Nearing Death in The Jilting of Granny Weatherall by Katherine Anne Porter

Porter's "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" depicts the story of a dying woman's life. Throughout her eighty years of life Mrs. Weatherall has had her fair share of disappointments, heartaches, and unfavorable outcomes. This short story is written in a manner that allows the reader to get an outside view looking in; similar to looking at the story through a window as if being acted out in front of you in the theater. The story is eloquently written and leaves the reader with a sense of familiarity towards the family. The populations of readers who have had the pleasure of experiencing this pathetic story have come to relate their own experiences and disappointments towards the story and have empathetic feelings towards the main

In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, the protagonist Janie Crawford has experienced and had interactions with the nature around her. These interactions symbolised Janie’s quest for love, her own independence and personal freedom through each endeavor. Janie’s quest for her womanhood was directly influenced by the natural environment around her. For instance, the novel states that Janie “Saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a blossom” (11).

During the beginning of Janie’s Journey to be an independently minded woman, she loses her grandmother and moves away from her first failed relationship,. After Hurston sets the scene and Janie begins to tell her story, Janie mentions her grandmother from a young age raised her. Her grandmother, Nanny, is protective of Janie and disapproves of Janie having any type of romance outside of marriage. (19). Hurston alludes to the archangel Michael, the angel that guides the dead back to heaven, to prove Nanny is nearing death, “One mornin’ soon, now, de angel wid de sword is gointuh stop by me” (15). Clearly, Janie must come to terms with the fact that Nanny will not always be there and Janie will have to watch over herself. Even though Janie knows Nanny is dying, she still argues with Nanny about being married off, “Please don’t make me marry Mr. Killicks” (15). Through this argument, Janie proves that while she may not be ready to completely disobey Nanny, Janie begins to have her own voice. Notwithstanding Janie’s opinion, Nanny marries her off anyways. After reluctantly marrying Killicks, Janie realizes she does not like being bossed around, “Youse mad ‘cause Ah don’t fall down and wash-up dese sixty acres uh ground yuh got” (31). Janie empowers herself by standing up for herself in the face of her aggressor. While living with Nanny, Janie realizes that she does not agree with Nanny’s choices for Janie, but Janie stays silent. However, in the case with Killicks, Janie not only realizes that she does not agree with

In a world usually depicted as a “man’s world,” a woman’s role is not considered as significant and thus can be repressed. It is why a feminist perspective or criticism comes into place, especially in literature. By definition, a feminist criticism consist of scrutinizing “the ways in which literature reinforces the economic, political, social, and psychological oppression of women.” (Tyson) In Gail Godwins’s A Sorrowful Woman, the leading female character is concentrated in her efforts in distancing from her structured lifestyle. A feminist would critic Godwins story by as the female character is in pursuit of peace and happiness and wants to escape from the role she has been implanted. The critic would concentrate on the experience woman

Not everyone’s life is filled with happiness. Granny Weatherall, in “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” by Katherine Anne Porter, and Addie Bundren, in “from As I Lay Dying ‘Darl’,” by William Faulkner, are two dying poor women who recall their lives in their minds when they are laying in beds. Their tough and harsh lives are similar in several ways. Granny Weatherall and Addie Bundren both had two men in their life. Granny loves her husband, John, and George.

In the short stories A Worn Path by Eudora Welty and The Jilting of Granny Weatherall by Katherine Anne Porter, both women overcame several obstacles. In A Worn Path, Phoenix Jackson faced obstacles such as her age, physical challenges, and how others viewed her. Granny faced obstacles such as dying, feeling betrayed by her children, and disappointment in her love life.

