True Grit

by

Charles Portis

Frank Ross’s Gold Pieces Symbol Analysis

Frank Ross’s Gold Pieces Symbol Icon

Because Mattie wants to recover everything Chaney stole from her father, the two pieces of California gold the outlaw took from Frank’s “trouser band” come to represent her undying desire to rectify her loss. Although the gold pieces are certainly less important to her than the idea of catching Chaney himself, she thinks rather frequently about finding them. After her first encounter with Lucky Ned Pepper’s gang of bandits, she actually finds one of the pieces of gold, thereby enjoying a brief moment of triumph. However, she doesn’t ever manage to track down the other one, even after killing Chaney. “I will say here that Judy was never recovered, nor was the second California gold piece,” she writes at the end of the novel. “I kept the other one for years, until our house burned. We found no trace of it in the ashes.” Combined with her failure to recover the final piece of gold, the fact that she eventually loses the one she did find suggests that it’s impossible for a person to make up for true emotional loss with material goods. In other words, securing one of her father’s gold pieces does nothing to make up for the fact that Frank Ross is dead. In turn, the gold pieces symbolize not only Mattie’s quest to rectify what happened to her father, but the notion that it’s not necessarily possible to ever fully recover from a profound personal loss.

Frank Ross’s Gold Pieces Quotes in True Grit

The True Grit quotes below all refer to the symbol of Frank Ross’s Gold Pieces. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Revenge Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1  Quotes

People do not give it credence that a fourteen-year-old girl could leave home and go off in the wintertime to avenge her father’s blood but it did not seem so strange then, although I will say it did not happen every day.

Related Characters: Mattie Ross (speaker), Tom Chaney (Theron Chelmsford), Frank Ross (Mattie’s Father)
Related Symbols: Frank Ross’s Gold Pieces
Page Number: 11
Explanation and Analysis:
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Frank Ross’s Gold Pieces Symbol Timeline in True Grit

The timeline below shows where the symbol Frank Ross’s Gold Pieces appears in True Grit. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1 
Revenge Theme Icon
Maturity, Independence, and Expectations Theme Icon
Violence, Courage, and Intelligence Theme Icon
...Ross, in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Chaney also steals Frank’s horse, Judy, along with $150 and two pieces of California gold . Explaining the details of this murder, Mattie notes that her father took Chaney on... (full context)
Revenge Theme Icon
Collaboration, Companionship, and Loyalty Theme Icon
Violence, Courage, and Intelligence Theme Icon
...Frank went with Chaney to Fort Smith, carrying an old “dragoon pistol,” $250, and the two gold pieces , which were wedding gifts from Mattie’s grandfather. After making the deal with Stonehill, Frank... (full context)
Revenge Theme Icon
Collaboration, Companionship, and Loyalty Theme Icon
Violence, Courage, and Intelligence Theme Icon
...took a moment to rob Frank’s corpse, taking the remainder of his money and his two gold pieces before running to Stonehill’s barn, knocking out the watchman, and stealing Frank’s saddle and horse,... (full context)
Chapter 6
Violence, Courage, and Intelligence Theme Icon
After searching Quincy’s corpse, Rooster finds one of Frank Ross’s gold pieces in his pocket, delighting Mattie. Anticipating the arrival of Ned Pepper and his cronies, Rooster... (full context)
Chapter 7
Revenge Theme Icon
Maturity, Independence, and Expectations Theme Icon
Collaboration, Companionship, and Loyalty Theme Icon
Violence, Courage, and Intelligence Theme Icon
...does. “I will say here that Judy was never recovered, nor was the second California gold piece ,” Mattie writes. “I kept the other one for years, until our house burned. We... (full context)