Why did Mattie blame Rooster for her unfortunate situation?

• A. Rooster betrayed LaBoeuf to the bandits
• B. Rooster lost the map they needed
• C. Rooster had loaded her gun incorrectly, misdirected them to the bandits, and had abandoned her when she was captured by the bandits
• D. Rooster refused to help rescue her

Answer: (C)

The situation hinges on a chain of choices Rooster made that directly put Mattie in danger and left her to face the consequences alone. First, loading her gun incorrectly reduced her ability to defend herself when trouble came, making the threat she faced more real and more likely to succeed. Then Rooster’s plan misdirected them toward the bandits, turning what could have been a cautious approach into a trap that put Mattie squarely in danger. Finally, abandoning her when she was captured sealed the sense that she had been betrayed and that his actions were the cause of what happened to her. These linked actions explain why she’d blame him—the harm came from his decisions at the critical moments.

Other possibilities don’t fit the actual sequence as closely. The most direct cause of her predicament is the combination of the faulty weapon handling, the faulty direction toward danger, and the abandonment, not actions like betraying others or simply refusing to help.