In the story The Jilting of Granny Weatherall by Katherine Anne Porter, the parts that helped boost the dramatic interest of the story were the ones were Granny would go back in time and tell us her past experiences. Although it was not very clear for me whether she was just remembering, or it was her delusional mind making scenarios. For example, when Granny tells Cornelia to go away in the beginning of the story we start to see her going into her memories, "There was so much to be done, let me see: tomorrow." (84). A symbol that I noticed in the story was the "tomorrow" Granny often mentions the tomorrow, it symbolizes the way Granny is not ready to die, she keeps on putting stuff until tomorrow, so she has a reason to stay. Katherine also used imagery very well like when she writes, "She did not look in his face, for she knew without seeing, but looked instead down the road

A Worn Path by Eudora Welty and The Jilting of Granny Weatherall by Katherine Anne Porter are short stories written in the twentieth century. The main characters in both stories were motivated by love and perseverance to keep going and never give up. Phoenix Jackson is likened to the Mythological Phoenix bird that dies at an old age and is then reborn in ashes. Phoenix Jackson is an elderly woman who is travels a lot just to accomplish one goal. She overcame a lot of obstacles and she never gave up and she always stood up for herself. Katherine’s The Jilting of Granny Weatherall also has Granny Weatherall as the main character who is portrayed to be in denial and also very sick on her deathbed.

     In "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall," Katherine Anne Porter gives readers a glimpse of the thoughts of a woman about to die.  Lying in her bed in her daughter Cornelia's house, eighty-year-old Granny Weatherall drifts in and out of consciousness.  Through her thoughts of events both current and bygone, it is learned that Granny has worked hard all her life, and frequently tells herself that she did a good job.  She thinks of events that made her stronger: digging holes for fence posts, "riding country roads in the winter when women had their babies" (311), taking care of sick animals and sick children.  Though Granny Weatherall tries to assure herself that her life has been

The final theme of memory is shown as Granny weaves in and out of reality and memories of her past. She seems to find strength from being left at the alter and then finds comfort in the memories of her late husband, John, and her children. The memories of the other man make her a bit uneasy with thoughts that her children would find the letters in the attic. There is one moment that she actually wants to tell her daughter to find George and “be sure and tell him I forgot him.”

The following passage is an excerpt from Katherine Anne Porter’s short story “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall.” Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how such choices as figurative language, imagery, and dialogue develop the complex emotions the character is feeling.

The short stories, “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” by Catherine Anne Porter and “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, have many similarities as well as differences. Both stories have a simple plot with a theme that is symbolic of their lives. These stories include great characterization, description of elements in the stories, and the point of view.

This theme of social facade and hypocrisy is seen throughout The Jilting of Granny Weatherall in the character of the grandmother. For example, the grandmother had an illegitimate child,

A strong foreshadowing imagery can be read into these lines. Knowing the definite ending of the story, the grandmother?s elaborate dress symbolizes a preparation for her coffin. When a person dies, they usually are dressed in their best outfit, just like the grandmother was dressed in what seemed to be her Sunday best. A stronger foreshadowing is when O?Connor states the reason for the grandmother?s immaculate dress, "in case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady." She herself predicts her own death. Unfortunately, she doesn?t know this yet. Although this is beyond the parameters of this essay, it is interesting that in the grandmother's mind wearing her best clothes prevent any misgivings about her status as a lady IF she was to die. But as the Misfit later points out, "there never was a body that gave the undertaker a tip." The grandmother's perceived readiness for death is a stark contrast to her behavior when she encounters the Misfit; for she shows herself to be the least prepared for death.

The sorrowful and unpredictable realization of denial and loss can slowly tear down even the strongest willed individuals. In the twisting tales of “A Rose for Emily” and “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” the recurring theme of denial continuously reminds the reader that life is precious and to never take anything for granted. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” focuses on the life and death of Emily Grierson. Although the story begins with her death, the details of her life are revealed through several elements. Emily is ultimately “jilted” by the man she falls in love with, Homer Barron, and poisons him to ensure a lifelong commitment. A similar theme appears within Katherine Anne Porter’s “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” Ellen Weatherall, is on her deathbed as the story begins. The narrator discusses Granny’s life and the struggles she faced in the past. As Granny lays upon her deathbed, she recalls all the things she has to do and all the chores she has left undone. She also remarks the element of surprise at the fact that death has come upon her. Not only do these two stories repeatedly use elements such as symbolism and foreshadowing the authors create a relatively similar theme that not only delivers a powerful message but is a timeless classic.