The Concept of Death in Katherine Anne Porter's The Jilting of Granny Weatherall

Abstract

This article is concerned with the study of the concept of death in general and the major causes of death in particular. Death can be explained as an action or fact of dying or ending the life of a human being or a living organism. It focuses on the concept of death in some religions. Also, it highlights the theme of death in The Jilting of Granny Weatherall. The story is one of Katherine Anne Porter's short story collections titled Flowering Judas, which is published in 1930. Katherine Anne Porter was a celebrated American reporter; she is a person who was writing for newspapers and magazines. She wrote dissertations and long short stories. The writer describes the most recent dreams such as emotions and memories of an aged woman whose name is Granny Weatherall, the main character, and the descriptive personality in the tale is mostly standing on Porter’s grandmother's life. The author uses her grandmother's surname Granny Weatherall for the title of the story. Granny was eighty years old, being around all of her relatives. Granny dies on her deathbed. Throughout her sickness, she remembers periods from her childhood to death. She suffers from a dangerous illness. Thus, Granny realizes that everything ends up, even the long-lasting relationship with her husband. She has been jilted first by her married man and the second husband by death. The story also deals with spiritual confidence and risky sickness. Finally, the story is semi-autobiographical, including events for Porter's own life and the main character Granny Weatherall because both had several unsuccessful marriages and they had intensely annoyed with bad health. The present research aims at reducing the impact of death in the community, especially among elders and adults who would be affected by the terror of one of their relative's death. The paper compares three religious thoughts about death which are Islam, Christianity, and Buddhism.