Short Story 'The Jilting Of Granny Weatherall'
Dillon Keefe
Period 1
February 23, 2015
“The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” In the short story “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall”, by Katherine Anne Porter, ambiguous elements help illuminate the theme of being betrayed by causing the reader to feel uncertain about Granny Weatherall’s state of being. At the end of this story, Granny W. asks, “God give me a sign” (p.854), just before she dies, but God gave her no sign. The narrator quotes, “She [Granny W.] could not remember any other sorrow because this grief wiped them all away” (p.854). These quotes are significant because they convey to the reader the theme that Granny W. feels betrayed because God did not show her a sign before her death. Just before these quotes, the narrator mentions,
“Granny lay curled down with herself, amazed and watchful, staring at the point of light that was herself…” (p.854). This quote reveals ambiguity because in this quote, Granny W. lays down amazed about her death. But in other quotes, as the reader reads on, he or she learns that Granny does not feel amazed, she feels jilted because of her dying state. Another way the narrator uses ambiguous elements to illuminate the theme is by stating, “While she [Granny W.] was rummaging around she found death in her mind and it felt clammy and unfamiliar. She had spent so much time preparing for death there was no need for bringing it up again” (p.848). The importance of this quote shows the uncertainty of Granny W. about her death. She had jilted herself because she prepared for her death for so long, but in the end, Granny’s preparation did not help her at all causing her to feel betrayed, thus revealing the theme of being betrayed. Throughout this story, the author causes the reader to feel ambiguous about Granny Weatherall’s state of being, which helps illuminate the theme of being betrayed.
Period 1
February 23, 2015
“The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” In the short story “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall”, by Katherine Anne Porter, ambiguous elements help illuminate the theme of being betrayed by causing the reader to feel uncertain about Granny Weatherall’s state of being. At the end of this story, Granny W. asks, “God give me a sign” (p.854), just before she dies, but God gave her no sign. The narrator quotes, “She [Granny W.] could not remember any other sorrow because this grief wiped them all away” (p.854). These quotes are significant because they convey to the reader the theme that Granny W. feels betrayed because God did not show her a sign before her death. Just before these quotes, the narrator mentions,
“Granny lay curled down with herself, amazed and watchful, staring at the point of light that was herself…” (p.854). This quote reveals ambiguity because in this quote, Granny W. lays down amazed about her death. But in other quotes, as the reader reads on, he or she learns that Granny does not feel amazed, she feels jilted because of her dying state. Another way the narrator uses ambiguous elements to illuminate the theme is by stating, “While she [Granny W.] was rummaging around she found death in her mind and it felt clammy and unfamiliar. She had spent so much time preparing for death there was no need for bringing it up again” (p.848). The importance of this quote shows the uncertainty of Granny W. about her death. She had jilted herself because she prepared for her death for so long, but in the end, Granny’s preparation did not help her at all causing her to feel betrayed, thus revealing the theme of being betrayed. Throughout this story, the author causes the reader to feel ambiguous about Granny Weatherall’s state of being, which helps illuminate the theme of being betrayed.