|
|
Post by Jodi Ahn on Aug 19, 2024 21:40:38 GMT -8
Katherine Porter uses Granny Weatherall's experiences and memories to critique the societal expectations and limitations places on women by the continuous adversary Granny Weatherall faces throughout her life as a result of such. She encapsulates this theme in Granny Weatherall's life as she reflects on her past and present while she is slowly dying on her death bed. Granny Weatherall is constantly aligned with her children, and her children represent her life as it revolved around them. She is dedicated to raising her children and taking care of their home and land as a single mother following the early passing of her husband, John. This goes to represent Granny Weatherall's independence in her life following events that she has carried with her, such as the jilting of George leaving her at the alter. George's betrayal left Granny Weatherall emotionally scarred, and she continues to live her life in attempts to fulfill the life she wishes to have in spite of such events. She later goes on to have the desire to reach out to George to prove that she was able to have a family and a life without him. Not only was this a betrayal for Granny Weatherall, but with the societal pressure for a women to be married with children, she also faced much humiliation and a loss of control over her life. Granny Weatherall goes on to overcome this adversary in her second marriage, but as her husband passes away at a young age she again loses the grasp she held on the events in her life. Such events in her life lead her to take out the resentment she carries onto her daughter, Cornelia. Granny Weatherall's continuous struggle with autonomy over her life is reiterated in her final moments as she asks God for a sign, yet receives no answer. Throughout her story, Granny Weatherall's experiences in life reflect the struggles faced by women who are expected to simply be the wives of their husbands in the early 20th century as she attempts to regain control over the course of her life after experiencing multiple betrayals and losses in her life. As Granny Weatherall finally blows out the candle and decides to pass on, she regains her autonomy in her final moments all on her own, without the need for a man.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jodi Ahn on Aug 19, 2024 21:43:45 GMT -8
Katherine Porter uses Granny Weatherall’s experiences and memories to critique the societal expectations and limitations placed on women in the early 20th century By highlighting the conflict between social roles during that time that the story was created as well as a women’s acceptance in society. Throughout the entirety of the text, readers can identify the feminist themes that are ingrained in the heart of Granny’s Life. Before delving into the specifics I think one key factor is the fact that Granny has generally felt that her worth and even sanity was calculated by the societal pressures of having a long, successful marriage. Though she was the one who was jilted, Society will not pity the woman in the situation because “ it must have been her fault” and or “ she deserved it”. These standards encompass how influential the ideas of patriarchy were at that time, as well as social inequalities faced by women. Although this burden weighed heavily on Granny Weatherall, She still described herself as a sufficient mother and someone who is capable of taking care of themselves to the end with old age and disease. Unfortunately as highlighted by Barbara Laman, “Because of her beliefs granny fails to realize the power of the feminine spirit. Her primary mistake consists not of blowing out her own light but of asking for a sign from the wrong person.” While granny is a very strong independent woman, her inner demons and troubles discount the true value that she has; Cornelius sees it, all of her children see it, and so do the readers. The story further stresses the need for equal social treatment between men and women. In continuation, norms and expectations for mothers should not be as biased and unfair. Granny Weatherall's life fully encompasses the different stresses and heartache that women during the 20th century experience as a result of sexism and these discriminatory social standards. I think that it's important that the future generation of women read this story and take something away from it. to understand that sometimes even now we take for granted the rights that women couldn't even speak about Wanting during the 20th century. Though this story was fictional, the constant fight and even fear Granny has as she's so close to death is what truly makes her character relatable and admirable. Hi Destiny! I found it interesting about how you mentioned the way people would blame Granny Weatherall for the jilting she experienced throughout her life for various reasons. It presents the way women were viewed and shows how Granny Weatherall may have struggled to regain her footing all on her own, without support. I hadn't thought of this perspective and I really appreciate your recognition of the heartache Granny Weatherall had to face alone! |
|
|
|
Post by Jodi Ahn on Aug 19, 2024 21:47:33 GMT -8
