"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.