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Granny weatherall essay

Clinton McFarland Dorton English 103 27 April 2010 Religious Symbolism In “ The Jilting Of Granny Weatherall” Symbolism is something that many others use in their writing to give meanings without coming out and saying it. The dictionary states symbolism as “ the art or practice of using symbols especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous representations as artistic imitation or invention that is a method of revealing or suggesting immaterial, ideal, or otherwise intangible truth or states. When authors do this it lets readers get different ideas as what they mean as they read the story, which makes them think a lot more as they read the story. This story has a lot of symbolism, most of it being connected to religious meaning.

One symbol that Katherine Porter uses throughout this story is the fog that Granny Weatherall talks about in many of her visions. Fog in the symbolic form means that you cannot think or see clearly, also shows isolation. This makes since because Granny Weatherall is so old that she probably can no long think clearly. She also feels isolated because she is alone in her room and her daughter doesn’t really listen to her as she spends much of her time in her room. Along with her daughter no one else listens to her, like the doctor and the nurse that are there.

In the visions is where she sees the fog but the visions themselves are symbols. According to the Christian faith visions are how god reveals himself to a person. Visions when god reveals himself are a result of outpouring of Holy Spirit. Granny Weatherall is a church going lady she says when her daughter tells her that Father Connolly is coming to talk to her. She says she is not sinful, along with that fact that she is close to dying she knows she will make her maker soon. The fact that she is seeing these visions shows that she is a very spiritual person.

In the visions there is another symbol and that is the light. Light in the symbolism form expresses a positive affirmation where darkness expresses a sense of chaos. Throughout the story Granny Weatherall sees them both through the visions she has. When she sees light throughout the story it has a few different meanings as the story goes on. When she is seeing the light and talks about doing things the next day the light means goals that she has, which is to get things done the next day. But when she sees the light towards the end of the story it is more enlightenment feeling. But on the other side when her visions are dark they mean chaos, when she talks about being left at the altar it is chaos and very sad and it has a dark feeling to it.

But at the end of the story where she blows out the light that darkness is a comfortable darkness that wasn’t chaos but something that is nice. Katherine Porter uses many things in nature in the different visions that Granny has to hide some of the meaning she put in the story. When she says “ A fog rose over the valley, she saw it marching across the creek swallowing the trees and moving up the hill like an army of ghosts” there are many things in there that make the sentence have a whole different meaning.

Like I stated earlier fog means that you can’t see clearly and the valley means there is a change going on through your life. So she can’t see clearly as she is going through these changes in her life. The creek symbolizes her life and the trees represent strength and wisdom but as the fog moves across it her life and wisdom is burled. The people that come to see Granny Weatherall have symbolism also, the daughter being there shows that they think she is unable to do things herself though she believes she still can. The doctor being there shows they believe she may die soon though she doesn’t believe that until the end, along with the other family members coming shows she may pass soon and they want to see her before she dies. And the Father coming shows they want her accept that she is going to pass and be at peace with god when she does.

As you read the story you understand that it is all a symbol of her dying days. Dying is a symbol in itself because it is a reunion between the one who is dying and the ones she loved that have already passed. Dying is not a bad thing it is not the end of life just a new chapter. All the things she thinks about all the things that happen are what see wants to remember as she goes to the other world. The good and the bad they are all things throughout her life that have made her the person that she was and is. It shows how she had some parts of her life that were way down there but some of her life that was really good.

And also showed that now that she is old her daughter and everyone else around doesn’t pay attention or listen to her. Symbolism is a good way to add meaning to a story. You can easily see that Granny Weatherall has a lot of symbolism in it. And it really makes the story a better story with it. The symbolism in this story helps you better understand Granny Weatherall, it lets you draw your own conclusions. And lets you think more about the meaning of each sentence.

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