The Jilting of Granny Weatherall 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 ...view middle of the document...
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 just left five minutes ago." (p.1490) Later on, she continues her denial when Cornelia calls on a priest to offer Granny her last rights. When the priest arrives, she would not speak to him. She said, "I went to Holy Communion only last week. Tell him I?m not so sinful as all that." (1491) As Granny?s life was winding down with only minutes remaining, she finally began to show signs that she accepted what was happening to her. She bagan remembering those who were important to her and dividing her possesions among family members. Porter shows a loving side to Granny Weatherall that endears her to the audience before she is wisked away from the land of the living. It is reminiscint of The Flannery O?Connor story "A Good Man is Hard to Find." The Misfit has just executed a fast-talking grandmother. One of his evil cohorts offers that she was "a real talker." The Misfit interjects that "She would have been a good woman if it had been somebody to shoot her every minute of her life." So it is with Granny Weatherall, at her best while near the bitter end. The Jilting of Granny Weatherall gives us a brief overview of mortality. Porter gives us slightly deeper insight into self pity and the acceptance of death. Granny Weatherall?s actions and thoughts give the reader an idea of how it feels as life draws to a close. Porter suggests that by succeeding in dying well, one can leave behind an image of themsleves that is more flattering than the legacy of their squandered lives. Biblio- Heath Anthology of American Lit., Third Edition, Vol II , Paul Lauter Ed.,
