literary analysis
Taylor Waldrip
9/30/13
Analysis of The Jilting of Granny Weatherall by Katherine Anne Porter
Theme: The Jiliting of Granny Weatherall is a story of a woman who has truly weathered all. It is a journey, based on denial and confusion, of a once bride-to-be, abandoned at the altar and forced into a life she forced herself to believe was happy. She refuses to accept the truth about her life and its hardships, always counting on tomorrow to give her the time she needs to handle such affairs.
Devices: The first and most obvious device is the name given to Granny, Granny Weatherall. This name is symbolic of Granny’s entire life, in particular the aspects of her life she often tries to forget. The deterioration of Granny's mind is perhaps the strongest device in Porter's story. As Granny drifts between past and present reality she stumbles across pieces of her memories that she had buried for decades. Some of the memories Granny refuses to accept, tucking them back inside her mind saying, “No, I swear he never harmed me but in that. He never harmed me but in that... and what if he did?” Another device in The Jilting of Granny Weatherall is the intense use of imagery to form symbolism. As granny's mind wanders, her thoughts jump from one to another. Imagery is used to show these transitions. “A fog rose over the valley, she saw it marching across the creek swallowing trees and moving up the hill like an army of ghosts. Soon it would be at the near edge of the orchard...” the vision of the fog moving in symbolizes a cloudiness coming over Granny's mind as she tried to remember one thing but couldn’t grasp the thought.
9/30/13
Analysis of The Jilting of Granny Weatherall by Katherine Anne Porter
Theme: The Jiliting of Granny Weatherall is a story of a woman who has truly weathered all. It is a journey, based on denial and confusion, of a once bride-to-be, abandoned at the altar and forced into a life she forced herself to believe was happy. She refuses to accept the truth about her life and its hardships, always counting on tomorrow to give her the time she needs to handle such affairs.
Devices: The first and most obvious device is the name given to Granny, Granny Weatherall. This name is symbolic of Granny’s entire life, in particular the aspects of her life she often tries to forget. The deterioration of Granny's mind is perhaps the strongest device in Porter's story. As Granny drifts between past and present reality she stumbles across pieces of her memories that she had buried for decades. Some of the memories Granny refuses to accept, tucking them back inside her mind saying, “No, I swear he never harmed me but in that. He never harmed me but in that... and what if he did?” Another device in The Jilting of Granny Weatherall is the intense use of imagery to form symbolism. As granny's mind wanders, her thoughts jump from one to another. Imagery is used to show these transitions. “A fog rose over the valley, she saw it marching across the creek swallowing trees and moving up the hill like an army of ghosts. Soon it would be at the near edge of the orchard...” the vision of the fog moving in symbolizes a cloudiness coming over Granny's mind as she tried to remember one thing but couldn’t grasp the thought.