The Jilting of Granny Weatherall

The Jilting of Granny Weatherall

"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" is written by Katherine Anne Porter. The short story is about the character Granny Weatherall, she is a mother and nurse who takes' care of everyone in her life. She perseveres through adversities and she prides herself through caring for her family. Ellen Weatherall becomes a meticulous, independent, and strong willed woman through the abandonment and death she faces.

One of the characteristics of Granny Weatherall is being an independent woman. She learned to be more independent after being jilted by her first fiancée, "Since the day the wedding cake was not cut, but thrown out and wasted. The whole bottom dropped out of the world, and there she was blind and sweating with nothing under her foot and the walls falling away" (P. 84). Granny Weatherall is abandon at the altar, and she is left standing alone. As a result of being jilted she becomes more independent by moving on and getting married. Not only does she find a husband and start her own family; she also becomes self-determined. For example, she managed the masculine job of fencing a hundred acres once, digging the post holes and clamping the wires through hard labor with only the help of a boy, (P. 81). With her independence Granny Weatherall becomes strong willed.

A second characteristic of Granny Weatherall is being a strong willed woman. For example, "The brat ought to be in knee breaches. Doctoring around the country with spectacles on his nose! "Get along now, take your schoolbooks and go. There's nothing wrong with me" (P. 79). In the beginning of the story, Granny is being cared for but refuses to accept the care from the Doctor or her daughter Cornelia. She tells the young doctor to, "Leave a well woman alone. I'll call for you when I want you.... Where were you forty years ago when I pulled through milk-leg and double pneumonia? You weren't even born" (P. 80). Granny is in denial, yet she still shows her determination. Her defiance is proof of her unbending personality. Despite being on her death bed Granny Weatherall refuses the small comfort her daughter Cornelia, and Doctor Harry can provide her. Granny Weatherall would even complain about the wash cloth being too cold on her forehead (P. 82). Granny Weatherall is minutes away from dying and she continues her iron-will by dividing up her estate as a way to care for her family when she's gone. Granny Weatherall is left with the responsibilities of caring for her family on her own when her daughter Hapsy and husband John pass away at an early stage in life. Being a single mom with multiple children increased her strong will and it stayed with her until the end.

Thirdly, Granny Weatherall is a meticulous individual. For instance, the speaker says "It was good to have everything clean and folded away, with the hair brushes

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