In Katherine Anne Porter’s story, “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” Granny is in the last moments of her life, reliving her memories, either good or bad. Porter utilizes Granny's story to point out the struggles of women in the early 20th century. Throughout the story, the author includes sections of Granny's memories while she slowly slips closer to death to show her unconscious mind stuck over her jilting. Her successful memories and her bad memories are portrayed through light and darkness. In Granny's relationship with George, her almost-to-be husband, she got left at the altar which greatly impacted her, and will impact her for the rest of her life. After being jilted, Granny wanted control over her life. She formed habits of being organized and acting snarky to feel the control she craves over her life. She believed that doing the right things, like raising and caring for her family and growing a farm will lead to her letting go of the trauma that was inflicted upon her by George. Granny Weatherall wanted to be seen as a strong individual supporting herself so that no one could ever jilt her again. This shows how Ellen broke gender roles strongly illustrated in the 20s. The author Katherine Anne Porter portrayed Ellen Weatherall as an individual that pushed through the obstacles of life and dug out a foundation for herself and her children behind her. She wanted to prove to the world and George that she's capable of having a stable life even though her heart was shattered. Although she passed away and felt like she could've accomplished more and created a more stable life, the final call out to God jilted her one last time letting her know what there was nothing else she could've done and she is strong for pushing so far. This final jilting left Granny Weatherall shook and made her decide that she's worthy of love and a good life no matter her past. At last, she took control and "blew out the light," meaning letting go of life, and submitting to her mortality and accepting her end. Hi Abby! I really enjoyed your response and ideas on how Granny Weatherall formed characteristics as a response to her jilting. This may show how she may have tried to prevent such occurrences in the future, or to regain the person she was before they occurred. We also had similar ideas of how she came to accept her fate and took her life back into her own hands by blowing out the light on her own. I also liked how you recognized that Granny Weatherall may have final realized in the end, despite her regrets, that the life she lived was full of successes and she lead a good life with offspring to continue living in her name. |
|
|
|
Post by Jodi Ahn on Aug 19, 2024 21:51:42 GMT -8
Katherine Porter uses Granny Weatherall’s experiences and memories to critique the societal expectations and limitations placed on women in the early 20th century by showcasing the thoughts and emotions Granny processes during her last moments of life. Granny Weatherall has had a religious upbringing which has made her faithful to God, affecting her views on autonomy and her relationships with men. For instance, it is possible that Granny Weather felt guilt for having a premarital pregnancy and being left at the altar as in most religious beliefs, marrying as a virgin is seen as pure and doing otherwise is viewed as a sin. Considering how Granny was so devoted to God, it would not be a surprise if she felt guilt for bearing a child before marriage which interferes with her own autonomy as a woman to have the choice to have children under her own desired conditions due to social expectations placed onto women especially considering religious norms. In addition, we can see how Granny Weatherall depends on God and values him for her own accomplishments rather than valuing and appreciating her own accomplishments almost as if her own faith in God takes away from her independence and value as a woman. We can see how her devotion almost takes away from her autonomy as a person and her independence to have control over her own life as she even turns to God as a last plea which is exhibited towards the end of the story when she is asking God for a sign and Granny wishes for closure by asking God for a sign rather than bring herself her own closure for her own life which is depicts how many women depend on a male figure rather than feminine figures like herself of her daughter Hapsy, who she saw through an out of body experience. In addition, even after being left at the altar while pregnant, at her last breath Granny wishes to be with George once again even though she faced hardships from that man and had to make great efforts to raise children alone as a single mother. We can also view how although Granny Weather is highly independent and accomplished as a single mother, she still wishes to be “saved” by a man as her life begins to come to end even though men were responsible for her both of her major struggles or jiltings as at first George her fiance left her at the altar and left her as a single mother and then Christ left her alone to face death herself. Hi Heena! I really enjoyed your analysis, as you recognized multiple perspectives that I had not. I agree with the way Granny Weatherall aligns herself in her religious background, and I like the way you connected this part of her life to way she reacted to events and attempted to live her life in a way that aligned with her religion. The closure that you describe is also very interesting, and I enjoyed the way you also connected Granny Weatherall's desire for acceptance and closure to come from God and not just George. The way you connected Granny Weatherall's value that she held to herself with the men in her lives and she is expected to do in the time she lived in is also very interesting in the aspects of religion! |
