see
her
25
years
later,
dressed
in
black,
a
spinster,
with
a
left
arm
that
ends
at
her
elbow.
Mattie
is
searching
for
Rooster
after
all
of
that
time.
Oh,
no,
Rooster
died
a
few
days
before.
Denied
the
satisfaction
of
seeing
her
savior,
the
middle-‐aged
Mattie
has
his
body
exhumed
and
brought
to
her
family’s
plot.
The
last
scene
is
of
Mattie
standing
at
Rooster’s
grave
stone,
then
walking
off
against
the
huge
Western
sky,
her
missing
limb
there
for
all
to
see.
An
Analysis
The
movie
gives
violence
to
us
both
ways.
We
have
the
satisfaction
of
seeing
bad
guys
snuffed
out
in
exciting
scenes.
Rooster
gallops
toward
four
bad
guys
with
guns
ablazing,
for
example.
Now
that
is
true
grit.
Mattie
pushes
her
beautiful
black
horse
to
swim
across
a
wild
and
deep
river
to
join
up
with
Rooster
on
the
hunt
for
Cheney.
The
grit
here
is
the
horse’s.
The
black
horse
is
the
only
character
in
the
movie
with
a
pure
heart.
The
horse
hurts
no
one
and
helps
Mattie
reach
her
goals.
He
dies
carrying
her
and
Rooster
back
to
civilization
for
medical
care.
The
horse
has
real
true
grit.
The
death
of
the
horse
hurts.
It’s
also
contrived
and
manipulative.
With
true
grit,
Rooster
shoots
the
horse
in
the
head
as
the
horse
lies
on
the
ground
panting
for
his
last
breath
after
hours
of
carrying
Mattie
and
Rooster
across
the
frozen
terrain
toward
medical
help.
This
movie
shows
we
want
it
both
ways.
We
get
it,
too.
Mattie
had
her
revenge.
Rooster
kills
bad
guys.
Sadly,
they
pay
a
price.
Mattie
loses
her
arm.
Rooster
dies
before
he
can
see
Mattie.
Mattie
doesn’t
get
to
see
Rooster
one
last
time.
The
death
of
the
horses
shows
that
even
virtue
goes
unrewarded.
The
Moral
of
the
Tale
The
moral
of
the
tale
gets
to
the
heart
of
things.
Revenge
is
sweet,
but
you
still
pay.
Mattie
and
Rooster
are
the
good
guys.
They
had
the
satisfaction
of
revenge.
They
murdered
people
who
murdered
people.
Moviegoers
share
the
sweet
and
deep
satisfaction
of
revenge.
They
felt
sad
because
Mattie
lost
her
left
arm
and
Mattie
and
Rooster
never
got
to
see
each
other
again
after
they
satisfied
vengeful
quest.
Revenge
and
retribution
are
sweeter
than
sex.
.
The
Coen
brothers
may
believe
they
have
a
vision
that
is
moral.
After
all,
Mattie
and
Rooster
paid
a
price
for
their
violence.
This
moral
vision
may
be
a
step
closer
to
a
rethinking
of
vengeance.
Yes,
the
Coens
want
it
both
ways.
They
exploit
violence
to
attract
attention
to
their
movies.
They
also
show
the
price
of
violence.
In
the
end,
revenge
through
violence
reigns
supreme,
even
when
it
exacts
a
price.
Revenge
is
a
pearl
of
great
price.
References
Gilgun, Jane F. (2010). Reflections on more than 20 years of research on violence.
Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 16(4), 50-59.
Gilgun, Jane F. (2010). Methods for enhancing theory and knowledge about problems,
policies, and practice. In Katherine Briar, Joan Orme, Roy Ruckdeschel, & Ian Shaw, The Sage
handbook of social work research (pp. 281-297). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Gilgun, Jane F. (2010). Child Sexual Abuse: From Harsh Realities to Hope (2nd ed.).
http://www.scribd.com/doc/16484981/Child-Sexual-Abuse-From-Harsh-Realities-to-Hope