In Katherine Anne Porter’s, “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall”, the idea that people strive to be in control and have power is a major theme of the text. To be in control is something that many people work towards their whole lives, and Porter’s work gives insight into the final moments of one such person. Granny Weatherall, the reader learns, was left at the alter by her first fiancé; it becomes very apparent that she has yet to recover from that wound. At a stage in her life when control and power are not so slowly fading away, the titular character faces the feelings of weakness and inadequacy that have been all too common during her years. The story opens with Granny attempting to refuse the care of her doctor, and through her eyes, the …show more content…
While on the surface it may seem that these criticisms are just the product of a bored and fleeting mind, they are in fact a means for Granny to deal with her inability to do things. A large portion of the narrative shows Granny delve into her past, and this gives the reader insight to her past sense of pride. By criticizing every little chore Cornelia completes, Granny is able to recall a time where she could have completed the task herself, a time where she was perhaps still with her jilter George, and unplagued by death’s encroachment. This is her way of controlling what small aspects of her life that she still can. Manifesting her frustration with Cornelia, Granny thinks, “…wait Cornelia, till your own children whisper behind your back! In her day she had kept a better house and got more work done” (147). Every criticism that Granny has towards Cornelia, is rooted in how Granny would have done the task a different way if she still had the power to do so. This is an obvious indication of how she is troubled by her lack of power. In the story, Cornelia is the closest thing to an antagonist, as she is an embodiment of all the things Granny has lost the ability to do for