“The hero's journey is about the courage to seek the depths; the image of creative rebirth; the eternal cycle of change within us… The hero's journey is a symbol that binds…. (Phil Cousineau).” Mattie Ross learns this in True Grit, by Charles Portis, when she experiences the death of her father. He says, "...Tom Chaney shot my father in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and robbed him of his life, his horses, and $150 in cash plus two California gold coins which he carried in his belt. trousers(11)". Frank Ross, Matties' father, who was shot and killed by a man named Tom Chaney. Mattie Ross is only 14 years old in 1870 and states, "Nothing is free in this world except the grace of God, you must pay for everything. (pg?)" Personal growth often comes at a great cost. She is at the beginning of the separation phase in a hero's journey, which is the calling and the threshold. Harris and Thompson define the calling as “…inviting the initiate to adventure, offering her the opportunity to face the unknown, an imbalance, or an injustice in her life” (50). Her father is killed and Mattie takes revenge, it's her invitation. This is followed by the threshold, known as the starting point. He states, “We hit the river running… we went out a few short sections along the river.” (107) Now she has entered the Choctaw Nation to assist in the search, into the unknown world, “a different world full of dangers and challenges (Harris and Thompson 50)”. Then there is the initiation and transformation, the return to the world known. As you can see, Mattie meets her calling when her father was killed. According to Thompson and Campbell, the calling is: "... realization of an imbalance or injustice in her life... the initiate has. had something from which... middle of paper... the final stage of his journey: his return to everyday life... but finds that his message has been rejected... (52 Harris and Thompson) .” The people of the Dardanelles are shown to reject her when they talk about what she did with Gallus' body when he died. In the end, Mattie actually experiences her statement: “You have to pay for everything in this world, one way or another. There is nothing free except the grace of God(3) . “ Not only does Tom Chaney pay, but as you can see Mattie pays multiple times and also loses her arm. In the abyss, Harris and Thompson say, “There is always the possibility that the initiate is not ready or has a character flaw, and the challenge beats her…[she] will become dissatisfied and embittered (51).” The biggest challenge of her journey, and not being able to do it alone, seems to be the result of her demise. Remember that nothing is free.