Katherine Anne Porter's The Jilting Of Granny Weatherall

“The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” recounts the tragic experiences that Granny Weatherall experienced throughout her life and faced once again towards the end. The theme revolves around the term “jilting,” which is defined as an act of abandonment with no warning. People had jilted her twice, with each being a complete surprise. Aside from these two serious instances, she also faced other terrible life experiences as well. Katherine Anne Porter’s composition includes numerous literary elements, such as symbols and irony, but most notably a theme. This short story explains the results of abandonment and loss with their effects while delving into the different themes of the story. The first time Ellen, otherwise known as Granny Weatherall, was

Right before she passed, Porter tells how Granny was surprised by her demise because of the lack of signals before it occurred. Porter states, “For the second time there was no sign…Again, there is nothing more cruel than this” (Porter). From this statement alone, one can gather that she is feeling a sense of abandonment once again, but this time by God. Porter’s tone in the last paragraph also adds to this emotional and deceiving scene. This section of the writing is somber and exemplifies the bitter feeling Ellen is suffering from. Not only from this part, but from others as well, the reader can sense the sympathy that Porter is relaying to them. An example is when her daughter and doctor treat her like she is a child, acting as though she cannot hear them whispering about her. Granny’s feelings were described with sorrow, giving the impression that she felt looked down

After the first jilting incident, she had the mindset that she could potentially know when she was going to die and somewhat have control over it. She fought every time there was an obstacle to overcome, such as diseases and the other disasters she came across. Both instances correlate to the symbolic nature of her name. Porter purposefully created the character Granny with the last name Weatherall for a reason. When the name Weatherall is bisected into its base words, the two terms “weather” and “all” are obtained. The meaning of the word “weather” is to endure or withstand something, which concludes that she could survive and battle against the problems during her lifetime. Aside from her fate, all of Granny’s other trials were overcome and strengthened her. Although she “weathered” every difficulty, her fate was the last barrier she could not overcome. Her death could not be determined by her insane drive to conquer; instead, God determined when it was her time to