The Jilting of Granny weatherall by Katherine Porterl

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Granny Problems

Katherine Anne Porter 's short story The Jilting of Granny Weatherall is a masterpiece of adjectives , story tension , and a stunning climax to the character 's development . The following essay will analyze each tension point in the story , how and why the characters react in the manner they do , and a slight analysis of the psychology of the characters will be presented

The story begins with an action , flicked her wrist (Porter paragraph one ) in which the reader

can automatically assume there is some annoyance in the action , at least , there is something that is annoying the `she ' character in the story , and this emotion of being troubled is the overwhelming emotion that is immediately present in the character (Desmond 67 . Thus , the points of tension are already being developed in the story , and they begin with action . This leads the reader to take for granted that the rest of the story 's action will have a subtle grace to it , since a flick of the wrist isn 't an overwhelming action in the first place , the rest of the story will follow suit with this initial movement

Porter develops the story with her setting and the tension between the two characters Granny and Dr . Harry . It is Dr . Harry whom Granny flicked her wrist at , so it is with these two main characters that the reader may safely suppose are at odds with one another and thus the tension of the story rests upon their relationship . Also , it may be imagined that one character is the protagonist and the other one is the antagonist finding out who is who will lead the reader having compassion and sympathy for the protagonist but ill feelings to the antagonist . The amazing writing skill of Porter at this early juncture of the story is that she has been ambivalent about who is who the reader is left in the dark as to who is the good guy and who is the bad guy (Stout 24 . Thus , the reader 's sympathies are at bay and the vague nature of the story adds an element of mystery and frustration to the reader since readers are typically given the black and white of the story from the very beginning . The fact that Porter does not allow for such a clear cut in her characters reveals her to be developing a complex caste of characters whose customs and habits are not so easily categorized into antagonist and protagonist which further suggests that the story may have an anti-hero (Stout 27

The main character Granny is an anti-hero , whose deeds are not easily categorized under the black and white labels of good and evil , but rather the more original sense of a self-possessed morality that is beyond the compliant moral recall of society : that is to say that the anti-hero is bound to do some disgusting things which the audience will not agree with , but in the end it is this anti-hero who saves the truth of the story Porter wrote . The anti-hero Granny is by definition of being anti-hero alienated in some way and made an outsider in her own society

Porter 's writing style is also very humorous as the Granny characters reveals herself to be set in her own ways and her own opinions and with the inner narrative that occurs throughout the story this persnickety character develops with it (Fornataro-Neil 33 . The reader is introduced to her humor side by way of the beginning of the story when the inner narrative reveals her opinion of Dr . Harry by stating , The brat ought to be in knee britches (Porter paragraph 1 . This is a very telling sentence that allows the reader to gain a better sense of the person of Granny . She does not like to be messed with as can be deciphered by her flicking Dr . Harry away from her and she thinks herself higher than a man whose duty it is to save her life or at least to guess what could be wrong with her and help her in some way . This type of personality is seen in many older folks in stories since they are so set in their ways , they are distrustful of anything new or of things they do not understand (such as modern medicine , or at least modern in relation to the story 's publication date , and they do not like to be meddled with in any fashion . Thus the characters at odds with each other based on their personalities : Dr . Harry is a type of God character , able to heal , and Granny is resistant to his presence

Porter 's writing style and exact use of verbs and adjectives is what carries the relationship of these two characters so well in the story Doctor Harry spread a warm paw like a cushion on her forehead where the forked green vein danced and made her eyelids twitch . Now , now , be a good girl , and we 'll have you up in no time (Porter paragraph Two In this passage the tenderness of the doctor is revealed as his approach to Granny is gentle and soft his hand is described as a paw suggesting a careful weight but also something soft in the of being a `cushion ' as well . Thus , the characters can be divided into Granny 's venom and Dr . Harry 's affection . However , because there is so much tension these categorized affections of the characters may easily switch thus revealing other sides of their personalities and a greater ambivalence to the nature of intent for either character (i .e . the Doctor may try to trick Granny into taking medicine or otherwise and the Granny may becomes endeared to the Doctor for helping ) it is this unanticipated element of the story that leaves the reader continuously aware of the characters ' development

In the short time that the story progresses with character development the reader may safely assume that the doctor 's actions become rather patronizing toward Granny . As swift as the reader may think that his actions are stemmed from compassion they quickly switch in paragraph four , as Porter writes , Well , Missy , excuse me ' Doctor Harry patted her cheek . But I 've got to warn you , haven 't I ? You 're a marvel , but you must be careful or you 're going to be good and sorry (Porter paragraph Four . The pat on the cheek is done in a rather shameful manner and the follow up sentence to the pat on the cheek is even more revealing of the doctor 's character as patronizing

To counter the doctor 's patronizing manner and his `ballooning ' around the foot of Granny 's bed , Granny states , Get along and doctor your sick ' said Granny Weatherall . Leave a well woman alone . I 'll call for you when I want you .Where were you forty years ago when I pulled through milk-leg and double pneumonia ? You weren 't even born (Porter paragraph Seven . The tension becomes more solid in the face of such an exchange of honest words . While the doctor doubts her abilities of health as is seen in his manner toward her , treating as though she were a child and didn 't know good health from bad , Porter has Granny defend herself tooth and nail to the doctor stating the truth of physical well being in a retort that is full of sass . That is what Granny 's character can best be described as full of sass and vinegar . To further illustrate such sass and vinegar Porter writes , I pay my own bills and I don 't throw my money away on nonsense (Porter paragraph Seven

