Grannys hard knock life
In Katherine Anne Porters short story, The Jilting of Granny Weatherall there is a vivid picture of an elderly womans last moments and storm of mentality on her death bed. The story is shown as a stream of consciousness in which granny remembers the grievances she had throughout her life. This making it obvious to the reader that she has had not one, or two, but three jilting in her life that has affected her character through the last shreds of her life. Her past love George, the death of her husband John, and the absence of god on her death bed, all affected grannys life and personality.
The first pitiable jilting of Granny Weatherall was done at the altar by a man named George who she once was deeply in love with; this jilting affected her life in many ways. This first life changing jilting made granny Weatherall form trust issues. On her death bed she alleged to the doctor, I do. I want a lot of things. First off, go away and dont whisper (Abcarian, 1169) Granny said this because she thought that Cornelia and Dr.Harry were talking about her behind her back. Although jilted at the altar, granny Weatherall still held the love she felt for George this was shown with her first child who she named George. From this past experience granny Weatherall never allowed herself to love someone with such profundity as she once did. Love was denied Granny the day she was jilted and she herself never dared to love. But without love Grannys radically human hurt was never healed.(Unre, 108)
At the age of forty, Granny Weatherall suffered of a second life changing jilting when her husband John died. After her husbands death Granny Weatherall was left to be both mother and father to her five children. Even though she was left alone to raise her children she believed she had done a good job, and good enough for John to one day recognize, which made her satisfied. Sometimes she wanted to see John again and point to them and say, Well, I didnt do so badly, did i? But that would have to wait. (Abcarian, 1170) Along with the house work, Johns death also led Granny Weatherall with all the manly work. Granny had little help and even had to put up the fence around her property and worked as a midwife for a living, which is usually left for a man to do, because this wasnt an easy task. Digging post holes changed a woman. Ridding country roads in the winter when women had their babies was another thing: sitting up nights with sick horses and sick negroes and sick children and hardly ever loosing one. (Abcarian, 1170) Since she had to do that entire she builds a natural instinct to be in control of her surroundings this making her ambitious. It made her feel like rolling up her sleeves and putting the whole place to rights again.it was good to be strong enough for everything, even if all you made melted and changed and slipped under your hands, so that by the time you finished you almost forgot what you were working for. (Abcarian, 1171) This build an evitable urge she could not break. Granny, who had so carefully controlled life, cannot control death. (Unre, 107)
The last jilting that changed Granny Weatherall happened in the very last moments of her life, during her death bed, when she received the jilting by god. She thought that god was never going to forsake her as George once did. As she feels like its the last moments of her life. She waits patiently for the sight of god, she cries out God give me as sign. For the second time there was no sign. Again no bridegroom and the priest is in the house. (Abcarian, 1175) Granny felt jilted a third time, she felt like she was once again at the altar but this time it was the pedestal of her death. She began to have the feeling that she was losing control and for her last act of life she decides to blow out the light of the candle this giving her last breath.
The three jilts of Granny Weatherall affected her in such way that it began to mold her as the woman she had come to be, even at the last moment of her legacy. Granny Weatherall was jilted at a young age all the way through the last moment of her life. The jilting she received from her past love George, the death of her husband John, and the absence of god on her death bed affected grannys life and personality in such way.
Martha Trevizo
Mr. Kirk Adams
English 1302 12:50 M&W
October 18, 2011
Works Cited
Abcarian Richard, Maravin Klotz, and Samuels Cohen.Literature, the Human Experience: Reading and Writing. Boston: Bedford/St Martin's, 2010. Print.
Unrue, Darlene Harbour.Critical Essays on Katherine Anne Porter. New York: G.K. Hall &, 1997. Print.
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