The Jilting of Granny Weatherall Themes

Since being jilted at the altar sixty years ago, Granny Weatherall has found peace in carefully controlling her life, creating order and structure for herself and her family. Now, on her deathbed, she is afraid of dying, but she reassures herself through small acts of control, such as making a will and organizing her possessions. However, Granny’s attempts at control are no match for death: she dies much more quickly than she was expecting, and…

Although “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” is a story about a death, it is also, by consequence, a story about life. Porter deliberately juxtaposes life and death, and old age and youth, so that each emphasizes the other. The story acknowledges the fear and sadness that comes with death and old age, but also makes a point of emphasizing all of the rich experiences of life that come before death, encouraging the reader to appreciate…

Porter was highly critical of religion at the time of writing “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall.” She had abandoned Roman Catholicism when she divorced her first husband, a Catholic who was physically abusive to her. Her views are reflected very clearly in the story, with God himself featured as the second and cruelest of Granny Weatherall’s jilters, failing to give her a sign of reassurance when she needs it most. In the moments before…