In the omnipotent narration style of Porter however the reader gains a different insight into the scene (Fornataro-Neil 66 . As the exchange of patronizing lingo and sass occurs at the end of the conversation the reader sees the truth in Granny - that she is tired , too tired to even wave good-bye and her eyelids are closing by themselves . Thus , inside of the tension raised between these two main characters is the problem of Granny 's real health problems . It is this health problem that the reader may infer could possibly be the climax of the story later on

With the omnipotent narration the reader is given insight into the foreshadowing of events . This technique of foreshadowing is done very subtly by Porter . The eyelids closing on themselves could be a foreshadowing event of Granny 's death to come at another stage in the story . The reader is thus given another way in which tension is created in the story : the reader is wondering if the conflict of the two characters ' personalities will be resolved and how , and what the foreshadowing event will be that will culminate in the climax of the story . Porter is a writer who is adept at creating tension and eliciting anticipation from her reader (Moddelmog 11

This foreshadowing is quickly changed from a subtle suggestion made by Porter to a reality made between her characters Dr . Harry and Cornelia as Granny Weatherall is almost falling asleep in bed she hears them whispering about her as Porter writes , She was never like this , never like this ' Well , what can we expect ' Yes , eighty years old (Porter paragraph Nine . It is on the subject of Cornelia that the reader is reminded of Granny 's sass and vinegar , So good and dutiful ' said Granny , that I 'd like to spank her (Porter paragraph 10 . Thus , not only is there tension between the doctor and Granny but between Granny and Cornelia . Both the doctor and Cornelia are trying to help Granny , but Granny 's denial of being in need of help raises another level to her personality as well as to the story (Tanner 56

The foreshadowing of the story takes another turn in Porter 's writing style and turns into a fact , an inner narration given in omnipresent form analyzing the thoughts of Granny brings about the business of death and the closed eyelid image is not just a simple action alluding to the presence of death but in the narration death is met head-on

While she 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 . Let it take care of itself for now . When she was sixty she had felt very old , finished , and went around making farewell trips to see her children and grandchildren , with a secret in her mind : This was the very last of your mother , children Then she made her will and came down with a long fever . That was all just a notion like a lot of other things , but it was lucky too , for she had once and for all got over the idea of dying for a long time . Now she couldn 't be worried . She hoped she had better sense now (Porter paragraph 17

Thus , death as a tangible presence comes into focus in the story (Clark 43

Despite this intelligent inner monologue the other characters in the story keep approaching Granny as though she were nothing more than an overgrown child hence the reason for Granny 's sass and vinegar could be ascribed to being merely a reaction to the people around her , as Porter writes , Well , she could just hear Cornelia telling her husband that Mother was getting a little childish and they 'd have to humor her (Clark 43 . The thing that most annoyed her was that Cornelia thought she was deaf , dumb , and blind (Porter paragraph 23 . Thus , not only is there tension between Granny and Dr . Harry but between Granny and her immediate family

The story ends on the theme of tomorrow . The abstract idea of there being a tomorrow is what is introduced into Granny 's head again and again . She will do things tomorrow like straighten up or other housework jobs . She keeps this idea of tomorrow to bay off any image she has of death from entering into her thoughts again , She would start tomorrow and do them (Porter paragraph 25 . It is as if tomorrow is her saving grace and everyone in the story is saying , in their patronizing manner , that there is no tomorrow (Welty 105 . That is the final point of Porter 's story all of the tension , the sass patronizing manner , ideas of death , add up to the existence of non-existence of a tomorrow . In the end , despite Granny 's grievances of not having finished doing a countless number of things , there is no tomorrow for her . That is the close of Porter 's story , the moral of it being tomorrow is a constant abstract idea with no contours to it , not pulp and therefore no substance , like death is . Thus , the tension in the characters is erased with this final blowing out of the candle

Abstract

The purpose of this essay will be to explore the nature of Porter 's writing style as it applies to character development . The psychology of the characters will be briefly described as well as the point of interested of writing style techniques such as foreshadowing and the concept of the anti-hero as opposed to an all over good protagonist

Works Cited

Clark , W .B . Katherine Anne Porter : Life of an Artist . The Mississippi Quarterly . Vol . 58

2005

Desmond , J . Desire , Violence and Divinity in Modern Southern Fiction Katherine Anne

Porter , Flannery O 'Connor , Cormac McCarthy and Walker Percy Christianity and

Literature . Vol . 57 . 2007

Fornataro-Neil , M .K . Constructed Narratives and Writing Identity in the Fiction of Katherine

Anne Porter . Twentieth Century Literature . Vol . 44 . 1998

Moddelmog , D . A . Concepts of Justice in the Work of Katherine Anne Porter . Mosaic (Winnipeg . Vol . 26 . 1993

Morris , G .L . How Ambivalence Won the West . Critique . Vol . 32 . 1991 .Porter , K .A . The Jilting of Granny Weatherall . 1930 . Online . 30 March 2008

HYPERLINK "http /people .morrisville .edu whitnemr /html /The 20Jilting 20of 20Grann y 20Wea http /people .morrisville .edu whitnemr /html /The 20Jilting 20of 20Granny 20Wea herall .htm

Tanner , J .T .F . The Texas Legacy of Katherine Anne Porter . University of North Texas Press

1991

Stout , J .P . The Ambivalent Art of Katherine Anne Porter . Studies in the Novel . Vol . 38 . 2006

Stout , J .P . Practically Dead with Fine Rivalry : The Leaning Towers of Katherine Anne Porter

And Glenway Wescott . Studies in the Novel . Vol . 33 . 2001

Welty , E . Place and Time : The Southern Writer 's Inheritance . The Mississippi Quarterly . Vol

50 . 1997

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