No, "true grit" isn't what you track in all over your mother's just-mopped floors. It's a quality—a quality that Mattie Ross celebrates in herself and her homies Rooster and LaBoeuf. In fact, we could look at this novel as an extended definition of what it means to have true grit.
So what does it look like in action? Let's check out some qualities that all three of our gritty characters seem to share:
(1) They're sand-in-your-bathing-suit abrasive. Think of LaBoeuf clanking his spurs onto the dining table of the Monarch boarding house, or Rooster shooting a rat inside his room, or Mattie baiting murderous outlaws. They enjoy provoking people and getting into verbal and even physical skirmishes.
(2) They're determined. We know Mattie is determined to avenge her father's death. We know Rooster and LaBoeuf are determined to help her—and protect her. When Rooster needs to get Mattie to a doctor, he slashes Little Blackie's flesh to make him run faster, and then literally rubs salt in his wounds when he slows. We know Rooster is normally kind to animals from the scene in Chapter Six when Rooster punishes two young men for abusing a mule. But at this point Mattie's safety is the only thing he cares about. Of course, a man like Rooster is going to show the tenderness of his feelings for her in a really gritty way.
(3) They're not afraid to get hurt. Rooster starts out with a missing eye; Mattie ends up with a missing arm. Would she do it again to avenge her father? We're betting yes. True grit isn't just about powering through Level 128 on Candy Crush—sometimes it means sacrificing a literal part of yourself.
Daddy Issues
But that doesn't mean you have to go chop off a finger just to show you've got grit. There are other ways, too—like the kind Mattie's dad has. He's not a gruff lone ranger like her sidekicks. In fact, he's gentle:
If Papa had a failing it was his kindly disposition. People would use him. I did not get my mean streak from him. Frank Ross was the gentlest, most honorable man who ever lived. (1.6)
But being gentle doesn't mean that he's not determined and fearless. He gets in front of a loaded shotgun to try to stop a young man (Chaney) from making a terrible mistake. Maybe "true grit" is also a poignant memorial—not just to the men who helped Mattie track down his murderer, but also to Frank Ross himself.