"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" - Literary Analysis

“The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” by Katherine Anne Porter is written in omniscient limited point of view. The story takes place in Cornelia’s house, in Granny Weatherall’s bedroom. Granny is the protagonist and a developing character. Her daughter, Cornelia, and Doctor Harry play the roles of the static characters. The mood is quite sad as the reader can sense that something is wrong with Granny. In a conflict of man versus circumstance, Granny acknowledges that she would rather be in her own home, but her age and children refuse her independence. Denial plays a part in the theme of the story because Granny denies that she is even sick. She also denies that she misses George, although it is apparent that she still thinks of him. Another component to the theme would be wastefulness. Granny is sure to express that all of the fruit must be picked and none should be wasted. This signifies that sweet things in life should not be wasted, or forgotten.

This was quite a sad story and really reflects on life. Granny denies that she was sick or too old to care for herself, which happens to many elderly people. They want to remain independent as long as possible, although sometime people need to accept help from others. The emotions in the story bounced around a lot. Granny was initially angry at the doctor and her daughter for whispering while talking about her. Granny then became concerned with chores that needed to be completed “tomorrow.” She spent time reminiscing, and then complaining, and finally coming to face reality.

"The Catbird Seat" - Literary Analysis

“The Catbird Seat” by James Thurber is written in omniscient limited point of view. The story takes place between a Monday night and Wednesday morning. Erwin Martin is the story’s protagonist and in an ironic scheme, he plots against the antagonist, Mrs. Ulgine Barrows. The conflict between Barrows and Martin developed the first day they met. Martin feels like Barrows is emasculating him with her derogatory phrases. Thurber uses imagery while describing the sequence of events in which Martin and Barrows conflicted. For example, Martin gets back to the topic when he hears “a gavel rap…” in his mind (208). Repetition is used critically in recounting Martin’s daily routines to emphasize the monotony of it.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. Martin is extremely clever in plotting against Barrows to make her look insane. The story carries a strong theme of weak men versus strong women in the workplace. I might have preferred the story to be written in first-person point of view to reveal a more intimate encounter, but it flows nicely.

"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" - Literary Analysis

"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway is written in omniscient limited point of view. The café symbolizes a place to come when someone is lonely. It is a clean, safe place for lonely people to visit. The protagonists in the story are the old man and the older waiter. The young, hurried waiter plays the role of the antagonist since he seems to have opposite opinions of the other men. The major conflict is between man and circumstance, in which the circumstance is loneliness. The old man is lonely because he lost his wife, and the older waiter lives alone and suffers from “insomnia.” The older waiter also believes that life is “nothing,” which appears to be a theme of the story.


I thought the story was well-written and easily relatable. If I ever feel lonely, I would prefer to be in a place that feels safe rather than sitting at home alone. I found the dialogue on p. 200 somewhat confusing, as the footer says that the same waiter may have spoken twice in a row. I am not sure that I agree with the “nothingness” of life. I believe that life is what you make of it, even if we all eventually end up alone.