|
|
|
Post by Darren Chen on Aug 19, 2024 21:58:31 GMT -8
In her short story, "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall", author Katherine Anne Porter takes the stark contrast between Granny's resilience and sorrows into consideration with regards to the societal expectations from a specific, focused "lens", or perspective. Over the course of the story, Granny's mind drifts and changes between Granny’s past and present experiences, some of which actually reveal, in more detail, specific aspects of feminist limitations rather than a broader view on those expectations. One such example is seen during Granny’s memories, in which it is stated that Granny had "cooked, and all the clothes she had cut and sewed and all the gardens she had made”; furthermore, Granny appears to be proud of her younger self's accomplishments in contrast to those of her current self in the quote, “In her day she had kept a better house and had more work done.” In these quotes, Granny is shown to reflect on her achievements, expressing her pride at being resilient to the sorrows she had experienced starting from George's jilting, reflecting the general aspect of human pride, regardless of gender. However, it begins to reflect society's infringement on gender equality, in particular, towards women when we realize the ironic contrast Porter has made with this section. She's expressed, on a shallower level, the emotions and thoughts of Granny Weatherall that help immensely towards understanding her character, yet she's simultaneously referencing the societal stereotypes in which women are told they should be doing the household chores and expected to fulfill those duties as merely support towards the others in the family. Furthermore, by placing, chronologically, Granny's prideful reminiscing on her younger achievements before her emotionally unstable reflection of her first jilting due to George, Porter allows the contrast between Granny's reactions to each to be interpreted as a simulation of the "fake" reality of gender equality when confronted with the betrayals and harsh treatments society places on those who feel the need to stray away from the "standard"; in such a case, George and his jilting reflects society and its unreasonable stereotypes/limitations on women while Granny reflects the general wellbeing of the female population fluctuating under pressure of society. In addition, when Granny wishes that she wants "[George] to know [she] had [her] husband just the same and [her] children and [her] house like any other woman”, it shows her mind still being stuck within the influence of society's perspective on what a good life for a woman should be; in this case, it highlights the societal norms of being married to a man, having a comfortable house, and having kids. These may normally seem like happy or positive things, but Porter portrays these as negative, disappointing, and insufficient for fulfillment under societal norms by taking a character like Granny, who is faithful to most norms in her life like religion following God, drinking hot toddy to stay alive longer, being married under the watch of a priest, etc., and throwing her through "jiltings" to finally show her off as realizing that she still feels unsatisfactory with her life at her death even though she had all that was expected of a normal, happy life according to societal expectations.
|
|
|
|
Post by Darren Chen on Aug 19, 2024 22:05:50 GMT -8
Katherine Anne Porter's "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" is an outright critique of society, considering the sharp words about the limits that existed in putting women down during the early 1900s. One sees how she perceives gender roles and religious beliefs to have limited and shaped Granny's life. She used her last reflecting moments to reveal that faith and ties with men had made her less independent and less worthy of love. Having grown up in a very religious family, Granny's faith in God made her feel guilty and limited her freedom. Society, which places so much value on the purity of women, set a stage for the internalization of such ideas, further making her feel guilty and worthless when she got pregnant before marriage and was jilted at the altar. Even though as a single mom she did so much, her faith often overshadowed the fact that she was indeed firm in character and instead made her seek approval from elsewhere. In turning to God for closure with impending death, Granny demonstrates dependency upon male approval while ignoring support from women like her daughters. Porter depicts how these religious and cultural factors controlled Granny's life through the illustration of how her need for male approval and reliance on God had made her less independent. While the character of Granny is portrayed as one of immense strength and survival, she also seeks solace in men like George, her fiancé who broke the engagement, or Christ, who does not come to her rescue in the last moments of her life. This goes to prove how, even at the end of her life, she still wants acceptance from the men who caused her the most pain. It shows exactly how deeply those social standards were etched in her. Through Porter's revelation of how Granny Weatherall measures her worth with her jobs as a wife and mother, the author subtly