Thursday, January 23, 2020
Character in Katherine Anne Porters The Jilting of Granny Weatherall :: The Jilting of Granny Weatherall
Character in Katherine Anne Porter's ââ¬Å"The Jilting of Granny Weatherallâ⬠ââ¬Å"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,â⬠a short story by Katherine Anne Porter, describes the last thoughts, feelings, and memories of an elderly woman. As Granny Weatherallââ¬â¢s life literally ââ¬Å"flashesâ⬠before her eyes, the importance of the title of the story becomes obvious. Granny Weatherall has been in some way deceived or disappointed in every love relationship of her life. Her past lover George, husband John, daughter Cornelia, and God all did an injustice by what Porter refers to as ââ¬Å"jilting.â⬠This unending cycle of wrongdoing caused Granny to be a mixture of strength, bitterness, and ultimate fear as she faces her last moments in life. Granny gained her strength by the people that she felt jilted by. George stood Granny up at the altar. He never showed at all and it is never stated that she heard from him again. The pain forced Granny to be strong as is proven by her thoughts when she is asked if anything could be done for her. ââ¬Å" I want you to find George. Find him and be sure to tell him I forgot him. I want him to know I had my husband just the same and my children and my house like any other womanâ⬠¦ Tell him I was given back everything he took away and moreâ⬠(Porter 584). Granny did marry a man named John, but her strength was again tested when he died at a young age, leaving her to raise their children on her own. ââ¬Å"Sometimes she wanted to see John again and point to them and say, well, I didnââ¬â¢t do so badly did I?â⬠(582). She had been strong enough to carry the burden of two lost loves and raise good children at the same time. It was one of these children, Cornelia, who made her act somewhat bitterly in her last days. With her daughter whispering about her and saying she should be humored at her old age, Granny felt like she had been in some way betrayed. ââ¬Å"It was strange about children. They disputed your every wordâ⬠(584). She felt like Cornelia was treating her like a child. ââ¬Å"The thing that most annoyed her was that Cornelia thought she was deaf, dumb, and blind. Little hasty glances and tiny gestures tossed around her and over her head saying, ââ¬ËDonââ¬â¢t cross her, let her have her way, sheââ¬â¢s eighty years old,ââ¬â¢ and she sitting there as if she lived in a thick glass cageâ⬠(582). Character in Katherine Anne Porter's The Jilting of Granny Weatherall :: The Jilting of Granny Weatherall Character in Katherine Anne Porter's ââ¬Å"The Jilting of Granny Weatherallâ⬠ââ¬Å"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,â⬠a short story by Katherine Anne Porter, describes the last thoughts, feelings, and memories of an elderly woman. As Granny Weatherallââ¬â¢s life literally ââ¬Å"flashesâ⬠before her eyes, the importance of the title of the story becomes obvious. Granny Weatherall has been in some way deceived or disappointed in every love relationship of her life. Her past lover George, husband John, daughter Cornelia, and God all did an injustice by what Porter refers to as ââ¬Å"jilting.â⬠This unending cycle of wrongdoing caused Granny to be a mixture of strength, bitterness, and ultimate fear as she faces her last moments in life. Granny gained her strength by the people that she felt jilted by. George stood Granny up at the altar. He never showed at all and it is never stated that she heard from him again. The pain forced Granny to be strong as is proven by her thoughts when she is asked if anything could be done for her. ââ¬Å" I want you to find George. Find him and be sure to tell him I forgot him. I want him to know I had my husband just the same and my children and my house like any other womanâ⬠¦ Tell him I was given back everything he took away and moreâ⬠(Porter 584). Granny did marry a man named John, but her strength was again tested when he died at a young age, leaving her to raise their children on her own. ââ¬Å"Sometimes she wanted to see John again and point to them and say, well, I didnââ¬â¢t do so badly did I?â⬠(582). She had been strong enough to carry the burden of two lost loves and raise good children at the same time. It was one of these children, Cornelia, who made her act somewhat bitterly in her last days. With her daughter whispering about her and saying she should be humored at her old age, Granny felt like she had been in some way betrayed. ââ¬Å"It was strange about children. They disputed your every wordâ⬠(584). She felt like Cornelia was treating her like a child. ââ¬Å"The thing that most annoyed her was that Cornelia thought she was deaf, dumb, and blind. Little hasty glances and tiny gestures tossed around her and over her head saying, ââ¬ËDonââ¬â¢t cross her, let her have her way, sheââ¬â¢s eighty years old,ââ¬â¢ and she sitting there as if she lived in a thick glass cageâ⬠(582).
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