Comparison of Impression of Death

The plot of “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” by Katherine Anne Porter, is technically of a death-stricken woman lying in bed. However, the emotional battles she encounters with herself are the primary interest of this story. Granny Weatherall reflects on the many hardships she has endured throughout her life within her stream of consciousness thoughts, particularly that of being left at the alter. Given Granny Weatherall’s thoughts through her point of view, it is noticeable that she still resents and dwells upon her past misfortunes:

“I want you to find George. Find him and be sure to tell him I forgot him. I want him to know I had my husband just the same and my children and my house like any other woman. A good house too and a good husband that I loved and fine childre

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“As he pushes open the gate and passes up the wide white walk, he sees a flutter of female garments; his wife, looking fresh and cool and sweet, steps down from the veranda to meet him” (Bierce 520).

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Granny Weatherall never fully recovers from the incident with her previous fiance, George. Oh, surely they were not all? What was it? Something not given back.

The symbolism in Granny Weatherall’s comparison of this event to hell is symbolic to her own psychological death. Being left at the altar had such a devastating effect on Granny Weatherall that she can never rid herself of that “smoky cloud from hell“ (Porter85). She even goes so far as to correlate her experience with hell itself:

“ There was the day, the day, but a whirl of dark smoke rose and covered it, crept up and over into the bright field where everything was planted so carefully in orderly rows. Whereas in Peyton’s situation, he takes his last crucial moment to reflect upon what was important to him. The life and character of the individual, which is inferred from the plot and point of view of the story, elucidate different views of death. Her mind becomes so absorbed in heartache that she eventually begins to overlook the good things in her life: “Mother, here we are, all of us. As a result, this permanently destroys her emotions, which creates an everlasting doom of misery for Granny Weatherall.

The illustration of Peyton’s new found awareness reflects how precious his life is to him.

The plot of the story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” by Ambrose Bierce, differs greatly from that of “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall. Tell him I was given back everything he took away from me and more.

Common topics in this essay:
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Approximate Word count = 1001
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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