criticizes gender roles. While Granny is proud to have been able to raise her children and keep her household when jilted, through her Porter exposes the injustice of the society that forced women to define themselves through their relations with men. Granny's obsession with George's desertion shows how women were socialized into thinking that they needed a man for security and fulfillment, even if they could do everything men could. Porter also analyzes the complex relationship Granny shares with her daughter Despite all her achievements, Granny's life remains encumbered by the principle that her victory lies with men. During her last days, she again focuses on George's and God's betrayals and how the expectations from society and religion have alienated and left her unfulfilled. Porter criticizes the fact that society has demanded strength and sacrifice in return for very little from women but left them, much like Granny, facing their last moments with unresolved grief and unfulfilled desires for recognition and peace. Through the character of Granny Weatherall, Porter offers an important portrait regarding the sacrifices made by women to achieve societal expectations and deep sadness resulting from lives defined by roles which they did not choose. In Porter's "Granny," one finds a challenge to the reader for scrutiny of any assumption made against women's autonomy and worth, at the same time bringing out the lingering effects that such constraints have on them. Hi Jacob, reading yours made me realize another side of critique that I did not realize previously before reading your analysis here. Starting from a religious standpoint and understanding that Granny's faith in God influenced her thoughts, and hence, by extension her actions really does express a sort of criticism regarding societal expectations in terms of religion due to past people in history. This criticism certainly works in describing how some factors like religion may actually end up hurting how one like Granny views and carries themselves simply because of the limitations and expectations placed for that religion by humans claiming to be messengers from above. Personally, I really like this concept that you've established! |
|
|
|
Post by Darren Chen on Aug 19, 2024 22:11:42 GMT -8
Katherine Porter uses Granny Weatherall's experiences to critique societal expectations of the idea of a fulfilling life. However, at the same time feminist roles of Granny’s independence. Throughout the novel, the author changes between Granny’s past and present. During Granny’s memories, it shows how strong and independent she was, mentioning how “she had cooked, and all the clothes she had cut and sewed and all the gardens she had made” and “In her day she had kept a better house and had more work done.” This reveals how she was busy when she was young keeping things cleaned and organized. However, this also hints on societal expectations of how women should be doing the household chores as she describes her duties that were the expectations of what women should do in the family. She also switches to showing how she could manage taking care of her children even without George who was her first jilt emphasizing the feminists roles of being independent and not needing anyone to rely on. However, contrary to how she wants to be presented as an independent woman, it also shows how she cares about societal expectations of what families are like. This is seen when she says to George “I want him to know I had my husband just the same and my children and my house like any other women.” Which highlights the societal norms of having a husband, house, and kids for fulfillment in her life. Not only that, this is also seen in the end when she was about to die she asks God for a sign. This shows how after John, her husband, has died, she needed someone else to rely on turning to God. However, there was no sign from God as it was not supposed to be God giving her a sign, but rather Hapsy. This demonstrates how she needed someone to rely on and believe in, even though she was hurt by most of them. Ultimately, Granny’s memories of what she did in the past illustrates her independence which highlights feminist roles. However, her thoughts hints how she is still stuck in the society's expectations of what is seen to be a happy life, in which she aims for, further explaining that even though she was near her death, she couldn’t experience peace but rather pain as she lets herself down with all these expectations. Hi Alex, reading yours really actually inspired some of the ideas within my own analysis. The concepts about how Granny remembers and reacts to the events from her past and from the present along with societal norms side by side really expressed the common stereotypes that we might even sometimes encounter within our own lives, and understanding how she presents herself as an independent character who also has a vulnerable side does a lot to express the confrontations between society and the feminist approach/perspective. I feel like mine expanded on yours to a certain extent and emphasized a different conclusion. But, definitely as you said, the story does show how Granny "lets herself down" with the societal expectations 100%. |
|
|
|
Post by Darren Chen on Aug 19, 2024 22:17:13 GMT -8
