The Jilting Of Granny Weatherall Symbolism

Jilting is the action of abandoning an individual and causing enormous amounts of trauma following that person forever. Katherine Anne Porter, an American journalist, novelist, and political activist creates a sarcastic yet self reflecting story of the impact being jilted left on the main character, Granny. In the short story, “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” by Katherine Anne Porter, the main literary devices presented were characterization, symbolism and setting to represent the theme of the importance of coping through loss with perseverance. To start off, Porter’s use of characterization is significantly prominent throughout the short story. The protagonist, Granny was often described in the beginning as stubborn and short tempered

Multiple symbols are represented throughout the narrative, one of them being the light. This is used to describe Granny’s existence and her hope for a promising future after death. As Granny is on her deathbed, “The blue light from Cornelias lampshade drew into a tiny point in the center of her brain… She stretched herself with a deep breath and blew out the light”(Porter). This is a major turning point in the story because Granny ends up leaving her past behind her and understanding she is deserving of the afterworld God can give to her. Another important symbol shown that was noticed by most, was the wedding cake. This symbolizes Grannie's remembrance of the day she was jilted at the altar which had a huge effect on the rest of her life. Granny kept numerous letters from George years later which proves “A woman who clings to letters over multiple decades may be a woman incapable of closing out the early chapters of her life”(JSTOR). Granny never fully got over the impact George had on her after he completely abandoned her forever. The wedding cake is a constant reminder for Granny of how she has lived life alone, raised kids, and tried to stabilize her mental health and now her physical health without a significant other to support her. Granny survived through these hardships by staying strong and putting others before