How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"That is a description of Tom Chaney. […] He got that black mark in Louisiana when a man shot a pistol in his face and the powder got under the skin." (2.30)
Tom Chaney is only twenty-five years old, but he's already a marked man. In this nod to the black-and-white world of early Westerns, Portis lets us know that the mark on Chaney's face means this guy is bad, bad, bad. Add in some violence toward a fatherless fourteen-year-old girl, and Chaney himself comes to symbolize the brutality and cruelty of the lawless land he inhabits.
Quote #2
"I know him well. I shot him in the lip last August down in the Winding Stair Mountains." (3.282)
Here, Rooster is talking about Lucky Ned Pepper, another nasty character. Check out the casual way Rooster talks about shooting—almost as though he's saying, "I know him well. I had dinner with him last August down in the Winding Stair Mountains." In this world, violence is just a part of life.
Quote #3
"Wait, stop a minute." He said, "What is it?" I said, "There is something wrong with my hat." He stopped and turned around. "Your hat?" said he. I took it off and slapped him in the face with it two or three times and made him drop the reins. (5.308)
Even Mattie's got a violent streak. Sure, she's just whipping around a hat—but you get the feeling that she wouldn't mind hitting LaBoeuf with something harder.