Murderous Quantrill - True Grit III

"'I was told in Fort Smith that you rode with Quantrill and that border gang. . .I heard they murdered women and children'" (Portis 158).

The Civil War was a time of division in the Nation. When Portis references Captain Quantrill, he is referencing a man who was "notorious for being one of the most vicious butchers in the Civil War" (Sanders). Portis does this for many reasons, one of which may be to add some historical relevance to his fictional novel. Another reason could be to display Rooster in a different light, as he does not come across as a considerably dangerous or evil person; but when meeting one of Quantrill's men, most people would expect a scary man. Portis is making a statement about what war can do to a person, and how they can recover from that change.

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

Sanders, Stuart W. "America's Civil War: Guerrilla Leader William Clarke Quantrill's Last Raid in Kentucky." Editorial. America's Civil War Mar. 1999. History Net: Where History Comes Alive - World & US History Online. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. .