Jilting Of Granny Weatherall By Porter Essay, Research Paper

In Katherine Ann Porter’s “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” there are

two prevalant themes. The first is self-pity. The second theme is the acceptance

of her immenent demise. Both deal with the way people perceive their deaths and

mortality in general. Granny Weatherall’s behavior is Porter’s tool for

making these themes visible to the reader. The theme of self-pity is obvious and

throughly explored early on. As a young lady, Granny Weatherall left at the

alter on her wedding day . As a result, the pathetic woman feels sorry for

herself for the rest of her life. She becomes a bitter old woman who is

suspicious of everyone around her. This point is shown early in the story when

the doctor is speaking to Cornelia in the hallway outside of Granny’s room.

Granny exclaims “First off, go away and don’t whisper!” (p.1487) Granny

was apparently under the impression that the two of them were speaking ill of

her behind her back. Thoughts like these resulted from the trauma she suffered

when the man she loved failed to show up on their wedding day. Granny

Weatherall’s self-pity gives the reader a negative initial impression of a

woman the author eventually expects us to miss. The ailing octogenarian is so

incredibly annoying at the beginning of the story that one almost welcomes the

idea of her passing. The second theme is the acceptance of immenint death. At

first, Granny Weatherall could not accept the fact that her days were numbered.

She shows this when the doctor is summoned and she says “I won’t see that

boy again. He…

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Heath Anthology of American Lit., Third Edition, Vol II , Paul Lauter Ed.,