Throughout “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall”, author Katherine Porter utilizes Granny Weatherall’s self reflection on her life experiences as she approaches death as a way to covertly target the unjust gender stereotypes that restricted women in the 20th century. Using Weatherall's inner dialogues, Porter displays firsthand how societal expectations and gender norms have altered and limited Granny Weatherall’s outlook on life and belief in herself. The readers can see through her thoughts and emotions Granny Weatherall sees her self worth and abilities solely through her successes as a mother and as a wife. We can see her struggle for independence and autonomy most prominently through her struggle to forget George, who abandoned her at the altar. The traumatic event followed her through her entire life, and although she was still able to find success and happiness in her life, her inability to let go of the event signifies Porter’s contempt towards how society has made women feel completely dependent on men. Even though she navigated life's troubles alone, powering through milk leg and double pneumonia, Weatherall still isn't able to move on from George because she has been trained to believe that she needs a man to bring stability and happiness to her life. During the story we can see that Granny Weatherall has developed a more defensive, thick-skinned personality over time through her interactions with Doctor Harry and Cornelia, constantly refusing their help regardless of her deteriorating health. She is clearly an able and autonomous individual, and Porter seeks to convey to her audience that women can and should seek to become individuals and separate persons from their families and husbands. As Granny Weatherall reminisces on her past life, we can see how proud she is of her accomplishments. She thinks about how she was able to hold down her life, keep her house in order and raise her children without “hardly los[ing] on to one of them.” Porter urges women to ignore society’s restrictions and inherent obstacles, declaring that anyone can do what Granny Weatherall has done. She also warns against total dependence on men; we can see a healthy relationship between men and women between Granny Weatherall and John, but also a toxic one with George that left her spirit damaged for the rest of her life. Rather than equating one’s self worth to family success and societal stereotypes, Porter petitions for women to create their own unique identities. Hi Matthew, I really like how you describe, with great detail, how Porter expresses the influence that societal expectations and gender norms have on Granny's perspectives. It's honestly a really carefully constructed analysis on how Granny's positive memories end up being surrounded by those that are negative and larger-impacting like Granny's jilting from George, which really helps to portray a mental visual of how Porter is expressing the consequences of societal betrayals after following faithfully those expectations. Granny's pride, coupled with her jiltings and losses, do much to show her dynamic personality, and in doing so expresses the contrast of feminist perspective to others outside of that POV. |
|
|
|
Post by Ethan Chuy on Aug 19, 2024 22:47:44 GMT -8
Katherine Porter's story "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" explores the final moments of Ellen Weatherall as she reminisces on her life and all the choices she made. Porter in this novel critiques limitations and societal expectations imposed on women in the early 20th century through Weatheralls internal and external struggles. A main component of this story is Granny Weatherall's attempt to control her life. We're shown this through memories of her making decisions or tending to the sick children. When finally faced with death however she comes to a realization that the control she once thought she had was nothing more than an illusion with the jilting by George and death of John seemingly out of her control. I believe Porter is trying to criticize the overwhelming societal expectations placed on women which is to be capable of handling their family's problems. Weatherall did fulfill her role but her final moments as mentioned hint at the truth of how many women are forced into their roles and powerless to change roles. To further explain this point Weatherall mentions her unfulfilled desires and lost opportunities throughout the text. During her final moments she envisions a different life which was filled with her own fulfillment. This represents lost opportunities that women often feel as they're forced into their roles and discouraged from trailing off their path. Instead of leading on with her life it was expected of Weatherall to marry another man and become and wife/mother without consideration for her own feelings. These feelings come to a front as Weatherall imagines another life with George in which she lives the life she wanted. Finally this piece is keen on detailing Weatherall's strength physically and emotionally. Weatherall single handedly raises her children as a single mother representing her physical strength. She also endures the jilting of George, death of John, and even the death of Hapsy who she named her favorite child. This represents Weatherall's emotional strength as she endures this pain and grief silently. This aspect of the character highlights the societal norm that women should remain unfazed in the face of adversary and is further supported by Weatherall's name being "weather all" as in perceiving through all torment.
