A Desperate Band - True Grit VII

"He and his desperate band killed a fireman and an express clerk on the Katy Flyer last night" (Portis 159).

Portis puts a lot of work into building the reputation of Lucky Ned Pepper; Lucky Ned comes across as the worst and most well-known criminal in all the Wild West, someone to be feared for his ruthless ways. Portis probably puts this much emphasis on Lucky Ned's character to build an extreme reputation, as well as a sort of foreshadowing for what to expect when Mattie finally meets the man in the climax of the story.

Portis, Charles, and Donna Tartt. True Grit. New York, NY: Overlook, 2010. Print.