|
|
|
|
Post by Matthew Lee on Aug 19, 2024 22:47:48 GMT -8
In her short story, "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall", author Katherine Anne Porter takes the stark contrast between Granny's resilience and sorrows into consideration with regards to the societal expectations from a specific, focused "lens", or perspective. Over the course of the story, Granny's mind drifts and changes between Granny’s past and present experiences, some of which actually reveal, in more detail, specific aspects of feminist limitations rather than a broader view on those expectations. One such example is seen during Granny’s memories, in which it is stated that Granny had "cooked, and all the clothes she had cut and sewed and all the gardens she had made”; furthermore, Granny appears to be proud of her younger self's accomplishments in contrast to those of her current self in the quote, “In her day she had kept a better house and had more work done.” In these quotes, Granny is shown to reflect on her achievements, expressing her pride at being resilient to the sorrows she had experienced starting from George's jilting, reflecting the general aspect of human pride, regardless of gender. However, it begins to reflect society's infringement on gender equality, in particular, towards women when we realize the ironic contrast Porter has made with this section. She's expressed, on a shallower level, the emotions and thoughts of Granny Weatherall that help immensely towards understanding her character, yet she's simultaneously referencing the societal stereotypes in which women are told they should be doing the household chores and expected to fulfill those duties as merely support towards the others in the family. Furthermore, by placing, chronologically, Granny's prideful reminiscing on her younger achievements before her emotionally unstable reflection of her first jilting due to George, Porter allows the contrast between Granny's reactions to each to be interpreted as a simulation of the "fake" reality of gender equality when confronted with the betrayals and harsh treatments society places on those who feel the need to stray away from the "standard"; in such a case, George and his jilting reflects society and its unreasonable stereotypes/limitations on women while Granny reflects the general wellbeing of the female population fluctuating under pressure of society. In addition, when Granny wishes that she wants "[George] to know [she] had [her] husband just the same and [her] children and [her] house like any other woman”, it shows her mind still being stuck within the influence of society's perspective on what a good life for a woman should be; in this case, it highlights the societal norms of being married to a man, having a comfortable house, and having kids. These may normally seem like happy or positive things, but Porter portrays these as negative, disappointing, and insufficient for fulfillment under societal norms by taking a character like Granny, who is faithful to most norms in her life like religion following God, drinking hot toddy to stay alive longer, being married under the watch of a priest, etc., and throwing her through "jiltings" to finally show her off as realizing that she still feels unsatisfactory with her life at her death even though she had all that was expected of a normal, happy life according to societal expectations. Hi Darren, I really enjoyed how you commented on how Granny Weatherall's drifting between consciousnesses served to reveal the limitations society had put on her. I definitely agree with you that the memories of her accomplishments in her younger life served to display her pride in her accomplishments despite the struggles she went through. There was for sure a deliberate juxtaposition between these memories and her memories of her jilting, and your analysis really dives deep into how this contrast highlights the societal standards that hold women back. I definitely agree that Granny Weatherall isn't able to move on from her jilting because of the societal pressures which have been put on her throughout her life; she isn't able to recognize her own talents and strengths because she has been trained to believe otherwise. Her belief that a woman can only be happy through familial accomplishments and marriage is totally apparent in some of her flashbacks, and I think this is a really important concept to highlight. Her dissatisfaction with herself and her life accomplishments stems from her shame and inability to move on from her traumatic jilting from years past. Overall, great analysis! |
|
|
|
Post by Marissa Becerra on Aug 19, 2024 22:50:56 GMT -8
Katherine Porter’s 1930 short story “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” reflects many different aspects of feminist theory and sheds light on the constraints of gender roles during the time. The short story revolves around Granny’s inner dialog of her life as she approaches the end of her life. Her mind keeps circling back to the major ‘jitlings’ she has in her life, specifically ones that challenge societal expectations of what womanhood should be like. Her first major jilting is one that gets brought up throughout the story; her fiance George abandoning her at the altar. Granny is shown to be quite religious and the abandoning of a bride goes harshly against both social and religious expectations, likely bringing a sense of shame to Granny that she needed to overcome. Along with George leaving her alone, some interpretations of the text show that her firstborn is implied to be his, which again is another large departure from her religious upbringing and societal formalities of the time. Her child Hapsy died as a young infant, furthering the jilting caused by George. The first set of jitlings with this family that never came to be reflected in Granny’s mind as how her life could have fallen into society's expectations. This family that never was is a blank canvas to her and she uses it for her idealistic societal “what if’s”, especially with her late daughter Hapsy. Society and religion urge women to be pure wives to their husbands, and dedicated mothers to their children. Throughout the story Granny yearns to see Hapsy, the blank canvas of a child that she interprets as the potential she had in her life to be a better mother if she wasn’t jitled so. She reflects on how her life truly was, which was full of hardships and not easily digestible like how society wants. She was widowed and had to raise all her children by herself, contradicting society's picturesque ideal. Within her own mind, she battles the ideal and reality, feeling the pressure of society to be perfect, even in her final moments. She finds out that her expectations of reality aren’t always true, and is forced to take her autonomy into her own hands once again, like she did after her husband John passed. Then, she went against society's ideal and took herself to raise her children on her own. In her final moments, abandoned by another male, this time her male god, she knew what needed to be done for her own good and took her life back in her own hands and snuffed out the light.
|
|
|
|
Post by Matthew Lee on Aug 19, 2024 22:52:49 GMT -8
Katherine Porter uses Granny Weatherall's experiences and memories to critique the societal expectations and limitations places on women by the continuous adversary Granny Weatherall faces throughout her life as a result of such. She encapsulates this theme in Granny Weatherall's life as she reflects on her past and present while she is slowly dying on her death bed. Granny Weatherall is constantly aligned with her children, and her children represent her life as it revolved around them. She is dedicated to raising her children and taking care of their home and land as a single mother following the early passing of her husband, John. This goes to represent Granny Weatherall's independence in her life following events that she has carried with her, such as the jilting of George leaving her at the alter. George's betrayal left Granny Weatherall emotionally scarred, and she continues to live her life in attempts to fulfill the life she wishes to have in spite of such events. She later goes on to have the desire to reach out to George to prove that she was able to have a family and a life without him. Not only was this a betrayal for Granny Weatherall, but with the societal pressure for a women to be married with children, she also faced much humiliation and a loss of control over her life. Granny Weatherall goes on to overcome this adversary in her second marriage, but as her husband passes away at a young age she again loses the grasp she held on the events in her life. Such events in her life lead her to take out the resentment she carries onto her daughter, Cornelia. Granny Weatherall's continuous struggle with autonomy over her life is reiterated in her final moments as she asks God for a sign, yet receives no answer. Throughout her story, Granny Weatherall's experiences in life reflect the struggles faced by women who are expected to simply be the wives of their husbands in the early 20th century as she attempts to regain control over the course of her life after experiencing multiple betrayals and losses in her life. As Granny Weatherall finally blows out the candle and decides to pass on, she regains her autonomy in her final moments all on her own, without the need for a man. Hi Jodi! I really enjoyed your interpretation of the story! I had never considered how Granny Weatherall's children served to symbolize the different parts of her life, but your analysis works really well! I agree, her successful raising of her children, to the point where they huddle around her and comfort her in her final moments of life, display her incredible strength and ability, raising her children despite being a single mother. Her jilting was definitely a traumatic event in her life, and I agree that Granny Weatherall's successes in life despite it serves to highlight Porter's belief in the incredible heights that women could achieve, with or without men. The theme of independence and autonomy is very strong throughout the story, and I agree that a lot of Granny Weatherall's actions and behaviors exist in her futile grasp for control over her own life. Her blowing out the candle definitely serves as a symbol for her regaining control, even in her dying moments. Great analysis! |
|
|
|
Post by Matthew Lee on Aug 19, 2024 22:57:27 GMT -8
Katherine Porter uses Granny Weatherall's experiences to critique societal expectations of the idea of a fulfilling life. However, at the same time feminist roles of Granny’s independence. Throughout the novel, the author changes between Granny’s past and present. During Granny’s memories, it shows how strong and independent she was, mentioning how “she had cooked, and all the clothes she had cut and sewed and all the gardens she had made” and “In her day she had kept a better house and had more work done.” This reveals how she was busy when she was young keeping things cleaned and organized. However, this also hints on societal expectations of how women should be doing the household chores as she describes her duties that were the expectations of what women should do in the family. She also switches to showing how she could manage taking care of her children even without George who was her first jilt emphasizing the feminists roles of being independent and not needing anyone to rely on. However, contrary to how she wants to be presented as an independent woman, it also shows how she cares about societal expectations of what families are like. This is seen when she says to George “I want him to know I had my husband just the same and my children and my house like any other women.” Which highlights the societal norms of having a husband, house, and kids for fulfillment in her life. Not only that, this is also seen in the end when she was about to die she asks God for a sign. This shows how after John, her husband, has died, she needed someone else to rely on turning to God. However, there was no sign from God as it was not supposed to be God giving her a sign, but rather Hapsy. This demonstrates how she needed someone to rely on and believe in, even though she was hurt by most of them. Ultimately, Granny’s memories of what she did in the past illustrates her independence which highlights feminist roles. However, her thoughts hints how she is still stuck in the society's expectations of what is seen to be a happy life, in which she aims for, further explaining that even though she was near her death, she couldn’t experience peace but rather pain as she lets herself down with all these expectations. Hi Alexandra! I really appreciate your unique analysis of the story. I definitely agree with you that Granny Weatherall's memories give the readers insight in Granny Weatherall's unbelievable strength and resilience, even through the great difficulties she has gone through. They overall serve to empower women by displaying the great strengths and accomplishments they achieve even through what may seem to be routine work, such as household chores or raising children. The jilting only serves to emphasize her abilities, able to find success and prosperity despite lacking a husband to support her. The detail of her raising her children alone as a single mother further reiterates Porter's idea that women can achieve incredible things with or without men in their lives. This story definitely has strong feminist undertones that you highlighted really effectively. Great analysis! |
|
|
|
Post by Addi on Aug 28, 2024 10:31:31 GMT -8
In Katherine Porter’s “Jilting of Granny Weatherall”, she contrasts the expectations placed on women in the 20th century by highlighting Weatherall’s past experiences with two men and mental reflections on her own accomplishments she was able to control in her life through her children. In the 20th century, women were seen as weak and under the jurisdiction of the husband when it came to gender roles within a family or household. However, Granny Weatherall depicts a character that defies those societal stereotypes by introducing the readers to her past husbands George and John. George left Granny at the altar and John passed away, yet Granny raised her children with strength and gave them a good life. She wants George to know that she ended up doing just right, because she did it without a male. She kept her life organized and “folded the edges in neatly”. Granny lived a fulfilling life as a strong, independent woman who is proud of what she accomplished. Her pride isn’t out of selfishness, but instead comes from assuring herself that she did more than what society expected her to be able to do as a single mother. During this time, marriage was the outlet for rights and powers, yet Granny Weatherall proves that she can control her life without binding herself to a man. Her organization and attention to the details of her life show her autonomy over something that people at the time thought she wouldn’t be able to control because she was single. Although she experienced many jillings, “Granny accepts her death as she gains autonomy over her life because she learned to control parts of it without needing a husband. Furthermore, in her last moments, we see Weatherall thinking of ways to leave things for her children and makes sure they’re around her on her deathbed. The readers can see Weatherall’s appreciation for the kids she raised so dearly, and how they’ll forever be more important than any man from the past. Her regrets for Hapsy's infantile death show how she is a true mother, inside and out, without the presence of a male figure.
|
|
|
|
Post by Addi on Aug 28, 2024 10:32:30 GMT -8
In Katherine Porter’s “Jilting of Granny Weatherall”, she contrasts the expectations placed on women in the 20th century by highlighting Weatherall’s past experiences with two men and mental reflections on her own accomplishments she was able to control in her life through her children. In the 20th century, women were seen as weak and under the jurisdiction of the husband when it came to gender roles within a family or household. However, Granny Weatherall depicts a character that defies those societal stereotypes by introducing the readers to her past husbands George and John. George left Granny at the altar and John passed away, yet Granny raised her children with strength and gave them a good life. She wants George to know that she ended up doing just right, because she did it without a male. She kept her life organized and “folded the edges in neatly”. Granny lived a fulfilling life as a strong, independent woman who is proud of what she accomplished. Her pride isn’t out of selfishness, but instead comes from assuring herself that she did more than what society expected her to be able to do as a single mother. During this time, marriage was the outlet for rights and powers, yet Granny Weatherall proves that she can control her life without binding herself to a man. Her organization and attention to the details of her life show her autonomy over something that people at the time thought she wouldn’t be able to control because she was single. Although she experienced many jillings, “Granny accepts her death as she gains autonomy over her life because she learned to control parts of it without needing a husband. Furthermore, in her last moments, we see Weatherall thinking of ways to leave things for her children and makes sure they’re around her on her deathbed. The readers can see Weatherall’s appreciation for the kids she raised so dearly, and how they’ll forever be more important than any man from the past. Her regrets for Hapsy's infantile death show how she is a true mother, inside and out, without the presence of a male figure.
|
|
